What Can I Do to Increase Student Retention?

Program includes a CD with the video presentation, plus supplemental materials, PowerPoint slides, and complete transcript • $99

It’s never a good feeling to learn that a student has left your class … or worse, left school altogether. Often it comes as a complete surprise — before you even realize they have a problem, they’re gone.

There are some powerful tools and techniques you can use to prevent these “unhappy endings,” and you can learn about them in the 20 Minute Mentor program, What Can I Do to Increase Student Retention?

This fast, focused video presentation is led by two veteran educators: Rob Jenkins, professor of English and “Two-Year Track” columnist for The Chronicle of Higher Education, and Debi Moon, J.D., recipient of a National Teaching Excellence Award and an administration and faculty member at Georgia Perimeter College.

Together, they share strategies for keeping your students connected to you, their classmates, and the course material.

Order this 20 Minute Mentor

During this program you’ll learn:

• How to promote a sense of community and collaboration.
• How to help students discover their learning styles (and adjust your teaching accordingly).
• How to guard against students falling behind and getting “lost.”
• How to promote active learning and critical thinking.
• How to build student confidence and competence through participation in shared-teaching exercises.
• And more.

You’ll come away with ideas you can implement right now in your classroom to give every student a better chance for success.

Easy on your schedule and your budget
At just 20 minutes, the program won’t dominate your day – and you can watch it any time. It’s priced right, too … just $99. That includes not only the video presentation, but several pages of additional material, a copy of the PowerPoint slides and full transcript.

Discover how you can help keep students engaged, encouraged and enrolled. Order this 20 Minute Mentor today.

Each Magna 20 Minute Mentor includes a CD with the video presentation, supplemental materials, a copy of the PowerPoint slides and the program’s transcript.

Order this 20 Minute Mentor

Retaining Online Students with a First-Year Experience Program

How do you acclimate students to campus life if they’re not actually on campus? It’s an important question. With the steady growth of online education, the number of distance learners is increasing. Unfortunately, their attrition rate is 10-20% higher than that of traditional students.

Given the success of First-Year Experience programs in retaining traditional students, it’s reasonable to assume they could have the same impact on distance learners. The question is: How do you create a meaningful online FYE program?

You’ll find the answer with Retaining Online Students with a First-Year Experience Program presented by David Ruth, PhD and Kristen Betts, EdD, principals in Drexel University’s 2011 NASPA Gold Award and Grand Bronze Medal-winning program.

During their 90-minute audio presentation, Drs. Ruth and Betts provide you with program best practices and insights to help you increase nontraditional student engagement. You’ll learn how to:

• Identify and catalog key services on your campus that can be easily replicated in an online FYE.
• Engage students early by integrating support services into a pre-orientation program, online FYE, and the curriculum.
• Acquaint students with academic, social and professional communities through enrollment in planned, optional activities.
• Use campus technology to reduce costs and redundancy in hosting events.
• Create a program that increases engagement and retention from enrollment through graduation, and into active alumni engagement.

You’ll also hear examples of innovative approaches being adopted on other campuses, ranging from online convocations to alumni webcasts to virtual wine and cheese events!

Order this Seminar

When you order the recording of this seminar on CD, you’ll also receive a PDF of the seminar transcript, all for the same price as attending the seminar live.

An optional Campus Access License is available for an additional $200. It allows the purchasing institution to upload the CD of the seminar onto the institution’s password-protected internal web site for unlimited access by members of the campus community.

Who will benefit

• Department chairs
• Directors of online and blended programs
• Full-time, part-time and adjunct faculty
• Academic and student affairs deans
• Academic advisors
• Recruitment/retention specialists

The same kind of programming that works to retain traditional students can be used to retain distance learners. This seminar will teach you how to build your own online FYE program.

New for 2011! A Discussion Guide for Facilitators.
Participating in a Magna Online Seminar as a team can help leverage unique insights, foster collaboration, and build momentum for change. Each seminar now includes a Discussion Guide for Facilitators which provides step-by-step instructions for generating productive discussions and thoughtful reflection. You’ll also get guidelines for continuing the conversation after the event, implementing the strategies discussed, and creating a feedback loop for sharing best practices and challenges.

Order this Seminar

What Faculty Members Need to Know About Retention

Teacher. Scholar. Advisor. Faculty members have always worn a lot of hats. And now, on top of everything else, you need to … make sure that your students don’t drop out? Does that mean you need to relax your grading policies? Be “nicer”? Or what?

If you have been asked to become a part of a retention effort on your campus, you’re not alone. Today, busy faculty members are being asked to pay increasing attention to dropout issues at most higher education institutions.

The reason is obvious: less than 60 percent of undergraduates now graduate within six years. The result is lost revenue, lost potential, and lost dreams. Increasingly, campuses are being held accountable for their graduation rate, and their drop-out rates.

