At our institution, we strive to meet the expectations of our students. Meaning, as instructors, we must provide timely feedback to all questions (within 24 hours) and grade assignments within 48 hours after each week is completed. Additionally, we monitor each students progress and provide feedback on areas of improvement.
Bill, I really like your idea! These are very workable ideas that build motivation and a sense of pride.
I would like to suggest some of your strategies to our administrators. Thanks!
Tiffany
Our school conduct meetings to gather suggestions but so far, the only one implemented is, waiting until faculty bring a problem to their attention to get an advisor to intervene. Poor attendance is a sign of either boredom, dissonance, irrelevance or or something linked to unforeseen event, like a family illness.
I believe my employers care, but they need to have activities that show more interest and concern build on service, thereby allowing students a sense of pride.
Tiffany
At my institution we demonstrate school commitment in many ways. One that stands out to me are we give pins to the top performing student in the course. They can then advertise the pin on their name badges. We also hand out a questionnaire every three weeks to the students so they can tell us what is important and how instructors are doing.
I agree commiting to a strong retention plan can help in this matter
We have perfect attendance, four point 0 grade awards at the end of each modual. We give them a certificate and a prize.
Instructors contact and counsel students with irregular attendance patterns to learn the inhibitors in students' lives. The Student Services contact listens and helps to diffuse some of the stressors. Students may seek help at all levels.
Everyone is involved in retention. We have several meetings every week discussing students at risk. We track these students using a live document in which anyone can update any conversations with that student
I think this is a really great idea as well.
Our online campus policy has standards which are rather objective:
Students "trigger" attendance by performing certain activities in their online courses. Harrison College has two attendance policies for online classes:
* Week 1 - Students must only log into each course to be marked present.
Students are still expected to complete all of the required activities in Week 1; however, those activities are not required to trigger attendance.
* Week 2 - Week 11/Week 12 - Students must log into each course AND complete one of the following activities:
o Post a message to a discussion forum.
o Reply to a message in a discussion forum.
o Submit a quiz/test.
o Submit an assignment to a drop box.
Our main school's commitment is to have our student complete their program and graduate from our school.
Therefore the commitment is to ensure that students have the right support and access to information to successfully complete their degree.
Our school's core values are teamwork, respect for the individual, customer service, integrity, and achievement. We tell students at orientation that we are committed to all of our core values, and in academics, we particularly want to see our students achieve. I remind students that I read names at graduation and I am looking forward to the day I call their name.
The team of senior managers really does seek to live out these core values in our actions on behalf of the students and that commitment really does come through in big and small ways--from the graduation ceremony and celebrating placement of graduates into jobs, to helping a student wout with a bag of food or a little encouragement on a tough day.
The faculty contact the students if they are absent. The first time it may be email. Later absences are handled by phone.In addition, the student's advisor also contacts them to find out if there is anything going on that we may assist with.
Our school requires us to contact students when they are absent. This may be in the form of an email or a phone call. This shows are commitment to the students successful education and also a concern form them when they are not in class.
Our students are contacted a minimum of once each term for "well check" contact to ensure satisfaction with their program and to field the students for any potential problems or concerns that may be approaching. This practice keeps the students in contact with student services and provides a connection and a sense of commitment from the school.
At my school we call students that have missed class to let them know that we care about them as well as letting them know what they missed in class. If we cannot reach a student by phone we email the student.
Our school commitment is to reward our best peforming students.
For example, the fact of being on the President List, honoring them for their dedication when volunteering for event in or outside of our institution.
Some students take the lead of internal organization representing the industry in which they operate.
Bulleting boards will show the success of student participating to internal cooking competition.
That's great, we have all of those things in or school. We also have awards and prizes for perfect attendence and 4.0 for every modual. If they have perfect attendence for all five moduales we give them a digital Micrometer. Somthing they are going to need when the go to the work force.
We do the same thing. We just started a texting program also.
Positive rewards - particularly tangible, practical ones like a micrometer - are powerful. Students who receive them become living, breathing testaments to what can be done through hard work and focus.
