1. Try to identify problems with students earlier.
2. Reiniate the benefits of training in our field.
3. Encourage the student to finish the goals setout.
Counsel students on their progress.Let them know that their education is important to them. Being successfull is also their responsibility.
I plan on
1. Making sure to stay in better contact with my students to make sure that everything is ok.
2. Trying to run my classes in a more fun way so that the students will make sure that they come to class and learn the material.
3. Coming up with my own Best Practices so that I am a better educator.
at our school every effort is being made to envolve all staff in retention programs. continued max knowledge training, in house meetings, department meetings, and setting personal goals to establish retention practices used in classes daily.
I have been a business instructor for 20 years and these simple things have helped (I think) to hold students in the classroom.
1. Maintain a high degree of Professionalism - this includes always looking the part, business attire, and being prepared for every class.
2. Place on the board a list of the days work and the expectations for the next class. This seems to keep every student aware of where we are, and where we are going at least this week. It also helps if there are deviations from the original syllabus.
3. Actually call every student that misses two classes in a row. I ask them to contact me any time they are not expecting to be in class. It rarely happens. So we as instructors must be the proactive ones.
I plan to continue these actions in the next 30 days and beyond.
1.Ensure that grades are updated and accurate on the online grading system.
2. Cover with instructors/staff the Survey Method and the Vertical Probe.
3. Be proactive in asking students on breaks and after class about an issue when needed.
1. Propose an instructor mentor program for new students for our next term.
2. follow up on initial contact with all first mod students to anticipate any potential issues.
3. Begin plans for next student event to promote student involvement.
1. Give students a tour of where in the building they can get help from the Learning Lab.
2. Bring in a guest speaker to introduce them to school Clubs and activities.
3. Ask students to email me to let me know of any hurdle that will be a threat to their mental well being. Happy minds learn well.
More and better communication with my students.
Do my best to find out if any students are in need of assistance that I can provide.
Help any of those students find the right person to assist if it is out of my ability.
Thanks, Dusty
We have set up for each new group that starts at our college a pre-graduation meeting which serves as an orientation and establishing a welcome feeling among the new students to the college.
I will spend more time on the first day getting to know the students in my class and interacting with them.
I will also spend more time acknowledging their accomplishments and offer constructive criticism for those who are striving for perfection.
I try to portray a caring and concerned for the students success and for the most part I believe I am successful.
I have developed a student/teacher contract. It indicates student responsibilities such as being on time, homework, attendance etc. It also list my responsibilities such as providing clear directions, being accessible and providing feedback in a timely manner.
Intervene as soon as there is any indication that a student is having any difficulty academically, personally, or otherwise. Become more approachable to the students. Engage and include more students into the curriculum.
Interact with students one on one when needed
try to be more dynamic when interacting with others
Do not engage in negative conversation about institutuional rules
Improved customer service can help improve retention, therefore I aim to respond to all phone calls and e-mails from students as soon as possible on the same day they are received. Secondly, once a student misses a second day of class I will intervene more promptly by meeting with that student to discuss the absences. Thirdly, I will refer academically struggling students more quickly to acamemic tutors.
This is a great topic and I am enjoying everyone’s ideas!
Since my institution is online, the methods will be slightly different that those for a physical campus.
1. I’d like to create a “suggestions†forum area in my classes where students post their thoughts and comments on the class and instruction.
2. Create a list of my favorite tutorial videos online and send them out to students for each topic we are covering.
3. Email a weekly “blurb†of concepts that we are covering in class that are in the “real world†– especially on the news. Students love to latch on to ideas that are “cool†:) I find that if I can show them how some of the basic math we are doing in class is really out there in the real world, they feel less intimidated by the subject.
Jeremy Bolton
Laura, this is a great list!
Number 3 is always a recurrent theme - as Loren pointed out, we often hear the question "Why on earth will I ever need to know this?"
My favorite thing to point out to students is that EVERY single piece of information that they learn is directly related to their career, because they are "learning how to learn."
For instance, in one of my classes, students learn how to work with Excel. Although they have to perform specific tasks, they also are learning the process of exploring new software and learning what I like to call "technical intuition" - how to get an intuitive sense of a new program.
Great post and I enjoyed your ideas!
Jeremy
1) Develop Caourse Assessment Techniques (CAT's)which include student involvement
2) Develop more classroom activites instead of lecturing the entire class
3) Encourage more student feedback to discuss issues early rather than after they have already become a serious issue
We already do a lot of the items listed as a school.
1. I do not emphasize in our class is inviting our students to become ambassadors for the school.I believe that would encourage our students to invest themselves in the school.
2. I think that a formal mentorship program for students would assist both the establish students and new students(we have a wheel approach so there is no formal start or finish). Each start of a new module we could partner up students as we can to help our new students feel welcomed sooner.
3. An appreciation day at the end of every module to send out our students who are going into clinical rotation. I believe that they really need some formal closure or appreciation for their accomplishment and the current students will physically see a light at the end of the tunnel.
I will do all I can to determine students that are at risk. I will make myself available before and after class for any additional help the student may need, I will also have a list of resources available to the student to help with any outside issues that may arise. i.e. transportation, childcare etc.
1.Over the next 30 days I will meet with all staff and have a list of responsibilites for each department and ensure everyone is aware of their responsibilites.
2. Create a News letter and send it out to all current students along with graduates.
3.Meet with the instructors to go over the material on the Intervention cycle which I found extremely interesting. Sometimes we lose sight that everyone is an individual and we all think differently.
