ATTENDANCE
IF YOU EXPLAIN DURING ORIENTATION WHAT THE SCHOOLS EXPECTATIONS ARE OF THEM AND CREATE A TEAM APPROACH. IF YOU WANT AN EDUCATION, WE ARE HERE AS A TEAM TO HELP YOU WITH YOUR GOALS. YOU HAVE TO UTILIZE ALL DEPARTMENTS AND MEET THE REQUIREMENTS TO GET THEM TO THEIR EXTERNSHIPS, GRADUATION, JOB SEARCH AND HIRED IN THEIR FIELD. THE STUDENT NEEDS TO REALIZE EACH SHORT TERM GOAL THAT IS ACCOMPLISHED WILL LEAD THEM TO THEIR GOAL.IN REALITY, THEY MUST BUY INTO THE PROGRAM, THE SCHOOL AND THEIR GOALS.
In order for the students to buy into the program, I think we need to get their buy in.
Agreed! Expectations should be on the table and appropriately present on day one.......... ORIENTATION.
Orientation is indeed an important opportunity to set the stage for their educational experience and clarify expectations, Faith. It's also usually a very hectic time when new students are just beginning to get acclimated to the institution. There is a tendency for information overload at a time when the student is trying to simply figure out if they fit in. Would you please share some techniques that you use to assure that students get the message?
How do you know when a student has bought in, Diane?
At our school we have initiated an attendance policy that requires students to attend 80% per quarter or they will be dropped, no excuses. That comes out to about 6 days per quarter that they CAN miss, after the 6 days they will be dropped. We have seen a drastic change in the attendance. The attendance has never been so good. Students have been coming every day and my retention is excellent so far.
Students are just like people in the work force, Elaine. They play by the rules when they know what the rules are. When they don't they keep pushing to find the boundaries. Establishing a realistic attendance policy is an excellent way to prepare students for employment.
I agree, Faith, that students need to buy into their education and goal. Most want to achieve and succeed, but they aren't sure how to go about suceeding - they haven't been equipped with the needed tools. That is our job along with educating them in the needed skills in their field. If we are straightforward in our expectations and requirements of them and the consequences of not meeting them, they will respond. Maybe grudgingly at first because they have never had these placed on them, but they will respond with respect and learn to accept their own responsibility for their actions. Just like the workplace. And they need to know failure will happen, but that it must not be the reason to quit, but to fight harder to overcome it.
Good point, Victoria. Everyone – student, employee, friend or relative – wants to know the rules and have a reasonable expectation that the rules will be followed.
I agree if the student is told the rules of attendance at the oreintation, they will know what is expected of them. However; just as is important is the why. The student needs to know that in the work place attendence is everything.The company loses money on lost man hours if the employee is not there.
Typically, students get a lot of information presented to them at orientation. For many orientation is an anxious time. Have I made the right decision? Will I fit in? Can I do the work? My experience is that consequently they retain only a small portion of the information provided. That makes it important to review the information again when there are fewer distractions. This also presents an opportunity to review the “why†part of the policy and begin their preparation for their careers.
I like to verbally reinforce the schools policy at the change of each module.
Attendance being the factor it is in retention is something I can not stress enough. If the student is not here they can not get the information, without the information the can not get the education, once the feeling of being overwhelmed occurs, is when I believe, open the door for problems. So having the attendance reinforced on a daily basis is one of the strategies I use.
Diane, does this reinforcement include specific recognition for individual achievement, like perfect attendance?
Absolutely, students at our facility receive certificates for perfect attendance at the end of a module
Attendance improved in our campus when students were made aware of any problem(s) before their attendance dropped below 80%.
As long as these rules are infoced not just spoken at orientation. Everyone in the school must enforce them from the Director to the instructors to the staff.
What problems are you referring to, Rochelle?
Selective or inconsistent enforcement of any rules will create problems and unnecessary stress for staff, faculty and students.
The student has bought in by their engagement in their studies, their attendance and their participation in school events. The students promote the school outside of the campus - are excited about being part of the larger community.
Expectations should be on the table and presented on Day ONE, but they need to be consistently conveyed everyday thereafter as well.
