We also use the three boards in the same manner. I like the comment from the person regarding awarding those in the middle.
When I managed in a restaurant one of the sad tasks was to fire those under performing servers after the saturday morning "pep" talk class.
One of the top selling servers suggested paring a lower performing server with a higher performing server. I did this and also gave the lower performing server a sales goal to increase their sales by one penny. Every one met the sales goal.
Week by week they improved until I still remember when a group that I would have fired weeks before now were proudly excited about working the floor that night. I did not fire any more servers! Perhaps we should pare a lower perfroming student with a top performer?
We do several things here. We post the boards recognizing academic excellence as well as atendance excellence. I marvel as I witness the students scrambling to see if their names are there. All of our faculty members are student advisors who send out weekly emails to the students, listing the available jobs, school happenings, and giving general advice for the week. We also have Career days when we invite job sites to come in, interview students, and accept resumes. We host resume-building classes. Faculty members encourage students to seek help in the classes and are usually avaialble for assistance. We also offer tutoring services.
Our School demonstrated commitment by guiding them on an ongoing basis. They also provide assistance in tutoring and by providing transportation assistance to relieve that type of stress. Instructors are encouraged to help students in all aspects of their learning experience with us. Finally, volunteer work and working in a club system encourages comaraderie and friendship which reduces significant amounts of stress.
If a student is terminated for academics (first-time), they are encouraged to appeal the termination. The letter that we send explains why they are termed and explains the appeals process. At the end of the letter, we offer words of encouragement and express how we hope the student will make use of the appeals process and continue their education.
There are many. We have faculty advisors who track the progress of the students throughout their career. They meet on a regular basis and communicate with each other. They are another resource for the studend.
We have an honor roll bulletin board where we recognize the names of the students who made the honor roll and present them with a certificate.
We have assemblies and events welcoming them back from school after a break and also recognizing their performance.
Faculty members will participate in community events and bring students with them to participate in these events to expose them to people in the industry. Many times, our students get hired on the spot.
At our school we work as a team. Each department takes an active role with each student to insure thier success in the program. It begins with the individuals that brought them into the program (they revisit each student on a quarterly basis to track thier progress. They hold weekly meetings with the faculty to determine each student's AT RISK potential. Depending on the AT RISK report received by the instructor, the student service counselor corresponds with that particular student to reslove any issues that the student may have. This same type of process is completed with Financial Aide Team. They try to resolve issues that might prohibit the students' progress due to finances. This team work with the faculty and other support teams keeps the student well informed of their progress and gives the student the needed feeling of support throughout their college carrer.
Comply with the Syllabus and the course program, provides all the necessary ingredients to complete the culianry program, and monitor the teaching level from all the instructor to ensure that students are getting all the knowledge and information properly
I really love this idea and plan to share it with my school. Someone had mentioned the Dean's list being published but this goes one step beyond. You have my vote and thanks for this valuable idea.
Student Services typically meets with new students during orientation to let them know what services are available but their presence in classrooms after that is not evident. Faculty who really care take the proactive role and constantly remind the students of what SS can do for them...especially in time of need. When I see a student who needs assistance, I personally walk them over to SS and get the ball rolling.
With respect to field trips, they do take a lot of planning and prep but the majority of the students really appreciate the effort I put into our many trips. Our retention numbers are an excellent indicator of this.
The faculty must establish healthy relationships with students. After 2 absences, we are obligated to contact our students personally. This is done in a effort to retain our students.
These are great displays of support for the students. Is the Student Services department proactive in reminding students of these services? They lose some of their value if the students don't use them.
Field trips are a great learning tool, but they do take extra effort and resources. One way to spread the impact would be to develop a school wide, or at least, departmental policy.
My school has the following practices at the student's disposal for their entire enrollment period:
1. Housing assistance: one reason that we lose students is vecause they lose their housing for one reason or another. our Student Services Department maintains a database of students looking for a room-mate as well as the names of several reputable real-estate agents that can help find our students housing in a timely manner.
2. Transportation assistance: Students often lose their ability to get to school in a timely manner-or at all due to car problems, or being convicted of DUI offenses. our Student Services department maintains a database of students and can easily match up students living in the same geographical area to arrange car-pools.
3. Field Trips: This is something I do as an instructor in order to expose students to various companies and museums related to the field. I am sorry to say that other instructors do not share the same values with respect to field trips.
Each of these practices clearly show our students that the school is entirely committed to their success!
Great project, Joseph. Why do you refer to it as an "underground" food pantry? How often have students used it? Who manages it?
Our instructors all make an effort to make these contact calls. Of course, there are times when an instructor is unable to call.
If instructors call and no one answers, they report that an attempt was made to contact the student that was not successful. If they make contact with someone other than the student, they leave a message being careful to not give out any confidential information.
Instructors complete forms documenting the calls and the results, but they are not necessarily held accountable.
Sounds like a lot of work. A lot of grading.
How do you communicate the progress reports? Electronically, paper?
I have heard many people reference a policy like this, but haven't seen it implemented very often. Do your instructors actually contact the student? What happens if they call and no one answers? Is there a standard to which people are held accountable?
I serve as faculty advisor for the student government. One particular project begun over a year ago was the development of the underground food pantry. This was built to aid students with few resources in the event of a materially deficient weekend. This proof of support for eachother in the student body is remarkable.
Communication to students about their progress show the commitment of the school to attrition and student success.
we give the student a progress report each week and comment with each student the reasons and how to improve their grade.
My institution demonstrates School Commitment in many ways. One practice they use is to have insructors make personal contact with any student who misses their class. This helps the student to see that the school cares about his or her success. These calls can also give the instructor the opportunity to intervene early if a student is undergoing a stressful situation that could lead to withdrawal.
We have weekly attrition meetings twice a week. In these meetings we talk about students with failing grades, absentes, or potential problems we might observe. We then formulate a plan to help the student to get back on track in studies or other concerns he/she is dealing with outside of school.
