Retention is very vital in the existence of a successful student body and school accreditation. Faculty plays an important role in cultivating a climate that is conductive to learning and motivating their students to take ownership of their academic achievement. Adult learners need to be motivated just as all other students. They must be allowed to incorporate their life expereinces into their learning environment and must be treated with respect and dignity in order for them to be successful in completing their educational goals. Vernise Walker

It is our responsibility to help our students by supporting them when they run into diffculities that will jeporadize them continuing their education. We should never make promises that we cannot keep. We should never take on their problems but let them work it out. We can be supportive by listening and being committed to their success. Vernise Walker

No one wants to be known as a quitter. Ther are many factors that contribute to a student feeling they have no other choice but to quit. A school that is committed to their students and work with their student to gain understanding of what is giving place to their thoughts of quitting and are proactive in helping their students, are more likely to reduce their students attrition rate. It is not only important to understand attrition but it also is important be successful in avoiding and reducing the factors that causes attrition. Vernise Walker

Retention in postsecondary adult education isvery important. Most adults return to school in order to imporve their life style and provide for their family. Few people have time to waste and so I beleive most adult learners enter the academic arena with the expectation of being successful to complete the course they have started. It takes the entire faculty and staff to work together as a team to help our students accomplish their academic dream. Vernise Walker

This is great information we are learning here. It can not only be used in the classroom but for outside the classroom as well. There have been some fantastic ideas presented here.

I have had a huge increase in retention when I began calling students immediately when they miss class. But, the other part is that once you reach them you have to stay positive about their chances of catching up once they return to class. I offer to email them missed information and assignments so that when they come back they will not be as far behind. Once students realized that I do care how they do in my classes and that I am here to help them be successful they now contact me before they miss class. I have also found that the number of overall absences drops, because I don't have students saying to themselves 'well I already missed two classes so what's another class going to hurt'. I ask them to treat class like their job; you cannot 'no call no show' for a job so they should not start the habit with class. They have really taken the concept to heart and generally my attendance rates have increased and the length of consecutively missed classes has decreased.

At the beginning of each mod as I cover my syllabus, I also go over my expectations for the students in the classroom. I discuss topics such as phone use, breaks, classroom discussions, asking and answering questions, eating, tardiness, plagiarism, email and phone communications and other items that may be distracting or inappropriate behavior. In discussing, these matters I found that some students have many questions on appropriate behavior and are not sure of themselves as it is the first time in a formal educational setting. And when they see others have questions, they realize they are not alone in their fears. I end up with a great classroom dynamic of support and respect for others. These positive behaviors sometimes correspond to their workplace success more than the technical skills I teach them.

As a professor I was never involved in the new student orientations, but after reading this section of the course I realize that it may have been helpful. Maybe having the students do one of my exciting classroom activities may have quelled some of their fears that college would be boring or too difficult. Many of my colleagues could have offered lesson plans that showed the new students a glimpse of what college classes would be like and that regardless of their previous educational background or learning style they can be successful by first just showing up!

I have found that many of my students are unable to handle everyday problems or more serious life issues that happen to them. Anything from a car breaking down to a death in the family may cause them to go missing for weeks. What I realized is that the individuals that they go to for advice are unable to help them cope and resolve the problems. Many times those same individuals make the problem worse or do not see school as a priority when advising my students how to handle those issues. So when students advise me of issues they are having I try to help them work through their own problem solving or conflict management. It generally helps them to successfully move past any setbacks and get back into classroom quicker.

Students need someone to listen to them and help them settle issues that they feel are out of control. In those instances, I look for opportunities to speak to them and give them guidance with confronting issues and posing behaviors that will yield positive outcomes. They find what we have discussed helpful.

Many times students feel as though no matter how hard they apply themselves they can never be as effecitve as others.Some pose limited learning capabilities(comprehension issues). Trying to make them feel competent amidst their fellow students has been a challenging task.

While teaching is great, its been a continuous problem with all departments sending the same message across the institutions entire spectrum. Notable, many of the students are annoyed with these signals but in some instances, its hard to clarify. Ultimately, I feel like the enemy.

I am new to the field of education and have a background in community mental health. Similarly to higher education, there was a tremendous pressure on the me and my fellow coworkers to retain clients as it was crucial for the budgeting of the program. From that experience, I think the working environment is important for overall retention rates. If staff feels overworked, unappreciated and not supported, they do not put in their best efforts and it is felt among the clients (students) as well. Just as retention is a school wide responsibility, our responsibility is to ensure the staff is treated just as well as the students. A staff that feels supported will be more likely to put in that extra effort to connect to students.

Our institution like most, if not all, has all of the challenges outlined in the tutorial. I've gained some valuable insight into tackling some of these issues. Basically, these examples are proving to be a barometer on how we attack these issues and how these methods can enhance retention.

high expectations are critical to establish righ from the beginning.

It is critical to provide continual orientation to guarantee student success.

I have not been teaching in a school for a long time. However, I have noticed that ounce you lay down course expections, students get a little intimidated. I feel like this has a lot to do with the rentetion in our facility.

I'm an Admissions Agent AND Student Services Coordinator for my location. Do I have more challenge since I'm both, or will I find it easier since I've been with the student from prospective status to graduation???

I think it's unrealistic to expect everyone in an organization to "buy in" to the mission to the point where everyone is contributing to the common good, due to high turnover, policies, individual personalities, or simply the challenges the industry presents. A realistic goal is to have a climate where a majority of the organization is working for the common good, but actively trying to bring the others along. Not to be pessimitic, but the culture described is obviously an ideal to be strived for, but rarely reached.

Everything in this class was right on target with what I try to accomplish. I work for a large school with small classes but I know all the staff in each department. we work will together to meet our schools goals and provide a positive learning experience for our students