We have our first term students actually write a letter of commitment that explains why they came to school and what they want in the future for themselves and their family. Whenever a student is struggling or thinking of withdrawing, we print out the letter and ask them to read it. It is a VERY effective tool for retention.
weekly orienation classes for all new students to help them prepare
As a nurse, I am very familiar with Selye's GAS, and I am so glad you introduced it to "other" types of educators. Good call! It also let's us know how we respond to stressors in our own lives and that it's "normal" to feel the way we feel when stressed to the max!
Both the administration and the faculty do a great deal of follow-up with the students. Students who miss a class receive calls, not to nag them about attendance, but to check up on them to make sure things are OK. Most of the teachers here develop one-to-one relationships with each of their students, getting to know them personally. Many faculty members have "professional" facebook IDs, so they can take advantage of the social media to interact with their students.
Students are given a commitment for 21 days where students can decide if they continue or not. If they choose not to continue within 21 days, student can drop with no financial obligation.
Tess , how often do students drop during the 21 day period? What are the primary reasons for the drop? What kind of internal review is there to see what could be done to avoid these disconnects?
Christine, who's responsible for making this contact? Has this practice improved attendance rates or communication about absences?
Erin, are the career events mandatory? Have you had any problem getting employers to participate?
our students have a no commitment enrollment
Student have a commitment for 21 days where if he/she decides to drop from the program they don't have any financial obligation from the school. If students pass the 21 days and decide to drop, student will have financial obligation to date.
If a student misses a class, and we have not heard from them, we quickly contact them to determine if there is a problem.
We hold career events and hands on labs at no additional cost to the students. this is a way to make sure that they have the resume building skills they need to apply for that great job after they complete their courses. With the hands on they have extra time with an instructor to ask all the questions they did not ask in class or understand when it was explained.
Who provides the weekend tutoring, Allan? I think it's interesting that the students would come in to see what's going on? Seems to suggest a good bond with the school.
We offer tutoring ever weekend at no charge to students. We often see students coming just to socialize and see what is going on.
Stress unquestionably affects retention and the same goes towards employee retention.
Simone, how does a student connect with the student services office? Do they have to be referred or can they just walk in?
Do the students view this as a meaningful commitment, Christinia?
What's game day, Belinda? Is this within each class or something done in a large group?
How does the institution monitor the "no poor service" policy, Karen?
Shawn, how often do graduates take advantage of this service after their initial placement? Are any of them disgruntled graduates that may be a problem for current students?
We have i place a students Services office that assists students in anything that they may need, unless it is something that we can not help them with we notify them of professional people they could talk to. We offer studying classes for after hours for any students that would like extra help on their assignments.
