John Bart

Placement is the ultimate goal for everyone: students, schools, and employers. It ties a nice ribbon around the experience. Increases student satisfaction and retention. 

Bonding is the glue that sticks the students together. This has a significant impact on retention. Academic and social involvement provides the glue to bond.  

A successful orientation program may help reduce cognitive dissonance. Reducing anxieties makes for an easier transition. Mentors may calm the waves and help retention. 

It all starts with the Admissions Process. In most cases, a student's likely too stay once enrolled is directly related to the length of the process. 

Mystery Shoppers can be an excellent way to evaluate your institution's customer service.  Develop a plan that everyone has a clear understanding of what is expected and implement it. 

Customer Service is everyone's opportunity to excel. It must be top down. Customer service feedback must be evaluated consistently and then acted upon.  

Everyone at an institution should be involved in creating excellent customer service. All touchpoints are important.  

Treating students as customers has a huge impact on student retention. It costs much more to recruit a new student than is does to satisfy a current student. However, a student isn't always correct. 

This is a very interesting concept. It might work well for a course that is hands-on driven. The key would be the students' motivation level and their willingness to do what is required outside the classroom in preparation for the classroom activities. 

I already utilize the Leader Board with my exams. I like the idea of Boss Battles and Guilds. Being a Non-Gamer, I like these concepts, especially for the younger student population.