Retention is everybody's job
Unfortunately, I find the instructor is often the one blamed when a student is not retained. There are so many factors outside of the instructor's control and sometimes, the student is just not a good "fit" for the school. The instructor does have a duty to alert the team as soon as he or she is aware there might be a problem.
Good point, Cheryl. I'm very uncomfortable with the concept that people are being blamed for a student's behavior. It is far more beneficial to look at the situation in a proactive way, trying find solutions rather than excuses.
I agree completely. When a school works collaboratively, many parties are involved in tracking a student's performance. More often than not, the student has exhibited the same behaviors in past classes. Rather than be "blamed", the teacher is asked to work with the dean, registrar, financial aid, etc., to paint a true picture of the student's behavior. In my experience, it's rare when a student drops directly because of one person.
You make an interesting point, Shawn. Are you saying you're expected to retain 100% of your students? Most retention standards anticipate these events or provide a way to document extraordinary events.
I agree that there are so many factors out of the instructors control, such as there is a death in the family, they loose their job, go to jail, a military obligation, etc., but who gets dinked with the retention numbers it falls back on the instructor which to say is not fair to the instructor. There needs to be a more fair way to track the performance of the instructor than things that are out of his/her control.
I've always felt that re-takes of an admissions test should be granted only in response to extraordinary circumstances. To me it would be acceptable to re-take the exam after a period of remediation. In any case, it would be appropriate to have a carefully articulated policy.
Very often the instructor is blamed for a student that drops or cannot handle the course content. I believe that each prospective student should be told that the course requires alot of time on their part, along with a great deal of studying. How many times is a perspective student allowed to take the entrance exam? I've seen the entrance exam administered numerous times to a perspective student. Poor performance on the admission test should indicate possible problems which should be brought to their attention before the admissions process is complete.
As an instructor in a automotive training center, we get a diverse group of students. We have military, post grads, high school grads and students who have a difficult time reading and writing. These can be certainly a challenge when addressing retention as there are so many factors bombarding students from every side. Trying to recognize these challenges does actually help when it comes to a generational challenge or even an individual challenge. When you say "let me help you" you need to be serious due to the fact that many times they have heard those words yet the actions where meaningless and hollow.
I don't like the word "blamed". We all have responsibilities for the education of our students and should be working collaboratively. When a student withdraws there is an opportunity to review the circumstance and perhaps improve performance. Rarely is one person solely responsible for a student's decision to drop out.
i highly agree that retention is everybodys job.
Yordy, you make a good point. Certainly, the student has to be responsible for their outcome.
Faculty are the front line eyes and ears of the institution and as you observe, are strategically placed to relay information to achieve the best results.
It's easy to feel that way, Lori, because the classroom is the primary point of contact with your customer. By definition, faculty will be called on to take a leadership role in the retention effort.
I agree with this statement. Retention is responsibility of everyone that is involved, part somehow for that student in that educational moment. Its a wide different factors that may impact this important aspect.
I agree there are many factors that influence student expectations. Instructors can be very instrumental in relaying observations and issues to the team so that they may be addressed
We all play a role from beginning to end. Student expect certain things that we should provide to them that my succeed
I agree. It is a team effort to make the student feel comfortable and able to ask questions. It just feels like the majority of the responsibilty falls to the instructor or program director.
Instructors play an important role in retention but there are other factors that have an effect retention also. I agree sometime instructors or often blamed, but retention is everyone responsibility. We all play a role in student retention.
By Mary Ruise