Students drop out for many reasons. If Tolstoy were with us today, he might have said that while successful students are all alike, failing students fail in their own way. And that’s why campuses need to provide a range of solutions and methods of support.

Clearly, the answer can’t be to simply stop giving failing grades.

In fact, new research tells us that increased focus on academic rigor can increase student commitment. That is because today’s undergraduate students are searching for meaning, relevancy, and purpose in their college coursework.

Order this White Paper

Our latest Magna Publications White Paper, What Faculty Members Need to Know About Retention, details key methods professors can employ to prevent dropouts and increase student success in college.

You will learn:

• Why retention matters
• 12 ways to improve retention
• Why faculty members are central to campus retention efforts
• How to improve retention without sacrificing standards
• The relationship between meaningful coursework and retention
• Effective retention interventions to use in the classroom
• Strategies for getting to know all the students in your classes
• Advice on retaining today’s Millennial students
• Ways to “frontload” assistance in a semester
• How to make retention efforts more “intrusive”
• The connection between student retention and job security
• How retention efforts can improve student evaluations
• Creating an “endowed chair” in your department to support retention

For faculty members new to the topic of student retention, this report covers key terminology, details known principles or best practices of student success, and describes how faculty can work effectively with other campus resources and personnel to make needed improvements.

This 47-page report also includes an informative retention quiz, designed to impart vital background knowledge on this crucial higher education issue, along with answers to common faculty member questions about retention.

What Faculty Members Need to Know About Retention is recommended for faculty members, instructors, academic affairs professionals and student affairs administrators and staff. It is based on an online seminar originally delivered by Jerry Pattengale, Ph.D. on November 20, 2008. Dr. Pattengale is assistant provost for scholarship and public engagement and a professor of History at Indiana Wesleyan University. He led the development of Indiana Wesleyan University’s first-year experience program, and retention rates have climbed from 68 percent to 82 percent since its implementation.

Increasing retention in college classes doesn’t have to take a lot of time or lower academic standards. Learn how professors can maintain academic quality, improve course evaluations, and enhance motivation levels by investing in What Faculty Members Need to Know About Retention today.

Cost

You can download the PDF of this white paper, or get the print version mailed to you.

A Campus Access License is available for an additional $200. It allows the purchasing institution to load the white paper onto the institution’s password-protected internal web site for unlimited access by members of the campus community.

Order this White Paper

To better address the needs of entering students, many colleges and universities now include learning community experiences. Typically, learning communities are organized around one of four common models:

1. linked or clustered courses (a cohort of students taking the same group of courses),
2. cohorts in large courses (a group of students in a large course sharing other curricular experiences associated with the large course),
3. team-taught or coordinated studies programs (students taking courses, often with theme-based content, that are team taught by professors from different fields), and
4. living-learning communities (students living together in a residence hall and taking courses together).

Since the early ’90s, Temple University in Philadelphia has had a well-established linked-course learning communities program. About 10 years in, the program was assessed to “establish whether the overall learning community experience [in terms of the activities in the courses] was the same for everyone.” (p. 262) The school discovered that it was not. The differences were a result, first, of the students themselves.

Researchers identified six different clusters of students. In the largest one, “Students were actively engaged in almost all aspects of the learning community experience—from in-class to out of class, on both academic and social fronts.” (p. 256) The second largest cluster consisted of students almost the “antithesis” of those in the first—“not engaged with each other or the teacher and not experiencing high levels of activity either in or outside of class.” (p. 256-257). This caused the researchers to conclude, “Learning communities are not uniformly beneficial for all students.” (p. 262)

They also discovered that not all teachers were including activities usually associated with learning communities—things like having students work in groups. The researchers note that various interactive methods fit naturally with the goals of learning communities. “When an institution makes a commitment to the learning community program, it should recognize also the need to prepare appropriately its faculty to utilize teaching methods that are conducive to positive results.” (p. 264)

A variety of other findings support the general conclusion that the learning community experience is not uniform in its effects. “Students enter learning communities with different goals, different reasons, different attitudes about what helps them learn, and different skills. The learning community experience will clearly enhance and improve the educational experience of some, but can be lost on, even counter-productive, for others.” (p. 263)

This is a robust empirical inquiry of a well-established and carefully designed and executed program. It should cause faculty members involved with learning communities, as well as institutions that have them, not to make assumptions about automatic benefits. It’s a study that shows what should have been suspected from the beginning. Learning communities are a powerful pedagogy, but they are not a cure-all for long-standing problems associated with students who are not well prepared for college or do not accurately expect what it will take to succeed in college.

Reference: Jones, P. R., Laufgraben, J. L., and Morris, N. (2006). Developing an empirically based typology of attitudes of entering students toward participation in learning communities. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 31 (3), 249-265.

