I have a unique role within my institution, as a campus administrator I've covered Admissions appointments, I've counseled students in Student Services, I've helped students file FAFSAs and revise resumes. In short, I've worked nearly all departments of the school and I'm very pleased to say that we do keep Retention at a forefront.
Prospective students are asked to identify potential obstacles from the first Admissions interview; also to speculate where they will be in 5 years after graduation and a year if they didn't follow through with getting an education. Asking the student to voice concerns along with aspirations allows the Admissions staff to specifically address whether our school matches that student's needs.
These same questions are then addressed in orientation, also (at a Student Services level) at every "check-point." Meetings are scheduled for students 5 days into the program, 21 days into the program, 50% of program completion, and 75% of program completion. Students are mailed and asked to participate in a quick survey within their first week of classes and are similarly asked to rate their education experience half-way through their program and before they graduate.
We also hold a Student Senate meeting monthly where the floor is open to any concerns, questions, or atta-boys.
Our students certainly have ample opportunity to provide feedback on what our faculty and staff could improve on and what parts of their educations they are enjoying the most!
Our school recruitment personnel clearly inform students about the costs of the program. We also tell them how much time we think each course will require. Since we are an online institution, the students have the opportunity to access class lectures at a time that is convenient to them. However, we have to track attendance to make sure students are doing class work consistently. We survey our students to request feedback about their class experience.
Although I feel confident there are many behind the scenes programs and investigations in place, what they share with me are various techniques to identify potential drop outs. Also, as situations arise, I too am reminded as to the various resources our school provides for our students. I completely related to the statement relating to overwhelming students during orientation with the many resources available to them. There is so much information thrown at them in a short period of time, they don't remember who does what or even if certain help is even available.
Amanda, who are "they" who do the student surveys? If you're not involved with them, what do you do to address student expectations and satisfaction?
PATRICIA, it's good to hear that the meetings have had good results. Who conducts the meetings? If an issue arises, who is responsible for resolution?
Travis, how do the students' react when chosen for personal interviews? Have you made any changes as a result of these interviews?
More and more schools are including a transition to college course that addresses many of the issues you have identified, Nancy. However, most don't get so heavily involved with remedial academics. Does you school offer prep courses for the under-prepared?
Their primary source of student input is through an end of course survey. Each module in our core curriculum is divided into 3 week blocks. Therefore, each 3 weeks those students are surveyed about their opinions on their level of satisfaction with the course, school and teacher. They also have a student council that is available to them to air grievances, plus access to education managers anytime the school is in session.
Pamela, what changes have the students requested that have been implemented?
Thanks for sharing some of your institution's best practices, Shannon. Asking the prospective student to visualize the future could be a powerful tool to sharpen their focus. It also gives the admissions staff member an opportunity of make sure those expectations are realistic for the program you offer.
Catherine, what are some of the most common misconceptions that your students have about the online program?
The students are given surveys every 9 weeks and are asked about their satisfaction concerning all areas related to their education. From these surveys the students requested a larger break room, a larger Library Resouce Center with computers, a delegated smoking area to name a few recent changes.
The surveys are used to improve their perception of what they feel is important to their learning experience.
We provide student satisfaction surveys mid-course and at the end of the course. The mid-course surveys allow the Instructor to asses whether students are satisfied or not and how to improve the course.
We have also found that talking directly to students help us assess expectations and satisfaction. As an online school, this is especially important since our teachers to do not speak see students in the classroom. Our teachers set up 4 meetings a semester with the students.
Some students do not realize the time commitment they need to make to be successful. In addition, some students do not comprehend the discipline required in an online course. The student has to motivate himself to succeed.
Bob, good observation about orientation overload. Do you have any thoughts about how to get the information to students in a more manageable way?
Pamela, great to hear that your institution used the survey information to implement changes that are important to the students. I wish that every school was as responsive.
Chana, have you made any adjustments based on the survey results? Is there an organized review process?
Chana, please tell me more about the meetings. Is there a prescribed list of topics for the instructor to check on? Are these phone meetings or strictly online? Have they proved to be an effective tool?
I agree that the student has to be motivated to succeed, but challenging, rewarding course content presented by engaged faculty are critical components of that motivation.
