Student Activities
What does one suppose to do during economic crisis to create student activities to reduce retention? Most of us have problem faced extremely tight budgets because of our country's economic crisis. Give me some ideas, please to assist with this acute problem.
Andrea, have you found certain data to be particularly helpful in anticipating student problems?
We do attempt measurement-tracking attendance percetages, number of students at study sessions, and our start rates in correlation with pre class activities with ambassadors.
We have a high level of commitment from our staff. Each team member speaks their commitment to team so there is accountability and people only speak what they are willing to do. From there we coordinate our efforts based on what staff wants to do.
Andrea, do you attempt to measure the impact of these various activities? What level of staff and faculty participation do you get?
For my staff and students,some of things we do in terms of intervention and activities are:
Study Sessions (faculty or Teaching Assistant or Federal Work Study initiated)
Student Ambassador Program-staff and classmates decide who they want to represent them
Campus Potlucks
Staff Classroom Sponsors
It is my opinion that students feel connected when there is a high level of personal interaction going on at the school. Our staff makes it a point to go into classrooms to do instructor evaluations. Our staff works on being in the hallways during breaks and in the lunch room during lunch and dinner hours. I learn A LOT about our student population and have the opportunity to be available and approachable for students.
How do you go about pairing students, Toni? What sort of events are you referring to?
Are the objectives of these activities clearly documented? Who is responsible for initiating them?
I try to connec at-risk students with other students who are more successful by getting them together in some volunteer event at the school. The at risk student spends time with the more acsdemicaly stable students, and very often comes away from the experience with a new way of looking at the school and success. Face it--sometimes other students can do more than faculty can to reach at risk students.
There are many activities that can involve students in earning some money to invigorate social clubs or special events, such as fund-raisers, auctions, contests, etc. Involving the students at the class level with programs such as recycling or volunteering as a professional body somewhere career-related can also incite active involvement.
Very creative. How do the students respond?
Is this commercially available or do you develop the material yourself?
Loren Kroh
Ocassionally we play games like jeopardy and wheel of fortune using textbook material as a review for a quiz or test.
Guess a descriptive word on a 3x5 card and select teams for participation against other teams. In addition, the highest number of correct words one team will win. The rules of the game is to guess each word on a 3x5 card when it is your team time and one cannot say prefix or suffix to words. Only give clues and gestures.
I have developed jeopardy games to help students participate in content review. It could be low fidelity making a jeopardy board with envelopes marked the amount of points, and insert 3X5 cards for the question answer. I just change out the 3X5 cards for each section review. It really doesn't cost much but i have had great feedback from the students.
