Kathleen Watts

I learned in this section that a student may refute something on their record with a permanent comment. This statement will be transferred on their permanent record upon any documentation request.

It is important that a student’s privacy is maintained. Requests for personal information from a third party is not something that educators should partake in. If a third party needs to access a student’s personal information for a compelling legal reason this request should be handled by the campus administrators.

FERPA is designed to protect the student’s rights regarding accessing their student files and the confidentiality of these files. I did not know that this law did not pertain to alumni files.

Students who enroll late should be paired with a senior student to guide them as a mentor. This ensures that they have the time needed to assimilate without causing the instructor to hold up class for the rest of the new students.

Incorporating pictures of previous classes really gains interest in belonging to the school’s community. We have a collage of pictures showing previous graduates in our lab area. This is often a subject of conversation during orientation and admission tours. Often new students will see people they know on the graduate wall and it will bring them the confidence that they too can complete the program.

Orientation is an important method of student retention. This is the first step to incorporating the student into the college community.

We currently have graduates and student ambassadors speak with students at orientation. Having these former students act as continuing mentors throughout the program is a good idea.

Following up with students after graduation to see how they are meeting their goals is a great idea. You can also do this through social media once the student has graduated. This will also create a convenient network for graduates.

I will implement asking students on the first day of class what is their favorite hobby and how did they learn it. This will give me input to their preferred teaching method.

I like the idea of the chant or cheer to memorize procedure protocol. It can also help energize a class that has become distracted.