The school has protocols in place when students need mentoring or assistance on improvement for instance academic probation and attendance probation. Also good instructors that offer assistance to students at first glance of an issue helps prevention and increases the retention rate.
I have not started yet so I am not familiar with all their practices. The admissions tries to make sure the students are qualified for the program they go into. They also have an office where the students and go and talk to someone about problems they might have. I have been told that the instructors can referral for the students to this office.
We have a counselor whos' job it is to reach out to at risk students and try to solve issues. We as instructors try to identify those we believe to be at risk.
I encountered this situation this term with one of my students and unknowingly utilized the intervention strategy proposed in this lesson. Unfortunately, the student did not respond positively because she is too deeply overwhelmed with personal issues. Hopefully, she will come back the next term
If a student begins to miss class hours or fails exam during the initial classes of their program, pre determined staff members meet with the student.
Upon noticing academic issues, the first step is to have a caring non-threatening conversation with the student to see what potential issues are creating the difficulty. Reinforcing the fact you are there to help is very important so there can be no judgment. Maybe the issue is easily recognizable and solutions suggested. Tutoring, either peer or instructor is usually recommended first. Advising forms and other solutions are brought later if there is a need. Encouragement is, of course, always brought into the solution.
All instructors are reminded to contact students every time they are absent. I usually tell them that I missed them in class and ask what is going on. If I sense a problem, I suggest that they talk to our registrar who is the best go-between person to the various staff members who are available to the students.
Earl, I hope you have an opportunity to become familiar with the support services that are available. They will be very useful to you as well as your students.
James, do you have a profile that you use to identify at risk students?
Glad to hear that you acted proactively, Isabella. Do you know if anyone will reach out to this student about returning?
Robert, how are these predetermined staff members notified about the struggling students?
Steve, how responsive are your students to tutoring? Do they need lots of encouragement to get help?
Cynthia, what's your preferred method to contact the students? Which methods are most effective? Do they respond when you leave a message or send an electronic message?
Many of my students are responsive to tutoring, however, work schedules tend to hinder efforts, so we work out a few minutes immediately after class or conversations during a self guided lab.
We use student advising documents. Ranges from attendance issues, grade issues, and behavior issues. These forms are intiated by the students instructor. This opens the door to find out if the student is have other issues that are causing his/her issues.
Paul, are these forms paper/pencil or computer based? Is timeliness of information an issue?
Since our classes are very fast, usually about 2 weeks tops for most classes, we give students mid-term reports of where they stand in the class. We also offer tutoring to those that are below expectations. We work with these students to try and get them to where they need to be.
The forms are paper and time line is usually dependant on students actions. But students are accountable also they have to sign them and I turn them into my education manager. Education managers also keep track of them as well.
Arnitra, how successful are your tutoring programs? How many students use them?
Our school has in place a monitoring system which includes the advisors, registrar and the instructors. When an instructor notices frequent absences, we must contact the student and refer this information to the registrar. We are constantly monitoring the academic performance as well. The atmosphere setting is very inviting where students feel comfortable talking to their instructors as well.
