I have a issues with students who do not attend school orientation, they tend to be unaware of the rules that are set forth for them. the should have been discussed with them by the admissions rep, but things always get missed, and that is where orientation comes in. I find that students that do not attend orientation seem to be missing something and have a hard time adjusting to college life.

I have several students who have become friends with one another and tend to compete with each other. I have a difficult time keeping the focus on what they received and not just competing for a good grade.

I've been using the "you ARE each others team" approach in my into classes ... the camaraderie has been surprising and seems to have an overall positive effect, even to the point that the student body is now actively involved in the retention effort.

Don't overlook the importance of facility in getting and keeping students. We have a courtroom on campus. It's used as a lecture hall and once every quarter or two we present mock trials involving the paralegal students and incorporating staff, faculty and other students as witnesses, parties and jury. Quite a selling point.

I teach our GS101 Career Development class. We occasionally refer to it as "How to go to College" - loads of info on studying, reading, not taking, test taking... and alot of positive reinforcement. I but into the program, but am dissapointed by that 1 student in almost every class that defies help - constant whiner, always SOMETHING wrong. How do we help the "chronic"?

In my department, its difficult to run a successful mentoring program due to simple numbers. I believe that a formal student mentoring program serves best - not only because it promotes that sense of belonging and bonding among students, but it also teaches leadership skills to the mentors and is yet one more notch they can put on the resume.

I believe that admissions would benefit greatly from meeting with program directors to establish a checklist of commonalities for prospective students. But they should also review these regularly, and remember that, as with any types of list, both admissions and faculty should not be a slave to this checklist. I completely agree that while the checklist is helpful, it is not, by itself, a predictor for success.

One of the things I like to do to encourage students come to class and come prepared is to start the class with a short quiz about the day's assignment/reading. It is not a difficult quiz and is often worth no more than 5 points - but I find that it helps to springboard classroom discussion and it does help keep students "locked" in.

I believe that setting the tone the first day is absolutely critical in providing students with the sense of structure and a framework for success. That being said, it also can be used useful as for retention - giving students a sense of companionship. I really like the idea sharing contact information on day one - I also like to send out a group email to the entire class after the first day to re-engage them and make sure everyone has everything they need to go forward.

I like to bring all of the new students in my department together where I can give them a "real" introduction into their chosen field. I think it is important to ignite their passion and desire for their chosen career. And I also feel it importnant to congratulate them on making this descision - not everyone in the world would be willing to commit to this, and for that each student is indeed special. Above all, I want them to leave feeling excited and confident that they can do this.

As a faculty member, I often assign students to work on projects throughout the term - working in groups is a great way for students to come together both socially and within the school setting. I choose the groups, making sure that "new" students are paired with more experienced students - I also like to encourage a bit of competetion between the groups - in this way, the groups come to rely on each other more and new students feel that they are accepted and that they belong here.

I really liked the idea of a buddy for students enrolling late. I've had these situations and orientation can be difficult. Most of my classes are small so that helps but pairing the new individual with someone seems very useful and a great idea.

Most of the instructors where I work are very involved with the students. This is one of the things I admire and love the most about where I work. However, there are a few that seem to have no interest in the student are a person. Also, some do not seem to be adaptable to the classroom dynamics and size. In the last 12 weeks, I've taught two sections of the same course. The first class was very big, 17. The second class was very small, 3. I covered the same material but taught these classes very differently. I've seen a few instructors do powerpoints and lecture to one person. That doesn't seem to be the best way to handle small groups.

Does anyone have thoughts regarding meeting with students and going over commitment statements-setting goals (graduation) with smaller targets (mastering each modality taught) and specific and measurable ways to achieve these targets (attendance, being vulnerable to ask for support, studying 1 hour a day, etc) Does anyone have staff speak their commitments to each other? And what are your thoughts about doing so?

In the training it was mentioned that rarely do we know the honest reason a student decides to leave our program-due to the fact that they are most likely embarrassed by their "defeat". How would you guide us in the area of hearing what the students are saying beneath the embarrassment?

I believe the faculty set the tone for the entire experience. They're on the front lines. It's important that any frustrations with the institution not be shared with the students.

Because we have enrollments every three months, I believe that the staff can become a little lax in their approach to the orientation. The most effective orientations are the ones that we don't do halfway.

Our institution requires a minimum level of attendance. Often, students fail to meet this requirement and as a result, we must terminate their enrollment. I've often found it difficult when I have to act as a truancy officer to make them feel like they should be attending. Often, calling a student at home to say "You've been missing a lot of class" can drive them away, though I know sometimes they need to know we're paying attention. Finding a balance with this is a daily struggle.

Admissions has the opportunity to evaluate if the student is commited, and ready to start. But a lot of times, they focus more on meeting the enrollment numbers for the month. An example would be, the student has Child Care concerns, that have not been taken care of by the time they start class. Although it is brought up in New Student Orientation, they still think by some miracle it will all be taken care of. How can we avoid a potential withdraw so early in their enrollment?

I find it useful to have students in upper classes talk to new students. New students seem to embrace a topic passionately when an upperclassman explains the relevance in learning particular material. I love it when old students drop by. I put them to work encouraging my new students with experiental wisdom.