Intervention Strategies
Describe an intervention practice at your institution that addresses either Academic Erosion or Academic Stagnation.
To address Academic erosion or stagnation we mainly focus our attention on the tutoring service we provide to our students. We offer tutoring every day for everything the student could need help on like resume building , class tutoring, English (grammar and conversation), computers (typing, Office, internet, etc).
Another tool we use is a survey called: Instructor’s evaluation that we applied every 6 weeks. With the time, we have discovered that many of the students that feel frightened about coming to talk to us find this survey a mean to vent their frustrations and feelings in regard to their class. When we process the surveys, we pay special attention to those students and then, we start calling them to our office to show them we care about their comments and we want to help them to feel right about their career choice and school.
Finally, to keep the students focus on their goals and visions, we have monthly seminars about Career Development and Job Readiness topics
we focus attention on tutoring our students. We also do survey monkeys to make sure expectations are being met. We stay involved in our students success from career services to academics.
We have an individual (licensed psychologist) who serves as a "success adviser." We certainly have the usual tutoring programs available. However, sometimes the students needs to talk about the issues they are facing and this contact person fits the bill.
We offer tutoring for our students. We also have the students evaluate us through Survey Monkey.
Our institution offers one-on-one tutoring opportunities between instructors and students.
We also can refer students to our Student Services Director, who often offers counseling to students.
We have a retention coordinatior at our school that stays in contact with our students when they are absent as well as our instrustors to help motivate them and to encourage them to stay in school.
We also have free tutoring for our students just like any other school.
We have the student suvery that we do every 12 weeks that allow us to see what emprovement that we can do in the classroom on our part to help improve classroom retention.
Our institution provides tutoring in a variety of ways; one-on-one with the instructor; peer tutoring; group tutoring; or tutoring with the program director.
We use academic advisements to let the students know how they are doing, and to let them know if they are in danger of academically failing. Also we have spreadsheets to let them know how many projects they have finished, or need to finish.
We track student progress on a weekly basis for class attandance, assigments being finished and handed in, tests being passed, etc...
As a result, we are able to have an accuarte scorecard for each student that is made up of several key data points, and that is accurate in real time regarding their commitment level to moving through their program of study.
That Commitment Level Scorecard ( the CLS ), is used to drive a monthly assessment of each student, by program, that is completed and then analyzed and discussed by our executive committee.
If a student is found to be suffering through an episode of either Academic Erosion or Academic Stagnation, then we are able to craft a specific intervention plan for that student in real time to address the need(s) identified, and to remediate the students concerns or problems.
The first step in the plan is to have a counselor meet with the student and address the gap in performance to understand what is causing the issue(s) and what the issue(s) are from the student's perspective.
The next step is for the councelor to create an intervention plan that draw on a well defined toolkit of resources and people to address the needs of the student.
The next step is to implement the plan and then monitor it's effectiveness over the next 30 day cycle of reporting.
We then reassess the student to see if the plan has had a positive effect or not.
We offer one-on-one tutoring services for our students, and we are developing a mentoring program to help bring students and instructors together. In addition, our culture promotes open communication between instructors, program directors, and deans so that when issues arise, we can quickly and actively address student retention issues.
At the college where I work, the instructors have a chain-of-commend process...They begin with the department chair and s/he decides if further intervention is necessary (which, 99% of the time, it is). However, we also have an open-door policy that any student can come to the instructor whenever the learner feels like it. I've had numerous chats with students who just need to vent or brag about their accomplishments. I enjoy having students stop by my office because it makes me feel like they are comfortable with me.
We also have academic advising at our institution. During this session that occurs mid-term, the student's progress is discussed as well as any concerns that the student may want to address. This is a great opportunity for students to discuss issues that they may not have felt comfortable scheduling an appointment for. The students know that this academic advising is mandatory, therefore, they know that they have an avenue to bring up issues in a non-formal manner.
First, I think that it's important to pay attention to my students, and to make them a part of my daily routine. When I see someone from my program in the hallway, I will always engage them...even if it is only to say hello. A simple exchange like that can give you a lot of feedback, pro or con.
If I sense frustration, then I may ask an additional question, such as, "what's got you down?" The answer to that might lead me to understand that they are having difficulty in a particular subject, at which point I can offer to tutor them, etc. Anyway, I think that's how it starts.
To rely on more formal methods of intervention, is to avoid taking ownership of my programs, and I just don't do that. My students are my responsibility, and I want them to succeed and to always feel a part of their success.
We have an provisional enrolling process for new starts.
We create an activity that motivates the students and gets them excited about their chosen field again....
My institution, like others, offers tutoring and advising. The one thing that I find that helps me the most is calling the students when they miss class. I used to feel like this was babysitting them, but I found that it can be one of the warning signs that something underminding is afoot, especially if they have good attendance in some classes but not others.
councling is what we use effectively. councling consists of listening to students problems and concerns and then finding solutions. The problems ranges from personal to academic and the school itself.
At my school, we are reguired to discuss with all students who have a 'C' or lower at the mid-point of the quarter. It allows me to give them a plan for improvement, a list of requirements for their success, and a follow-up interview in two weeks. It helps them see that it is not over, and that they have control over the future outcome.
Addressing mid-term evaluations to also identify areas that need to be addressed and reinovating the students cocept of what have learned to this point.
