A contributing factor in retention that can go unnoticed and therefore unaddressed is the effect of cultural upbringing and the importance in their lives. As an educator whose demographics include a large population of Mexican American and Native Americans students, I have noticed the following scenario occur over and over. The best students, being totally aware of missed classes and the effects on their education, will miss school to be at the side of sick or ailing relatives to the exclusion of concern for damage to their educational career. There is no alternative in their choice assessment

Are students groomed with a false sense of self esteem and entitlement? Many times I've seen this happening with grade school kids. The idea that everyone gets a trophy even if you come in last place starts students off with a false sense of self esteem. Is this being carried over to college? Have you ever heard a student say "you owe me this degree because I paid enough for it!" Is this a generation issue?

If students come in with false expectations about what the courses entail, and the degree of difficulty, you are already down in the count. It is essential that recruiters know the curriculum and what is expected of the students. And the instructors must remember that the student is the customer and treat the student with appropriate respect.

I believe that mentoring students is the most important non-technical task that we as instructors must perform. I use the term "must" because without mentoring we are just passing on technical data without the motivation and drive that a lot of students need to be successful.

I am a Graphic Design instructor and my students are taken on several field trips. I think it is good to expose the students to the things that they will be experiencing once they finish the program. A lot of the field trips relate some way directly to what we are covering in class. I think that this helps them understand the subject matter a little better. It also gives them a totally different outlook. I know that everyone is not able to take there students on a field trip, but it helps a lot on the students motivation.

We partner with schools in many locations and they are online courses. Is it possible to set up an online group activity for student in the same course to know one another?

Can we introduce some of the career service information in this? So that we can't begin to gather information on the student?

I love this idea. It will give myself and the other classmates an idea of who they are and their golas in the course. Can't wait to try it out.

I disagree with the last question,not handing out a list of community resources. I often find it very valuable, especially for students out of state or town, to know where they can find a bank, doctor, hospital, etc.. This type of information could make their transition a little easier.

So when do you know to refer the student to a higher authority? Bill Adriance

How would you design first week activites for online students who can register at any time and take the course at their own pace?

Do you feel that the same topics can be covered effectively in an online presentation?

When building an orientation are there any musts that need to come into play?

We do a ton of on campus activities, food drive, 3 blood drives a year, phone and ink cartridge drives, anything on campus seems to work really well with our students, however getting them off campus is a whole different story. We did a Breast Cancer walk, and ONE student showed up - we did however raise of $800. I never thought of reaching out to the community to set up partnerships? Does anyone do this, and which kinds of organizations do you seek/work with? I know childcare is such a problem for many of our students, along with transportation and money of course. Any ideas?

I'm a little confused on this section. In paragraph 5 and 6 I'm seeing contradictions. I have always told me students the process is thoughts/words/self-talk, form pictures in their minds, which then cause certain feelings, which in term results in specific actions/behaviors. Is there a different order being presented in this section? Thanks, Tara

We all seem overworked; I personally am both staff and faculty. Which means I'm here, and must be here on campus at least 40 hours a week, our faculty members, not so much. My concern is getting them to really notice the importance and power of their influence on both Academic Erosion and Stagnation. I see it outside my office (I'm in a very central location) all the time, students asking for help and faculty being too busy for the extra care. I am putting together a seminar to inform faculty of what I'm learning in this course, as well as other topics, but I'm struggling with the "how do you make someone care that doesn't, or doesn't perceive themselves as having time to go the extra mile?" How do we make that part of the school culture "we care?” Any and all idea encouraged and welcomed! Tara

School staff should all strive daily to have a consistent message and interaction from all staff to students. When a student contacts our college; rather than transferring around or putting on hold, (as perhaps at a traditional facility) if the person we wish them to speak with is not available it is imperative we take ownership of the contact. It is important to answer the student right away or let the student know an answer will be found and effort will be made to contact them post haste. If we cannot find answer right away we call them back to at least let them know we are working on it and to confirm our intentions to their issue(s). It is also important to realize that when a student contacts anyone at a college they often expect immediate results (realistic or not) and possibly even validation of their issue(s). By taking ownership and having a consistent shared message our students can feel that the college is looking out for their best interests rather than the college's. Further, it demonstrates that everyone at the college is an advocate of their goals and seeing them realized. This also helps in our student retention and even enrollment when the graduate becomes the college's best advocate saying how much the college cares about its students. Question to ask your own staff: How does your staff act as an advocate for students to meet their initial and continued expectations?

I have found in my College Success class, the first class students take, that offering extra credit truly motivates them to try. After reading through Module 1, specifically with Fact 3. Retention can be enhanced by making changes in the campus environment, I realized how much my extra credit options help students better and voluntarily connect to the class and thus the school. We all feel more motivated after we do well on a test, paper, or assignment. I discovered that extra credit is a way to improve student persistence and came up with more options for them. Most recently I gave them the following extra credit options. In order to get the information, instead of handing it out in class, they had to email me to request it. The topic for the weekend h/w was Time Management, and having them think about the class, and plan for it all works together. So here it is, what I emailed my students that requested the extra credit assignment. Extra Credit Options – 50 points possible First…read chapter 3 in your text…that's your homework and the extra credit is related to time management and prioritizing. 1) Music: Bring music and or the lyrics that relate to time, wasted time, spend time, money or both time and money. All music is based on timing. Write a ½ page – 1 page summary. Can find lyrics at letssingit.com; 2) Nature: Explore how nature has changed overtime. Write a ½ page – 1 page summary on your findings; 3) Quote: See the quotes below; paraphrase each one (what do each mean to you). You can find 4 more quotes related to time and paraphrase them, or you can research -Horace -Spanish Proverbs -Parkinson's Law and H.D. Thoreau; 4) Movie: Watch Broadcast News (I've never seen it, but imagine Blockbuster has a copy), and write a summary discussing the aspects of planning and prioritizing in the movie. Quotes: “Live mindfully of how your brief life is.” -Horace “Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the year.” -Spanish Proverb “Work expands to fill the time available for its completion.” -Parkinson's Law “You cannot kill time without injuring eternity.” H.D. Thoreau Let me know if you have any questions. Tara

I was thing of having a health/stress mgmthealth fai. How helpful will that be?

I am interested in having a second orientation during the 1st week of class small group setting. Any ideas?