Enhancing Student Retention

Public

Ask a question from your peers to help you in your professional work. Seek different points of view on a topic that interests you. Start a thought-provoking conversation about a hot, current topic. Encourage your peers to join you in the discussion, and feel free to facilitate the discussion. As a community of educators, all members of the Career Ed Lounge are empowered to act as a discussion facilitator to help us all learn from each other.

Attila Zink

Potential Learning Disability

How should we approach the problem of getting help for a student who most likely has a learning disability when they refuse to admit that they may have a problem?

P. Vade Bon Coeur

Negative Nellies

I have one very glass-half-empty student in my class. What are some strategies for helping this student to become a more positive person? She is bright and wants to succeed, but her attitude is not assisting her in her goal.

Doug Oberndorf

Finally...

At our school, retention is a huge issue at all times. This first section should be read by every employee, not just the teachers...

Meghan Pesch

Positive Feedback

Positive Feedback is so very important when teaching. When my students don't provide feedback as much as I'd like, I know that they didn't get as much information out of the lecture that I had planned. I review over until I receive more positive feedback and comment.

Meghan Pesch

Student retention

I quiz my students daily on the retention of my lectures. Once finished lecturing, I have a student discussion and make sure everyone is participating in the discussion. If not, they don't receive their discussion points for the day.

Jerry Lovrien

Retention -2

I have set up a "broadcast" email system utilized for all enrolled students in our disciplne to inform them of changes in the field, potential job opporltunities, legislation, etc. It is 'special'..just for them - to keep the student updated, current, and let them know they are important. They are also aware of our discipline blog...but the email is designed to go to them -- with only their name on the email.

Katrina Neckuty-Fodness

Student groups

I really like to "mix" up student groups by age and agree that by doing this, we are creating rapport across different generational gaps. I think it is important for students of all ages to recognize and appreciate the value of each other's ideas. Because I teach online, I need to pay close attention to the discussion cues so I am able to mix groups appropriately to ensure variety. Clearly, this is much easier in the residential classroom.

Kathy Loecher

acknowledging students

I like to break up long class periods by having students share an answer to a question throughout the night. This can be a question such as, "Name one thing you would like to have with you on a desert island besides food and water." This allows students to get to know each other somewhat, it allows me to get to know and acknowledge them, and for them to be comfortable around each other and in the classroom.

Lolita Keck

Listening to Frustrations

I liked reading the information about listening to frustrations. I have a tendency to always want to solve problems so I jump too quickly to giving advice about what I think the student should do. Sometimes that’s appropriate, but other times I should stop and just listen for a while. Then I can ask the student what should be done next to determine if s/he is looking for answers or for a friendly ear.

Gordon Whitehead

Grades as motivation

For many of my students the ultimate motivation is their grade. Immediate feedback is of course critical. When we don't give feedback within 72 hours I start getting calls and emails. But, I'd like to know if there are additional ways to integrate grade-based feedback into teaching. I mean, there are the traditional exams, quizzes, discussion points, papers, etc., but are there other creative methods that I'm missing? Gordon

Gordon Whitehead

Working online

Many of my courses are online. I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with how we sense the need for REFOCUS in an online environment? Gordon

Gordon Whitehead

Retention and instructor feedback

Retention is an interesting topic. As a long-time online instructor I am aware that retention is important. However, I rarely get any feedback relative to my role in retention or the schools actual retention metrics. I wonder if anyone has seen how the school includes an instructor in these types of topics? Gordon

Gordon Whitehead

Combining older adult students with younger students

I teach a couple of courses where it is apparent there are older online students and young (fresh out of high school) online students. In the training it suggests small cross-age teams to help integrate. I wonder if anyone has had success in organizing online teams to achieve this goal in a class? Gordon

Bridget Hoffman

Clarity

In all of my classes I have incorperated a calendar along with my addendum that informs the students of what we will be doing each class period, so there is no gray area in what we will be doing each class period, as well as my expectations of them as students. I have found this extremely useful in keeping the communication lines open.

Bridget Hoffman

Beginning Classroom Instruction

The first day of a new class, I always have my students introduce and give a short background on themselves and then they have to tell me why they are in my class as well as what their future goals are beyond their degree. And then I share mine. :)

Amy Scott

Repeated recognition and reward

Have some more experienced instructors found that Millenials need more recognition and reward than previous generations?

Bridget Hoffman

Positive Feedback

Students respond more positively when they are given positive feedback. I've also found that when they are praised for what they do well, they tend to work harder and come to class with a positive attitude.

Amy Scott

Retention

In our program, we've tried to add a quarterly retention activity that will give students an opportunity to network in the community, meet other students/staff, and blow off some steam. Examples are going to batting cages in the middle of winter or a group bike ride in the spring. It is a nice way for students and staff to interact outside of the classroom and oftentimes creates mentoring relationships between students in the same degree program.

Bridget Hoffman

Student Frustrations

I've found that when students have frustrations and they don't have someone to go to, or someone that can listen and then tell them what the solution is or why something is run the way that it is, it can become very confusing and hard for the students to understand. Which makes them even more frustrated in the end. I've also found that students are more willing to come talk to you when they know that if they don't I will never know about the problem or the situation is. Communication is the best way to get through student frustrations.

Catherine Neset

Positive feedback

How do you provide positive feedback on assignments without repeating yourself with "good job" or "well done"?

Related Learning Opportunities

ED102 - Student Retention Methods

ED112 - Influencing Student Motivation

ED144 - Student Empowerment for Learning Success

ED209 - Students as Customers

ED406 - Motivating Others

ED409 - Gamification in the Classroom

ED410 - Increasing Student Retention by Flipping the Classroom