Reprinted from The Teaching Professor, March 2009.

These numbers, based on the 2004–2005 results of the ACT and featured in the report Reading Between the Lines: What the ACT Reveals about College Readiness in Reading, show that student readiness for college-level reading is at its lowest point in more than a decade.

As an educator on the front lines, you don’t have to read between the lines. You see it in your classes every day and it’s quite evident: an increasing number of students are arriving on college campuses unprepared for the academic rigors that await them.

But that doesn’t mean these unprepared students are destined for failure. Dr. Kathleen Gabriel, assistant professor at California State University-Chico, says student success starts with faculty and students who believe that it’s never too late to learn as long as you’re willing to put in the extra time and effort.

In the recent online seminar Teaching Unprepared Students: Success and Retention Strategies, Gabriel shared techniques for helping students with weak reading, writing, and study skills, as well as getting them to take responsibility for their learning. Unfortunately, one of the problems with at-risk students is, sometimes the instructor may not be aware of academic deficiencies until it’s almost too late. To address this, Gabriel recommends having students complete a short reading comprehension or writing assignment during the first couple of classes to get a baseline of their basic skills.

Also during that first week, reach out to your students by learning their names and encouraging them to learn the names of their classmates. Gabriel also conducts short informal “interviews” with her students during the start of each term to learn more about their background and interests, as well as to create the kind of faculty-student bond that’s so important to student success.

Another key to success, especially for academically unprepared students, is class attendance. Although simply knowing everyone’s name will help with attendance issues, Gabriel makes sure students participate once they’re there by having an interactive learning activity for every 15-20 minutes of lecture. For example, a class activity could be a “write-pair-share” activity or an activity where students have to engage with the content by creating a chart or graph that explains that day’s lesson. These items are then handed in for “class activity points” and can’t be made-up if a student misses class.

“It’s important to provide students with active learning experiences that will tap into their existing knowledge and experiences to help enhance their connection to the new material,” says Gabriel.

Teaching Unprepared Students: Success and Retention Strategies

The number of students arriving on campus unprepared for the rigors of postsecondary education continues to skyrocket. Many students have inadequate reading, writing, and study skills, while others have defined learning disabilities. These at-risk students create big challenges faculty members who are being asked to help with campus retention efforts without sacrificing course quality.

Lowering expectations is not the way to handle this challenge. Nobody wants to sacrifice quality just to raise graduation numbers. Can these two goals–high retention and high expectations–ever be reconciled?

Fortunately, there are effective strategies to help faculty members assist academically deficient students.

In Teaching Unprepared Students: Success & Retention Strategies, Dr. Kathleen Gabriel of California State University, Chico shows faculty members and campus leaders how to navigate this difficult terrain as she shares practical strategies for improving at-risk students’ skills and increasing student success rates.

Order this seminar

The advice in this seminar will prepare you to provide the necessary support so that your students can meet course requirements and complete their college programs.

This audio seminar covers:

• Descriptions and definitions of unprepared students
• How to identify the unprepared students in your classes
• Current success rates of at-risk students
• Strategies to increase student engagement with course material
• Specific actions to help raise class attendance
• Ways to decrease at-risk student “avoidance” behavior
• Techniques to improve retention and comprehension levels
• How to implement “learner-centered” teaching methods
• Helpful ways to interact with at-risk and unprepared students
• Methods to assist students with weak reading, writing, or study skills

Who will benefit?

• Faculty members
• Instructors
• Lecturers
• Teaching assistants
• Instructional designers
• Faculty development team
• Faculty evaluation team members
• Department leadership
• College and university administrators

Improving retention efforts on your campus is one of the best investments you can make.

Order this seminar

Originally PBL, as it’s usually called, was used in medical school and in some business curricula for majors. But now it is being used in a wide range of disciplines and with students at various educational levels. The article (reference below) from which material is about to be cited “makes a critical assessment” of how PBL is being used in the field of geography.

Much of the content is relevant to that discipline specifically, but the article does contain a useful table that summarizes the benefits and risks of PBL for students, instructors, and institutions. Material on the table is gleaned from an extensive review of the literature (all referenced in the article). Here’s some of the information contained in the table.

Benefits of Problem-Based Learning

For Students

• It’s a student-centered approach.
• Typically students find it more enjoyable and satisfying.
• It encourages greater understanding.
• Students with PBL experience rate their abilities higher.
• PBL develops lifelong learning skills.

For Instructors

• Class attendance increases.
• The method affords more intrinsic reward.
• It encourages students to spend more time studying.
• It promotes interdisciplinarity.

For Institutions

• It makes student learning a priority.
• It may aid student retention.
• It may be taken as evidence that an institution values teaching.

