I don't recall making this statement. I believe that instructors are definitely involved with student retention. One school I taught at went so far as to base instructor pay increases on student retention.
We haven't really interviewed students, but in the past we have asked students to sit on a panel to discuss things about the school and they have participated willing and trutfully.
One way that our institution works to find what the students expect and how they feel about the education they are receiving is through an anonymous comment and evaluation survey on faculty, staff and the institution every 6 weeks. Also there are comment and suggestion boxes throughout the institution. Both are anonymous therefore students can feel free to express themselves. Lastly faculty and staff are available each afternoon if a student has concerns they want to discuss privately one on one.
What is reaction of the students when selected for interview? Do they willingly participate? Are they truthful?
At the beginning of each course, I tell the students what we will be covering, how it applies to them and (I feel most importantly)how they can benefit or - what's in it for them! The other thing I try is to associate the student's dreams and goals to the learning goals of the class. This helps to give the students a more realistic and measurable expectation of what they are here for.
I can't agree with your statement that as an instructor you're not involved with the retention process. Instructors are an integral part of any retention program.
We do have surveys filled out every three weeks, but they don't directly ask about how we for filled the students enrollment expectations. I have to admit that I'm not sure if there is a direct matrix in place here. We do ask if each course was well defined in it's overview at the end of each subject covered.
At the end of every phase of instruction (every three weeks), the students are given evaluation sheets to fill out. The students evaluate the instructor and the curriculum for effectiveness of instruction, material and tools.
The student has the opportunity to evaluate each course before taking their final exam. In that evaluation there is also an opportunity to evaluate the instructor, the training aids, the curriculum, the learning center and how the outline of the course synched to their expectations. Comments of any topic can also be made by students at the end the evaluation to address issues inside or outside the scope of the evaluation points of interest.
Students also have a yearly Student Services evaluation which addresses services outside the classroom environment.
In our institution we use student surveys at the end of each course. The students are also assigned advisors but, I noticed that they do not utilize them as much as they should when there is a problem. When a problem arises the students usually go to a dean.
At the end of each course, our students have the opportunity to evaluate the instructor and the school overall. Once the course has been completed, the instructor will have a student pass out evaluation sheets and answer questions about the school and the class they just took. There is also room on the evaluation to provide any additional comments about the class/school.
We as managers and instructors focus our attention on the whole experience our students are having while enrolled at this campus. For instance, maorale seems to be a little off right now so our Student Services Department is throughing a "All Fools Day" on April 1st. WE are palnning events and food to take their minds off their troubles and focus on some fun. We have had multiple dyas throughout the year that reflect a fun atmosphere and overall the general sentiment of our students is happy and outgoing.
At the end of every 3 week phase,each student fills out A survay This gives them A chance to evaluate there instructor as well as school administration.
At our school, we start out with an orientation session that introduces key personnel to the students prior to the start of their training. During orientation, much of the schools procedures are outlined so the students can be informed as to what to expect in their upcoming training and more inportantly, who to see should they run into difficulties. From there, during their training program, they are required to fill out course evaluations every three weeks(this corresponds with their 3 week training programs). Every 6 months, a student services survey(support survey) is issued to allow students the opportunity to evalutate the support services at the campus. Both the course evaluations and the student services survey are followed up by the respective departments and feedback is provided. Our campus also has a student union that meets each week to discuss issues at the campus from the students' perspective. We have also initiated a "Town Hall Meeting" get together which is scheduled to take place every 6 months with the entire student body to update all students as to what is happening and allow for open discussion and questions from the students. With these varieties of communication, hopefully the students will feel comfortable enough to share their feelings and expectations with us.
Our school has the student write an evaluation of the course. We get to see the score of the evaluation. We then can discuss these topics with our comrads and grow from our mistakes.
We hold weekly meetings to discuss current student issues. Also the students every three weeks have a chance to voice their own opinion.
Yes that's the best thing.
Yes we do the same thing.
One tool they use to measure student expectations is student evals. At the end of every phase the student evaluates his/her instructor and the school in general
Well, I think that it's good for the school and the instructor. To look at and make the changes they need for the course. So that you can see improvement.
