Mr. Frame these are very good questions and I am glad your asking. You Stated: “Many times students are reluctant to speak up in these types of meetings.” 

How does your leader get them talking?

The sounding board leader role is to be conduit. They should never solicit for negative information. If a student is unhappy they will let you know if you give them the opportunity. I also know students don’t want to get their instructor in trouble. That’s why instructors and directors are not allowed during the meeting. The sounding board leader sets around and… >>>

Dr. Norris every Tuesday and Wednesday we have a sounding board meeting  one for first module students and one for second module students. The sounding board leader is like a conduit in that it absorbs any concerns or questions students might have. The sounding board leader must not seek this information because it might be skewed. If a student has concerns they will share with the sounding board leader without soliciting it. This information is shared with me. I don’t want to know the student’s name. I just want to identify the problem and fix it. I will share… >>>

Jean I had retention opportunities with students in their 1^st and 2^nd module. I organized sounding board meetings once a week for these two modules. This has had a positive impact on student retention. I worked with the instructors to teach them about retention and have held regular training classes. Today almost a year later we don’t see as many drops in the 1^st or 2^nd module(90% Improvement). Identifying the high risk students early on can give us an opportunity to coach them.