A natural at Intervention?
I believe some of us are naturals with interventions based on personalities and experience. With that said, sometimes, students connect with certain individuals with no hesitation especially if you speak to their level and listen to their needs. From the time of enrollment, with consistent communication interaction even after the program has started, gives the students a sense of peace. I don't just enroll them and play the role of student services post-after. I play the role of an Admissions representative and Student Services from the beginning so they have a knowing of someone is there to talk to in regards to their concerns. I may not always be able to fix their problems but can recommend further assistance.
Absolutely. We have found that what works for one cohort does not always work for another cohort and the same goes between students within the same cohort as well.
I agree, a connection is needed. In todays day and age I believe a lot of people are only helping themselves and unfortunately the students are putting their educations in those peoples hands as well. Without that connection, the student is not secure in the feeling that the instructors are doing what is in their best interest.
I truly feel as though I am one of those people that is naturally built to intervene in many situations. In the scchool setting I have found my self becoming one of the instructors that students tend to "bond" with. With that being said I have been able to help prevent many situations. In the same breath it is a gift and a curse because students get to comfortable with that part of the relationship and try to then turn it into "friendship" when I never have any intention on being their "friend". I am an Instructor before anything else and I always have to stress that to ALL of my students.
Are you involved with an online programs, Chana? That presents another set of issues. Open ended questions are an effective way to have students identify needs and by extension, connection points. Let them tell you about their circumstance.
Although my role is intervention, I am not natural at it. I have difficulty with the "greeting" and "connecting" parts of intervention. I am more the type to go straight to the point, which i can see from this course, is not always effective. Perhaps if I wrote down some questions I could use for the connecting part of my conversations with students, I would be more effective. Any suggestions?
I think that from the first time of interaction and throughout a student's journey, it is important to make a connection with them. I always try to greet them by name and make them aware of my position to be open and non-judgmental at all times. When they see that I am there to help them, they see that they can come to me if they have any concerns.
James, you make a good argument for the value of sharing experiences among staff and faculty as well as the need for ongoing training.
I agree that some individuals have that talent of communicating effectively with students. However, I think as we gain more and more experience with students, we gain that knowledge and expertise of how to deal with each students' issues differently. Just because something worked for one students' problems does not necessarily mean that the same solution will work for another students' problems. Everyone must be treated and dealt with differently. The concerns that students have are, many times, similar but solutions need to be more personalized or individualized.
I could not agree with you more. I have a great relationship with all of our students and know each of them. I always try to make them feel 100% comfortable. I have had a lot of students come to be with different problems and I love the fact that they feel comfortable enough to come and talk to me about what's going on in their lives. If they are having a problem I can't help them with then I refer them to someone who can help them and make sure we figure out a solution to the problem.
Yes, knowing all the resources and directing the student to the appropriate source is a strong key to retention!
I agree with your approach. Setting the standard from the beginning helps the student’s feel comfortable coming to you when a problem arises. Guiding the student to make a decision on their own is a tool that they can implement in the rest of their lives.
John , what techniques do you use to make your students feel comfortable?
Building trust early on is a real real key in making the student feel comfortable where they can open up with any concerns they may have.
I agree with you totally. being able to approach your students comfortable is the key -- eally getting one on one with them. As long as they feel comfortable to come to us when they have any questions or concerns, I think we're doing something right.
