At our school we go above and beyond for our students. We help prepare them for their state board examinations as well as job placement.
James, is this done each academic period? Who is responsible for follow up? Does admissions get involved?
One pratice we do on the first day of a new course is to inform all departments witch students have not shown up to class.This then starts a call to the student to to find out what can be done to get them to class.
Rebecca, are you the one who makes the calls? Do you handle chronic offenders differently? Have you had students who avoid your calls?
A practice that we have at our institution that shows our school commitment is reaching out to our students. Anytime a student misses class (even if it is just one day) they receive a call from the campus. The call typically goes something like "I noticed you weren't at school today...is everything ok?" Typically it is nothing but the student's almost always really appreciate that we took the time to call. Many students have said, "it's nice that you guys care about me." Comments like that make my job so pleasant and worthwhile.
Sara, having all those resources is only the beginning of the process. Getting students to use them is how we really demonstrate commitment.
I feel that we demonstrate our commitment to our students by just having the Student Service Department and having so many resources for them at their finger tips.
Yes this is part of the admissions process. The admissions rep and the front desk along with financial aid call the prospective students alot before they begin the program. If a problem comes up they try to take care of it by pointing them in a direction. If they are unable then it gets handed off to us after the student starts.
I assume you are using private Facebook communications with you students vs. general postings on their wall. Do any of them have negative reactions to your use of Facebook? What are the qualifications of the mentors?
Tracy, who makes these calls? Isn't this part of the admissions process?
Karen, has this procedure produced positive results?
Loren Kroh
Sara, how often do students take advantage of these sessions? Do you see appreciable improvement in scores when they do?
Loren Kroh
Diana, please tell us more about the social network that you use. Who manages the postings?
Loren Kroh
Benedict, would you please share some examples of how you and your colleagues build positive relationships with you students?
Loren Kroh
I am proud to say that at my institution we employ a strategy that keeps us in contact with students on a regular basis. For students on a LOA whether medical or scheduled, I as the registrar follow-up on a weekly basis by phone or e-mail.
Our school calls students before they begin to make sure that no new obstacles come up that would prevent them from starting and or finishing the program.
We demonstrate our committment to our students by maintaining a relationship with each individual student. We call everyone who is absent from class every day. If they are absent more than one day, managers start to call the students. We use facebook a lot to maintain relationship, checking in with them if they don't return phone calls or just liking their most recent status. We do our best to know most students by their first name, and whenever a student is struggling they are assigned a personal mentor who has a meeting with them at least once a week to help them get back on track.
At our school we call every student every day they are absent. There are many reasons for our calls. First, we like to check to make sure that they are OK. Second, we like to know when they will be returning. Finally, we let them know what they are missing in class and what to read over to be prepared when they do return.
If a student is absent, the instructors are responsible for making contact with them. If the student is not performing well academically, instructors may invite their admissions advisor to get involved by sending a blinker. Sometimes, we also get previous instructors involved; those who may have had a bond with the struggling student.
We offer general sessions in addition to their regularly scheduled classes in which they are able to receive one on one attention, if necessary, to ease any angst they may be feeling about an upcoming test, project due date, etc.
