This is excellent! Making those calls a week prior to classes is an excellent way to begin transitioning the students in to your institution.
I concur with your comments. The hard part is the coordination but we have found that a simple email works really well to keep all those involved informed.
We have a similar process. Admissions has the primary responsibiliby for the first 30 days. Then the Director of Education assumes responsibility for follow-up calls and letters to students who are absent.
This certainly helps to smooth the transition from one area to the other...and it's a great way to get some additional referral leads!
Susan
We are not currently doing this, but I'm going to suggest it be implemented. I feel that this would be an excellent method of reassuring students that they made the right decision, and that we are sincerely interested in them having a satisfying educational experience (and that they are not just a tuition payment).
they know the student better
I agree concerning the coordination part. Many times the faculty do not know who the Admissions Rep is, and having that key piece of information would be beneficial in information sharing about the student and any potential issues.
Right! Ideally, the faculty and admissions are working collaboratively to ensure a smooth hand-off. Building those systems and encouraging that interaction early in the enrollment process is a real advantage.
Susan
Admissions calling is an interesting idea and I think can be a benifical in some instances. The relationship the student has with his admissions rep can serve to bridge some gaps.
Ultimately, the Instructor should be the one who initiates the contact. It is the Instructor who needs to establish the relationship needed to forge the bond that will get the student to class and keep the student in class.
At our campus, the Instructor is required to make the call. The Dean and the Associate Dean also keep on top of these contacts. Often times the student gets several people contacting them either by e-mail or via telephone. This serves to let the student know they matter and we care and we pay attention.
We run a small school, and admissions places calls a day or two in advance of orientation as well as to those absent from orientation. Often no response is heard from the no-show student. How much follow-up is too much?
I am planning to call the students the 1st week this is a great idea.
We call our students that do not show up for orientation. We also call students who miss school within the first week or two.
Great! Having your admissions people help to retain them through the first few weeks is very helpful. The continuity in relationships helps students to feel connected.
Do you have a process where faculty or other student services people contact students who stop attending after the two weeks?
Susan
We actually have the Dean of Student Services contact the students in our online courses at the end of their first week.
However waiting a week is already too much time in my opinion. Before the course Admissions hands off students to student services who sends a welcome email. 24 hours after the course starts if a student has not logged in Student Services emails them to follow up. If still no login at 72 hours a call and email is done by student services. Really have not seen many students beyond that point that have not logged in after follow up. :)
I agree that timing is critical. The longer a student goes without beginning the participation, the less likely they are to begin. It's too intimidating. It sounds, however, like you have a good process if the great majority of them login by day 4.
Susan
During a student's first semester, attendance is carefully monitored by the faculty, admissions, and the Director of Education. Absences are reported by the faculty to both admissions and the Director of Education.
Intitial absences result in a phone call from either the instructor or admissions. After three absences, the Director of Education contacts the student. This lets the student know that their presence was missed and that each student is important to us.
Yes! we try our best to keep our Admission Representative involved during the first week because somethings students enroll but they are 'no shows'. We try to have an open line of communication between faculty and admisison representatives since the relationship already exists with the reps and the relationship between student and faculty is at a newer stage. we think a rep will be more effective at getting a hold of a 'no show' and following up to see what happened.
anybody involved with the students on a one on one basis should contact absent students. this will prove to the students that the whole school cares about them, not only their present teacher
Our admissions dept calls through the third day of a start, after that acadmics/faculty take over...however...I still ask the rep to take an active approach in staying current with a student through the third class and beyond!