Risks of Problem-Based Learning

For Students

• Prior learning experiences do not prepare students well for PBL.
• PBL requires more time and takes away study time from other subjects.
• It creates some anxiety because learning is messier.
• Sometimes group dynamics issues compromise PBL effectiveness.
• Less content knowledge may be learned.

For Instructors

• Creating suitable problem scenarios is difficult.
• It requires more prep time.
• Students have queries about the process.
• Group dynamics issues may require faculty intervention.
• It raises new questions about what to assess and how.

For Institutions

• It requires a change in educational philosophy for faculty who mostly lecture.
• Faculty will need staff development and support.
• It generally takes more instructors.
• It works best with flexible classroom space.
• It engenders resistance from faculty who question its efficacy.

Reference: Pawson, E., Fournier, E., Haight, M., Muniz, O., Trafford, J., and Vajoczki, S. 2006. Problem-based learning in geography: Towards a critical assessment of its purposes, benefits and risks. Journal of Geography in Higher Education 30 (1): 103–16.

Excerpted from The Teaching Professor, February 2007.

Here are just a few of his suggestions. To see the article in its entirety, download a copy of our FREE report, Strategies for Increasing Online Student Retention and Satisfaction.

1. An “early alert” system. If a distance learning student hasn’t been responding the first few weeks of the course the instructor can pass on the student’s name to this automated system. The student then gets an e-mail saying (in Nash’s words) “Hey we haven’t heard from you for a while – is there anything we can do to help you? Here are some services at the institution that might help you succeed.” The instructor follows up with a personal phone call or email.

2. An online tutoring program. Coastline instituted a program that included tutors available both on the phone and online, along with other student success services. “Those student who used it succeeded at higher rates than their peer group,” Nash says.

3. A student success course. “I would recommend a student orientation or a student success course,” says Nash. Coastline developed a three-unit student success course, called “Mastering the College Experience,” teaching learning skills, “life skills” and various aspects of college orientation. Enrollments are good and, in surveys, students have reported they feel more prepared to succeed after having taken it.

4. Learning communities. Nash calls this the tactic that has produced the best student retention rates. “The research recommends [learning communities] again and again,” says Nash. Coastline’s STAR Program is a group of cohorts that move through a program together. It’s an accelerated program so that students get their associate’s degree in eighteen months instead of two years. Classes are smaller and hybrid-style, split about evenly between face-to-face and online.

5. Focus on individual courses. Spotlight the ones that have the biggest problem with attrition. Focus on those while measuring results against the baseline. Pay attention to both the differences in course completion rates and the cost and resources it took to get there. Do a cost-benefit analysis, measuring return on investment.

6. Involve faculty. They are the key service providers. They should be involved in the needs assessment and in the planning because they’re going to have to implement it. You need their buy-in and advice, Nash advises.

Excerpted from 11 Tips for Improving Retention of Distance Learning Students, Distance Education Report, August 15, 2006.

Initially, when our speech department was asked by our dean to put our basic course online, we resisted. In fact, our course was the last required general education course to go online. When we finally agreed to a Web-enhanced course, it was a disaster. It felt like our content took a backseat to the technology platform. Student feedback was mostly negative. Faculty members were frustrated. And one point the department recommended dropping the online course entirely.

Making the Switch to Hybrid Courses
As a last resort, we attempted to restructure the course by creating a hybrid offering that was half online and half on campus. The results were amazing. Student feedback was much more positive, and retention and assessment scores both shot up. Student retention improved 8 percent the first semester we switched to the hybrid course, while post-test scores jumped an average 20.5 percent. There was also a clear decrease in student and professor frustration.

Having found a delivery method that seemed to work well, we began to look seriously at strategies, tips, and techniques for using WebCT that would simplify and enhance the teaching experience. We frequently discovered we were “overworking” the course management system. There were so many tools at our disposal that we were tempted to use them all. Frankly, that just confused everyone—professors and students.

We decided to look for ways to make the presentation less busy, falling back on a lesson that all teachers learned a long time ago: sometimes less is more. At the same time, however, we didn’t want to simplify so much that we excluded useful techniques. Eventually, by trial and error, we found the right balance.

In the process we also learned how to use feedback mechanisms to enhance teaching. For instance, we discovered that a threaded electronic discussion on a subject like plagiarism puts students on record as knowing what it is. After that, the standard excuses for plagiarism pretty much went away. Similarly, a quick personal email is a handy way to find out what gaps there might be in student learning.

These are only a couple of effective ways in which judicious use of software enhances teaching without getting in the way. The trick, we found, was to use the software without becoming slaves to it.

Lori Norin is an assistant professor of speech communication at the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith. Tim Wall is an instructor in the English/Rhetoric department.

Excerpted from Trial by Fire: Online Teaching Tips That Work, October 2007, Online Classroom.