Do all students take this course or just those who are identified as having problems? Do you use any assessments to identify problems or weaknesses? Communication style?
Most importantly, what has been the effect on retention?
Our school has a course designed to help with some of these intervention strategies. It is designed to be fo a very small group and meets weekly for an entire quarter. In it, the student has close one on one contact with an instructor - amny times an instructor involed in Student Services - they re design goals, discuss visions for the future as well as managing day to day time management and the feelings of inadequacy and failure. It really allows the endangered student to have a place for some academic guidance and stay committed to their education.
Attendence is set at mandatory 80% of a module, by evaluating this on a per mod basis , we are often able to un-cover isssues that usually are first outwardly apparent by attendence issues
Fortunately, this doesn't happen very often. Do you do a departmental review of drops? Perhaps someone else had an inkling or by collectively you might have been able to sense a problem.
Sometimes intervention is merely listening so that u could solve problem which is most time the reason for leaving.
At times it is hard to identify them because they may show no signs... they may have a good attendance, and a good grade average in the class, they may socially interact well with their peers. I have had a student like this...there were no signs and then 1 day she totally just disappeared. Never could reach her by phone, email, nothing. Just never showed back up. I have literally no idea! Great student and obviously had issues at home that I was completely unaware of.
Who calls and what are the results? Is it an effective use of staff/faculty time?
When you report a student through the blinker system, are you still responsible for calling the student or is that duty transferred? How are the results of the calls recorded and who can see them?
Is the academic plan for slipping students shared with the faculty who are involved with the student? How about support staff?
Sounds like a good method to re-kindle the dream, Bryant. How well does it work with your students?
This is not neccessarily a school tactic, but I use it when intervening with students who desire to drop. I have all of my degrees on the wall and I reference them to students who feel the academic stagnation coming through. I point to the degrees and tell the students to think about where they would hang thier degree, how they would frame it, and what would thier family think of the document. This allows the student to reflect on thier successes and something to look forward to rather than dropping out. I remind them of thier goals.
What's involved with a Quarterly Academic Review? Who's involved? Are results documented and follow up measured?
Great to hear that your institution has such a position, Kevin! What's the background of this person? What experience did you look for when developing the job description? How well respected is this ombudsman?
We conduct Quartelty Academic Reviews as a way to reveal issues. We also, meet with students who are absent more thatn a minimum number of times. Lastly, when students are not in class, we call them at home.
At our campus, the director of "student success" has a unique role in that he really must work to keep lines of communication open between students, faculty, and administration. In essence, he works as the switchboard for students. Academic issues are directed to the proper channels to provide tutoring, additional instruction, or other academic challenges which may appear. The student success director really performs a valuable role in beign able to intervene with proper notification before that problem is too far gone for repair and the student is lost.
At our school we have to call the student when they are not in class, sometimes hearing from the instructor motivates them to get back into class. We also have a blinker system that everyday the instructor needs to send a message on who was not in class, it goes to certain people in the office so that they can take action.
We meet with students as soon as it's apparent that there is a problem by either attitude or attendance
To retain is to make the student feel that he is really learning.
At my college we utilize academic advisors that have a given number of students that they work with through out their entire enrollment. The advisor is a liaison for the student, they monitor, advise and coach the student. In the case of a student that has academic grades that are slipping the advisor meets with the student to establish a academic plan, and then works with the student to arrange possible tutoring or other academic supports so that the student has the needed scaffold to accomplish the academic plan and return to good academic standing.
Approaching identification from different perspectives is a good idea. Which methods have proven most effective for you and your school?
