I think that student engagement and overall experience are paramount to maximizing the learning environment. If the student is generally disconnected from the institution, staff or content then it is not likely they will apply themselves or demonstrate commitment. Education is a personal endeavor that requires constant application of discipline and it seems most students require an external motivator to remain successful. Having quality instructors, solid peers and supportive family are critical. So many external pressures and factors can influence student retention and a good instructor will work to create an education environment that is supportive and relevant to each student. This can be challenging in classes where the student to teacher ratio is tilted.

When building a retention program for one's program is there a safe place to begin, or do you have to just determine what is best for your program first, then add in additional practices? I see where it says there are no particular orders or plan but to mix up various practices for your program, but is it possible to start with too much or too little?

In an effort to create community and social interaction on a commuter campus, many schools are setting up formal peer-mentoring programs. A recent study identified the following best practices for a successful peer-mentoring model: 1. Make students feel wanted and needed by having peer mentors coordinate proactive student social activities on campus. 2.Create recognition levels for peer mentors to encourage their continued participation. 3. Have peer mentors serve as tutors. 4. Provide letters of recommendation to peer mentors upon graduation. 5. Have peer mentors organize student community service projects. 6. Team graduate peer mentors with career services to create seminars that help students stay focused on their career goals. Does your campus use any of these practices in your peer-mentoring program? How are they implemented?

After every assessment I give, I try to identify areas that many of the students may have been confused about and I ask myself what I could have done better in presenting this material. I try to identify my 'blind spot' in my instructional method. How do you identify your 'blind spot'?

Regarding Necessary retention in RT 101..... 

What can be done to rescue these at-risk students who withdraw, due to personal, family, academic,  financial or substance-abuse issues?

Intervention

Can there be a wellness person/referra agencyl who tracks these students and their progress, before, during and after their issues are resolved to remediate them back into the programs? 

=============================================================================

Regarding Unnecessary retention in RT 101..... 

Social Skills

Can we erode the interest in pop culture/social media/electronic devices during school hours (that distract) by offering students incentives to aquire skills instead.  They could "earn" credits for:

 

1) 1 no homework pass

2) 1 "leave a half hour early" pass

3) Wear"jeans" day pass

4) Other

 

These would be only for students who achieved their goals.

 

===============================================================

 

Any thoughts?

 

=======================

Nancy

 

 

People decide to enroll in school for many reasons. Primariliy, its the perception that its the "pathway" to a better more fulfilling life. As students enter the orientation process their perception instantly becomes their reality because the day has finally arrived. There here! Orientation/or first week of class is often the make or break point to weather or not a student stays in school. First impressions are lasting impressions! What I like to do is remind students (right from the beginning) on why they chose to come to school in the first place. Have them write it down on a small piece of paper and put in the wallet. Then, creating check points along the way and reminding students not so much the value of an education to them, but rather why what they are learning is so important to the industry and the value they now have to an employer. In the end..... are students ready for proving themselves to the industry? If they worked hard, proven themselves, and are well prepared, one can open that piece of paper tucked in the wallet, say "I did it" , and move onto the next journey in life.

A positive attitude and culture of a school goes a long way with, faculty, staff, and students.

I believe that expectations set by the administration and faculty are just as important as the goals of the students.

As we value every student we help on a daily basis, is there ever a time where we provide too much student service / activities to where it takes away from their education?

Monitoring is a crucial part of retention and needs to be a constant activity. My questions is, could there be too much monitoring. For example, let’s say an instructor makes a call to an absent student. That same day the program chair calls, then the Dean. At some point the student may receive three or four calls, emails, etc., is that too much?

Many students are adult learners, married with families, and who have after school jobs. These issues must be addressed with improving retention.

Our admissions department currently operates very effectively. The prospect is interviewed, taken on a tour of the facility, introduced to all of the directors, meets with the program director over their program of choice, and tested. They recieve follow up calls from the admissions staff and are scheduled for orientation. We could possibly improve our admissions process by asking more probative questions to gather more specific information from the prospect regarding their expectations of the school, of college studies, of goals and values.

Orientation is the first impression on how the students are treated and what the college requires from the student.

I had my questions about retention, but I didn't know how to form them into words to ask. This training has answered all of my questions. Now when I have a question, I know exactly how to form it to get the proper answer.

I am so happy for find out how to convince a student to stay in school. I often wondered why a student would quit school in the final day. Now I know. I hope this information helps me to save the future of an Academic Stagnation student.

As the course has stated, the retention efforts of a campus are not just the responsibility of the Retention Specialisty(as we call them) but of everyone on campus. I have some really great faculty members and Program Directors that do everything they can to make sure their students are in class while others don't seem to understand the importance of their involvment in keeping students in class. I've had several talks with the faculty, set the expectations many times, and there still seems to be a disconnect. As the faculty, they are the first line of defense. They know when a student is struggling before the rest of us do and they also know when a students may be having some personal issues before we do. I need them motivated to see how important they are in the retention process but I seem to be hitting a brick wall. Any advice?

I like to ask the question (what's in it for me? WIFM) and within the retention value stream there are multiple customers and suppliers that each have an interest in the outcome. I would suggest we define each group and try to understand what quality and delivery requirements each has and from their develop objective measures to measure our performance relative to those customer / supplier expectations. This might be a good starting point with regard to how we go foreward.

My school talks about retention all the time, but it never donned on me the importance of it until I took this class. I thought it was the job of the admission staff and financial aid staff. Boy was I wrong. Now I know I am suppose to ask questions about retention fixes. I like this class so far.

Many schools use social media to promote job announcements and interesting school news. another good use for social media is to cultivate a trusting environment where students believe the school has their best interest in mind. This can be accomplished by projecting foreseeable challenges caused by events like Holidays, changing seasons and family matters. An ideal message reads: As a student you will face moments of over whelm. We can help before it happens. And if it is happening now we can help you overcome the challenge. You success is our passion.

Orientation should have all the following information included in module but short and sweet and to the point...