Improving Retention
Identify 3 specific steps you will take within the next 30 days to improve retention at your institution.
Develop volunntary activities for students outside of the class to develop academic and hands on skills as well as build their self-confidence.
Guest speakers to speak to students both in and outside the classroom.
Make staff members within the department more availalble for student mentoring and advising.
The things that I do and will continue to do is:
1. Practice what I preach - Tell the students that I am there for them in the best way that I can, and prove it to them, when they come to me.
2. Sometimes it pays to listen - Sometimes people just have things bottled up and just need something to release it on. I will be for them as a listening ear. Not to judge and sometimes (depending on what it is), not to react on it, but be there to listen. I have learned that a lot of times, people have a resolution to a problem that they have had on there mind, but just needed to say it out loud.
3. Be concerned - If my student is not at school or seem to be missing a lot of days. Take some time to call, email, or reach out to them through something like facebook, to make sure that they are ok.
understand the needs of all students, why they do the things they do, and work to help student in there needs.
I'm planning to investigate a way to get another field trip added to the curriculum closer to the end of their time here to keep the career goals alive. I would like to have a larger role in starting the students off on the right foot by teaching their first class and letting them know where the resources are for their many needs at the early stage. And lastly I'd like to bring a social club back to life once the class is no longer offered.
1) talk to your students let them know you care.
2) let them know if they are not understanding something that you are avalable before and/or after class.
3) inform them of the other resources they have avalable to them if needed
The 3 specific steps that I will take in the next 30 days to improve retention at my institution are: 1.) Incorporate more small group activities and discussions in the classroom. This will assist in encouraging and engaging the students who are shy or un-interested, and do not take an active part in discussions to partipate and feel a part of the class. 2.) Spere-head a seasonal activity (Pink Day for Breast Canceer Awareness), which will involve students, faculty, staff, and administrators. This activity will allow students to communicate, interact, and develop a closer relationship with all of us; as well as let them know that we care about all aspect of their success. 3.)Place a "Suggestion" box in the classroom and ask the students questions on a weekly basis on a specific subject which might pertain to the school as a whole, or the classroom and collect the responses. I will review them and take to the person in charge of that department or division. This will allow us to know what our students are really thinking. Because as of today, to my knowledge, we no longer have a suggestion box for students. However, we did have one in the past. I will also address to the Academic Dept's, DOE, and suggest that we place the suggestion for the students in the student lounge area.
We have also been engaged in dialog discussing the implementation of the Survey and Vertical Probe.
I will try to speak one on one with a new student after each class. I will also begin calling students who have missed class, and I will try to be more prompt in answering emails and messages from students.
Joe Martinez:
Thank you for your post. You write that you would be "understanding of my students struggles" and offer "solutions for thier struggles. You also note that you would tell "them what is important to worry about and what is not;" but how does one identify struggling students?
Do you think it would be useful to 1) Monitor student attendance and tardiness; and 2) Monitor the gradebook for low grades and missing assignments? Do you think these 2 "red flags' will help to identify troubled students and enable us to reach out before they fall through the cracks?
Ricardo
I will take the following 3 specific steps within the next 30 days to improve retention:
1) Monitor student attendance and tardiness
2) Monitor the gradebook for low grades and missing assignments
3) Actively reach out to students who appear to be falling through the cracks.
The 2 "red flags' listed above will help to identify troubled students and enable me to follow the 3rd step in order to improve retention.
1.Over the next 30 days I will meet with all staff and have a list of responsibilites for each department and ensure everyone is aware of their responsibilites.
2. Create a News letter and send it out to all current students along with graduates.
3.Meet with the instructors to go over the material on the Intervention cycle which I found extremely interesting. Sometimes we lose sight that everyone is an individual and we all think differently.
I will do all I can to determine students that are at risk. I will make myself available before and after class for any additional help the student may need, I will also have a list of resources available to the student to help with any outside issues that may arise. i.e. transportation, childcare etc.
We already do a lot of the items listed as a school.
1. I do not emphasize in our class is inviting our students to become ambassadors for the school.I believe that would encourage our students to invest themselves in the school.
2. I think that a formal mentorship program for students would assist both the establish students and new students(we have a wheel approach so there is no formal start or finish). Each start of a new module we could partner up students as we can to help our new students feel welcomed sooner.
3. An appreciation day at the end of every module to send out our students who are going into clinical rotation. I believe that they really need some formal closure or appreciation for their accomplishment and the current students will physically see a light at the end of the tunnel.
1) Develop Caourse Assessment Techniques (CAT's)which include student involvement
2) Develop more classroom activites instead of lecturing the entire class
3) Encourage more student feedback to discuss issues early rather than after they have already become a serious issue
Laura, this is a great list!
Number 3 is always a recurrent theme - as Loren pointed out, we often hear the question "Why on earth will I ever need to know this?"
My favorite thing to point out to students is that EVERY single piece of information that they learn is directly related to their career, because they are "learning how to learn."
For instance, in one of my classes, students learn how to work with Excel. Although they have to perform specific tasks, they also are learning the process of exploring new software and learning what I like to call "technical intuition" - how to get an intuitive sense of a new program.
Great post and I enjoyed your ideas!
Jeremy
This is a great topic and I am enjoying everyone’s ideas!
Since my institution is online, the methods will be slightly different that those for a physical campus.
1. I’d like to create a “suggestions†forum area in my classes where students post their thoughts and comments on the class and instruction.
2. Create a list of my favorite tutorial videos online and send them out to students for each topic we are covering.
3. Email a weekly “blurb†of concepts that we are covering in class that are in the “real world†– especially on the news. Students love to latch on to ideas that are “cool†:) I find that if I can show them how some of the basic math we are doing in class is really out there in the real world, they feel less intimidated by the subject.
Jeremy Bolton
Improved customer service can help improve retention, therefore I aim to respond to all phone calls and e-mails from students as soon as possible on the same day they are received. Secondly, once a student misses a second day of class I will intervene more promptly by meeting with that student to discuss the absences. Thirdly, I will refer academically struggling students more quickly to acamemic tutors.
Interact with students one on one when needed
try to be more dynamic when interacting with others
Do not engage in negative conversation about institutuional rules
Intervene as soon as there is any indication that a student is having any difficulty academically, personally, or otherwise. Become more approachable to the students. Engage and include more students into the curriculum.
