Our campus is certainly aware of and actively working demonstrating committment to the students.
My institution shows committment to the students in many ways. One of the ways that stands out is the warmth and friendliness that is shown by all staff. I have witnessed encounters between many different staff members and students in the hallways and I am proud about the way the staff interacts with the students. The impression is one of warmth and caring and availability for the students.
We have reports that we run that identify At Risk students and Last Day of Attendance. We then collaborate as a team to make sure that this students are contacted and we connect with them to see how we can help.
We do the same reporting. And we have a quick standup meeting at the 1st break to report any absences. Therefore the Dean can have an idea about who is absent/tardy and can even contact the student while I am in class to encourage their attendance.
Do find that this is an effective practice or do the students simply show up for the food? How can you tell?
As a school I believe that we demonstrate commitment from the moment they enroll by communicating with the students. As part of the curriculum we are always talking about the student's future and career. We discuss how to be successful at their sites and on their boards. We are always discussing their successes in class and the expectations while in school as a form of career preparation.
Student surveys are done on a regular basis. The results are analyzed and action is taken when appropriate. Students are able to see that their opinions matter.
Our school works a lot with the community and potential employers to continue promoting the importance of the education we are delivering. Businesses come in and talk to our classes about the opportunities they will have after completing programs, and we even have students job shadow during their time here so that they can see that what they learn in school has a real world application.
We let our students know that they are appreciated by providing many extra curricular activities in order to celebrate school spirit.
We also let them know that we take their opinions very seriously with the information that they provide in their surveys, by taking the best suggestions and taking action.
In our Graduate Employment department, we strive to get every last one of our graduates employed in their prospective fields.
I have observed in my short time at this institution a remarkable interaction of the administration at the highest with students.
Often time students are called by the dean to address some of their ongoing issues.
When a student doesn't show up tp class the program diesctor call the student to find out why and see if there is anything they can do to help them. It is imperative our students attend classes since it is an accelerated program.
A best practice in Academics at my school that shows our commitment to our students is our "reach out" program. In Academics it is not only the instructors who call students who are not in attendance, but also the Program Directors and the Academic Dean call them. We do this for a couple of reasons. First being that while the student may be more comfortable with the instructor the reason they aren't attending may be a classroom issue, so the Program Director may be able to get that vital information from the student. The reason for the Academic Dean calling is that students tend to respond much faster to calls from the Dean. I am then able to ascertain what is happening in that student's life, whether it's a school issue or personal one and figure out what we can do help this student get back on track to graduation.
Our Campus starts by being totally commited to the student and supporting the staff.
There are many things currently being done at my school to improve retention like calling students if they are absent, monitoring attendance and giving awards for perfect attendance like a pizza lunch. There has been a lot of emphasis recently on the idea that everyone on staff contributes to retention and when our retention is poor, so is the budget!
Calling and asking the student why they were absent seems to help sometimes. A few times it has helped students feel that they are not going to meet their goals unless the try and come to class.
I take notice from the first day of class. I pay attention to each student. I spend time with them in a clinical setting to find out more about them and to let them know I am there for them for any reason. I give them my phone number and tell them they can text or call me for any reason. This starts the process.
Our school commitment is portrayed tto students by the services that are offered to them to help deal with the stressors that they experience and the school also encourages loyalty through the compassionate and caring attitudes of the instructors. The overall attitude is very positive and stresses the success of the student. The students in turn feel very committed towards "their" school.
I agrre with you Erin this helps alot
We have a nursing pinning ceremony for the graduating nursing students. They look forward to this experience.
Our school has attempted to pair a newer student with a student in a class ahead to assist in mentoring giving them the heads up so to say.
I agree the importance of personal responsibility needs to to be taught to the student. When they are out in the workplace, they won't have someone who will insure that they are living up to their committments that they have made with the company that hired them. We as instructors can remind them. But their performance depends on skills that they have to develop. Maybe an interactive seminar would be a good thing to establish for the students with role modeling.
