Thanks for sharing this experience, David. I wonder how many times this happens but no one is there to intervene and be proactive.
Michael, what is your experience with usage of the website? Do students routinely check in? Is there a correlation between usage and academic performance?
We recognize student achievement with term awards for attendance, academic achievement, etc. In addition, students are encouraged to drop suggestions in the suggestion box, which is reviewed weekly and each suggestion is addressed. If the suggestion cannot be realized, we meet with the student to explain why and discuss alternative options.
The institution has developed strategies by interactive clubs by division of each program. The students are engaged and interact with other programs. This allows the students to have soft skills developed. The negative aspect of interventions are shown when there is no hope for the student's emotions. Bringing problems from home to inside the school. The institution has a wonderful education director who intersects with a one to one with the student.
we have a tool called student advisory forms in which we sit down with the student and talk about something that is starting to become a problem and discuss how we can prevent the problem from recurring.
Lisa, how does the student advisory form work? Is it effective?
Academic erosion is addressed in several ways. The most common is with faculty intervention via mentoring sessions. Students are given the opportunity to discuss and describe what they feel is the cause of their erosion. Faculty and even advisors work with the students to develop healthy patterns and mind sets for dealing with the issues. Follow-up is a critical aspect of the intervention along with feedback from the student on what they found most helpful about the intervention.
At our school we have a form that studens can fill out and be handed into the Student Affiars office. We have the students come in and discuss what is going on and we offer support and guidance the best we can. Sometimes we have students write on paper and have them read it and it tends to help out more when they actually can see, read and hear what they are saying.
We pull reports twice a month and students thats have a GPA of under a certain percent we meet with and discuss any isses that miay be goin on that is affecting their schooling. Our doors are always open for the students. We also provide free tutoring when ever needed.
Academic Reports. When we see a change in a students character in regards to grades falling below satisfactory we do bring them into the office to address the situation. We want students to feel special and to feel that they are acknowledged. We don't want any one to feel they are just a student and that know one cares. So we take steps into seeing that the students gets on the right path. If it is something deeper then we refer them to the appropiate sources.
When students start at our institution during orientation we have them all write down where they are at currently with their life and on the other side we have them write why they want to be in school and pursue the career they picked and then we have them write where they want to be ion the future witht this. At the end we give them all a diploma with their name on it (not a real one) just one to show them visualy that they can do this. So, when they start to get discouraged with anything we pull it up and have tem look at it and from there we would discuss anything they would need advising with.
I suspect that in many cases the students aren't even aware that erosion is happening. Do you find that the mere act of talking with them is therapeutic?
Asking students to complete a form identifying their problems or weaknesses may be a lot to ask of some students. Do you think there are students who simply give up instead?
Karen, what percentage of your students fall below your acceptable GPA standard? Do you find that you have many repeat "offenders"?
How effective is the faux diploma, Simone? Are you able to connect that piece of paper with tangible, life changing results? Do they ever look at it and say "it's just a piece of paper"?
We use a Buddy system, especially for new students so that they can have advice or voice their concerns to a peer before feeling like they need to come see someone "official". Their peer may recommend them doing just that but it helps the student get advice from someone who has been in their shoes.
Sounds like this could be a very effective way to get students integrated into school life and develop ties, Michelle. Can students request a particular Buddy? Can they change Buddies as they progress through their program?
We have a retention meeting every week where we talk about student issues and how as instructors are able to help them. Instructors try to reach out to students by phone or email to make sure we hear something from students. If unable to reach out students, we try to do some home visits.
home visits, activities and games
And how effective are these intervention strategies, Alex? What is your role in them?
