Personalities should not have any impact on a student's grade. I've even heard suggestions that an instructor shouldn't look at the person's name until grading is completed.
Unfortunately,no matter how much you like a person, you have to tone the relationship down after the course has started and that person is in your class. There is almost no way to grade that person objectively otherwise.
Integrating the admission people into the solution is interesting, Kevin. In most schools, their involvement with the students ends shortly after they start attending class. Have you done this? If so, how willing were they to be involved and how has it worked?
Here at the school I am only an instructor, at my other job I am a Production Manager, and responsible for hiring and recomending employees.
The retention of potential employees for me is very crucial not only for the index rating needed for the administrtion, but for my classes.
It is etremely important for instructors to work very closely with the office support staff to alert them of any potential problems with students, and or ideas and concerns to improve quality of overall learning experience.
Everyone, it the entire orginization has the responsibility to make the educational experience a pleasent, and informative one, to enable the students to enter into the workplace feeling that they have received useful skills that will carry them throughout their new field of choice.
NO ONE person or office should carry the weight of this, but rather collectively, as an institution be conscious of everyones efforts to acheive this common goal.
As an educator, whether an instructor, or administrative personell, it is our duty to provide an environment that entises students to expand their knowledge base and continually challenge ourselves to meet the ever changing needs of the post-secondary student astechnology changes.
Retention should be the entire world's responsibility, to set the bar higher for each generation that follows, to encourage children and young adults to want to better themselves, and increase their knowledge, education and increased knowledge is something that can never be taken away from an indiividual, and will help to open up more opportunitires.
That is something everyone should want for his/her fellow man.
Even if a student lists something such as transportation, I think that the absence could still be avoidable if they are excited enough about what they are doing. Also I try to encourage students to make back-up plans for situations such as attendance or childcare so if they really want to attend class, they might still be able to make that happen.
I would just remind everyone regardless of what position that you have been hired for to keep in mind the difference that you can make in a person's life who might not have otherwise had that opportunity. If a student remains satisfied and feels that we care retention will fall into place.
To amplify Ronda's comments here, I think it's vital that the instructors constantly give feedback to the admissions people on student progress during the course of a semester or period. To me, as an instructor, the first danger sign is when a student begins consistently missing classes. It could be unavoidable (illness, transportation issues),or avoidable ("I'm just not into what that teacher is teaching me.") Going to the admissions people when attendance begins to lag may be they key to pinpointing a student's issue or issues with what he or she is attempting to learn.
What a broad exposure to our business! Do you have any words of wisdom for those just getting started?
Good points, Cara. What barriers to shared information exist at your institution?
I also feel that retention is everyone's responsibility. The students hold everyone who works for the school at a high place of importantce, espically if they are in need of help. All departments need to have an open way of talking to each other so that we as a team are better suited to help these students. Students hate to get the run around and if the teams are not talking to each other openly, the student feels that the school is not doing a good job at helping them.
