I feel that we might institute a basic course that would be the first thing that a student takes when he enters our school. This could be some of the basics taught first day in some of our other courses. Many of our students do not know much about a car and some think they do but when classes start some realize how much they don't know. This can be very intimidating for a first phase student and could led to the 'wow, this is harder than I thought" attitude.
How about a student group that deals with student problems? GOOD advice coming from their peers sometimes works better advice given by staff. We have students at our campus that are quite willing to help others and some are very good at it. I feel that this is worth looking into.
I think during the recruitment of a new student that if We set the expectations there and are consistant throughout the experiance fewer would quit.
I assume that you're talking about lab courses, Thomas. What happens now when a student finishes an assignment quicker than his/her peers? Are they allowed to work on additional material?
Would your suggestion about more advanced training require additional lab time or perhaps even be a different course, or would it fit within your current system?
Do you have any specific activities in mind? Have you seen activities at other schools that you think would be useful at yours?
Robert, do you have any specific suggestions for activities to build ties among students?
When I look at the school as a whole I feel that we sometimes lower the bar to help retention rather than keep the bar high and find ways to assist the struggling student get thru the material. In working with young people of different ages I have personally found thru the years that they rise to the level of expectation if that level is laid out for them and then maintained not trying to find reasons to deveate from the expectation but how do we help them meet the expectation.I feel we need more interaction between the staff and the students on a level of person to person not on a level of staff to student with other types of activities suggested by the students and get a larger variety of activities not a small window of activities. Most of these activities need to involve student planning.
Will their employer allow 2 lates without it counting against them?
1 improve the quality of the students who start the classes... some basics like the ability to read and comprehend written information, basic math skills, and some sort of mechanical reasoning skills would give students a much bigger chance of success
2 activities that would solidify a camradery among the students would reduce homesickness and help them stay focused on their goals
Allow for at least two lates without it counting against the student. Also allow for traffis jams that they have no controll over at all.
Audie Toney
TTL phase 35
Avondale Az.
I feel one area might be more hands on work for the student to accomplish in a succesful manner.We do have hands on but lets be real, one time doing a particilar task doesn't make you quilified.Some students may have never done these tasks before ,so with additional time they may be the high quality graduate we want to produce.A second area might be to revise some courses to give more advanced training but this is not for everyone only truly top students could take that class this is the way of the world everyone doesn't make it to the top.This is something that may give some even more drive to try harder.
Do you have many students who need the test to be read for them? What are the barriers to your suggestion about the instructor being the one to do this?
First I think a better screening process needs to be instituted to ensure that the student can read and write and has basic math skills needed to succeed. Or start the program with a remedial class in these subjects. Then a second phase teaching use and care of basic tools.
Second, I think that under our present situation, Students that need tests read to them should be read to by their own instructor, This shows care on the instructor's part
Fred, you seem to have a clear vision for improving performance at your school. What do you have to do to generate discussion about some of these changes?
I am going to take the devils advocate position here. I think retention could be improved by not letting unqualified students in school in the first place. A basic aptitude test could be given. I use myself as an example: you could send me to art school for years, and I probably still would only be able to draw a stick figure. Can the student read English? The days of just knowing how to fix cars are over; you MUST be able to read and decipher shop manuals. Secondly, I find the dropout rate in electrical class is usually fairly high. I think basic electrical class should be lengthened to include much more shop time, more time to give the lecture and let it sink in, and have the students thoroughly understand exactly what their meters are telling them, not just transferring the number from the screen onto a lab sheet. Doing work on real cars, solving real electrical problems would be very beneficial. I also fully agree with the reply from Jim Hall, regarding a three week phase involving orientation, safety, basic use of hand tools, etc. It may seem so basic to us, but to a person new to this field, there is so much to learn about the basics!
Is there a mechanism in place to address uniform enforcement of policies? Is this handled within each department or is it reviewed more globally?
There is a growing national trend to offer some sort of stand alone transition course to entering students. The content and construction vary widely but most deal with the issues that frequently lead to students dropping out: time, money and stress management as well as introducing the students to the resources available at the school.
What is the procedure to start a discussion about adding such a course at your institution?
We need to enforce the rules and policies unformily. hair, shirts tucked in etc. after spending nealy 27 years with the military i find that when rules are established and adheared to the happier a person is. also constant phrase is very important to each one of the students (staff too)
Hopefully, serious involvement and commitment are considerations when hiring decisions are made. How do you plan to develop them in staff and instructors now?
Is the staff member assigned and available to direct students a new position or re-assignment? What do you expect the net impact on your budget to be?
The initial orientation program the students experience, what we call "Jump Start", is rolled into their first class. Perhaps the orientation program should be a stand-alone course that is three weeks long, like all the other courses. This would serve to properly motivate the students, give them time to fully understand all the support policies, rules and regulations of the school, and to meet and interact with those people they may need to access in case any problems should arise during their scholastic careers.
Since we are a school of automotive and diesel repair, it might not be a bad idea to have an initial course that deals with the proper way to use hand tools and basic service equipment like jacks, jack stands, vehicle lifts and hoists, transmissions jacks, engine supports and lifts, lubrication equipment and, of course, safety practices. This would help to bolster student confidence in their "hands on" abilities as they go through their training courses, particularly those courses that are more lab intensive.
1. Having a serious involvment and commitment of both Staff and Instructors.
2. Have a Staff member assigned and available to direct a student in the direction to obtain help.
