To academically retain students "How Do You Know They Know?"
It is indeed that we want to retain our student body for obvious reasons, but in order to be retained they need to be chalenged. If a student does not wish to share any concerns then How do you know they know? (meaning the message you are trying to convey).
I also feel that listening to the students is an important part of retention. You must listen to the student in order to meet their needs as best as you can. If you are a school that is known for listening to the students and caring about them and their needs, this will improve retention. As they quoted in the forum, " You must have the right people in the right place at the right time." The staff and faculty must be available to talk to students at any time in any place.
Developing great listening skills is the most important aspect of communication. The questions you ask allows the student the "open door" to share with you what roadblocks are in the way.
The lesson we learn as teachers is to become great communicators. When we are faced with students that have a problem, it is our job to reach them and enable them to discuss their issues.This is often achieved by having a sincere and honest talk.
Does your college offer training to help people learn how to listen with their eyes? This is skill that often needs to be developed. Frequently, we just want to get through the question so we can provide a stock response and move on.
I agree. Listening carefully with both ears and eyes can help you know which question to ask next. As an academic advisor, I like to ask the question, Is there anything standing in the way of your success right now? What are the roadblocks for you? Are any of those roadblocks things we can help you with? When a student shares something shocking, it is important not to show you are shocked. React calmly, as though this sort of thing happens all the time. People feel like they are freaks if you behave as though the problem they just told you about is surreal and insurmountable. They already feel that way. Part of our job is to help them see there is something they can do to succeed despite their challenges.
I completely agree with the fact that all students don't share concerns even if they know it is a "non-start" or "non-completion" factor, but it is our job to bring these issues to the surface. We will not be able to do this with every student but we have to find a way to make the students comfortable enough with someone in the school to open up. Many times it starts with building that initial rapport and letting the student know that they can trust you...primarily because you have just helped them in some way.
When there is any type of interaction between the student and a representative of the school (i.e. admissions, financial aid, education, etc.), it is extremely important to pay attention to more than just what the student is saying. We should also pay attention to their body language and facial expressions when certain topics are brought up. Challenge the students to do more than tell you what you want to hear. Not only should a student meet the entrance requirements to attend the school but they should also justify their right to train at your institution. In my opinion, this is just one step to help improve retention. Our focus needs to be on enrolling graduates versus just having starts.
Meet with the student and try to get them to be honest by relating own tough experiences
A lot of the times you can read their actions, so you know the ones that are engaged really want to be here. The ones that are not may have an issue that is bothering them.
On the one hand, you can be direct. In a face-to-face environment, this might mean calling on a particular student or using formative assessments. In an online environment, it can be a formative assessment or calling on students in synchronous discussions.
But I'm more interested in the notion that students want to be challenged. I think that this depends on the class. For instance, I teach freshman composition, and over half of the students come into the class with the idea that they just want to pass--to get through it an get it over with. So do they want to be challenged? No, not too much. Many of them want to do the bare minimum (which is challenging enough), and then write the rest off.
Composition is one course that is commonly cited as a gateway course in traditional universities and the bane of the administrators' existence in online universities. Between math and composition classes, we often see more students drop out while taking these courses as opposed to any others. So do we make the course easier? Or do we convey to students prior to the entering the class that this course will require more of their time? Would an entrance exam help them to understand the amount of time that will be required of them? Should we make sure that they are not taking math and composition at the same time?
There are plenty of options, but it's difficult to know what will work in different student bodies, as well as how the students will perceive the messages we send through curriculum organization and other success strategies.
