If the students are breifed on what their chosen course is and what to expect they have a much easyer transition. Often they are sold or let to beleive school is much different
Students have the ability to complete surverys at the end of every term as well as they meet with a faculty advisor to discuss any issues they may be experiencing.
we have critiques that have questions for the students to answer anonymously for each dept every three weeks.this will give us an idea how we are doing on a 3 week basis.
Tim, would you share a technique you have learned that has been useful? Hopefully, others can benefit from it also.
Admissions is concerned about making their numbers, but most admissions people are also concerned about giving the proper information. What can you do to help get everyone on the same page?
Sounds like you have the right players at the table. How often do you do these reviews? Who takes the lead in the process?
Our admissions team describes to a prospective student what their experience will be like while they take them on a tour of the school.
On the first day of class, instructors will describe their expectations of the student for the course and hold him/her accountable.
A follow up is done at the end of the term by having students complete surveys for each course. The results are printed in a confidential manner so the Program Director and instructor can read it to make any necessary changes.
As instructors, we routinely receive training and advice from managers and peers, intended to help us recognize when a student is in danger of dropping out. We frequently speak to students about the direct application of the skills they are learning and how they will benefit them in their chosen field.
Academics delivers this at the beginning of each quarter by going over the course syllabus with the student. Now if we could get admissions and academics on the same page it would be awesome, because as we know admissions is concerned about reaching their numbers.
We have meetings with all depts. to communicate what is being done and what could be better. I feel that being an instructor we have to try to make right with what went wrong in the begining if something goes wrong. We have departments to cover almost every problem that could arise, but nobody could anticipate every thing that can go wrong. Sometimes a prblem can come up that is student created that a school cannot help with. If a student is not financially or mentally prepared, sometimes there is no resolve.
Is the orientation mandatory? Is it offered at multiple times? What is covered and how do you know if it's achieves your objectives?
Sounds like a good practice, Shelia. How often do the students take advantage of the opportunity? Do you anticipate questions/comments and leave a little extra time at the end of the instructional period? Seems like they be more likely to ask questions if they weren't hurrying to get out of class.
What topics are covered in the continuing ed courses? Are you free to choose the subjects?
True, but apparently that's easier said than done for some people.
Are you teach in an online or ground program?
Do persistence results support the aggressive contact policy?
Following a comprehensive orientation,which highlights the expectations,that our institution is committed to providing our students,we provide an open door policy,in addition to other communication avenues,where students share their concerns and suggestions.
We also take surveys from our students,which help us identify areas we might need to improve on.
I find it very helpful to ask the students 'what questions do you have for me' at the end of lectures and labs. This way they are prompted to think while being afforded the opportunity to ask questions.
We utilize student satisfaction surveys. We also have to complete continuing ed courses.
This is simple integrity. We should do what we say and say what we do . . .
My school does many things "right" to assure that student expectations are being met and that they are satisfied. Upon entrance to the school, students are given several opportunities to become oriented with our Online Learning System and those people with whom they will communicate in the school (teachers, student services, financial aid...), including a one-on-one orientations via phone and internet. While in our school, program guidelines are always available for them to keep track of where they are in their program. Within classrooms, course and weekly objectives are displayed on the main page and instructors post policies and guidelines in our News Forum. Each week, constructive feedback is provided to students on the work that was completed. Instructors and student services staff contact students when work is late or attendance is not being met. At the completion of courses, students are given the opportunity to provide feedback of their experience in the class and within the school as a whole.
We make it very clear what we expect of students and what they should expect of us. We know, via feedback and student retention rates, that students are mostly satisfied with their learning experience. When enough students take issue with something about a course, we do what we can to make changes to improve the experience.
Our school is by no means perfect. I happen to take issue with what I perceive as "coddling." Granted, our school is a certificate school with a demographic that consists mainly of people with a GED instead of a high school diploma, a lack of a strong work history, not much support from family to go back to school, etc, but it has been my opinion that the amount of time we instructors are supposed to spend tracking down students is beyond reasonable. Literally, we are instructed to call and leave a message EVERY DAY until we reach a student who has not posted attendance in three days or is missing a lot of work. We are also supposed to send an email reminder EVERY DAY until we receive a response. These policies become less strict depending upon the position of the course in the program sequence, but even in classes toward the end of the program, we are to stay on them more than what I consider to be reasonable for a higher education institution. I don't think that we are really giving them the opportunity to take responsibility for themselves. No boss will ride them like we do.
