Using the term technology in a broader sense, I'd like to know what is being used to improve student retention, whether it is technologies or techniques.
Student Retention Techniques
September 29th, 2007 Keith Bourne
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Community College Student Retention Startegies
As CC instructors, I think that you will find the article Online Nation: Five Years of growth in Online Learning stimulating.
http://www.sloan-c.org/publications/survey/pdf/online_nation.pdf
The way I read the article, different institutions provide different types of support. The article notes that by far and away, the greatest amount of online use is at the CC level. Fundamentals taught at this level will be useful for students who decide to continue their education.
Chris
How To Improve Student Retention in Community Colleges
Community colleges across the country struggle with the issue of student retention. While community colleges provide affordable and readily accessible education, many of the students attending community colleges are not prepared for college. In addition, many students face additional challenges such as inadequate financial resources, and family and job demands. Community colleges can increase student retention by implementing a number of programs.
Recruitment Programs - Retention begins with recruitment. Students need information in order to make informed choices. In many instances this is a student's first college experience and they need information in order to successfully navigate the admissions process. They also need information early on in order to understand the choices they will have to make in choosing classes, majors and other activities. Making the initial contact with the school an enjoyable one starts a student off on the right foot.
Assessment Programs - Initial assessment programs are necessary for proper placement of students in appropriate classes. Many incoming community college students lack skills necessary for success in college-level courses. Assessment tests allow for placement in appropriate courses. This helps prevent students from becoming discouraged. Appropriate placement increases success and improves retention.
Orientation Programs - Well-developed orientation programs help increase student retention and success. These programs help prevent disappointment down the road. Successful orientation programs include familiarizing students with the services available and showing them how to locate these services. Orientation programs should include introductions to key staff members such as financial aid officers, special program directors and tutoring staff. A well-conceived orientation program will also provide information about student organizations such as student government, honor societies and athletic activities. Successful orientation programs will also assist the students in developing a plan for academic success, improving student retention.
Learning Support Programs - Inadequate preparation for college is a significant factor in student retention. While assessment programs are intended to place students in appropriate courses, many students require additional assistance for success. This assistance can come through learning support programs. Learning assistance labs, study groups, one-on-one tutoring and student success workshops have all been shown to improve student retention rates.
Faculty/Student Programs- The development of faculty-student relationships can also increase student retention at community colleges. One-on-one advising with a faculty member provides students with individualized attention. This allows for proper course choices. Student interaction with faculty also encourages academic success. In addition to advising, mentoring programs between faculty and students also increases retention.
Learning Communities - Placement of students in learning communities helps students build a peer network, which improves student retention. In learning communities students register for a block of classes together. This creates a shared educational experience. Supportive peer groups encourage classroom excellence and assistance outside the classroom in the form of study groups and support networks.
Peer Mentoring - Peer mentoring programs provide students with encouragement from fellow students. Students can be excellent role models and are exceptionally qualified to help other students. While students may be uncomfortable speaking to staff or faculty, peer mentors may be viewed as less "threatening." Peer mentoring programs also increases interaction with other students which assists in retention.
Internship/Co-op Programs - Many community college students have financial and career concerns. Internship and co-op programs make the connection between the classroom and the workplace. These programs encourage academic excellence and retention as the students can see the result of their hard work. These programs may lead to full-time employment upon graduation (or part-time employment during college), easing some of the financial concerns that affect retention.
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RE: Community College Retention
I'm not sure of the degree to which this would impact student retention, but in Orlando two colleagues and I presented the findings of a study in which we found dramatic differences between community college learners and students at a traditional university with respect to what elements of teaching presence they valued in online courses. Essentially, community college learners placed a much higher value on directivist design elements and teaching strategies than their traditional university counterparts.
As much of what we know about instructional design theory and online learning come from research based BA and graduate level learners there may well be a relative mismatch between the way online community college courses are designed and the needs of the learners. Currently we are conducting more research to validate our initial findings, but it appears to me that making the link to retention would be an interesting avenue that we might look at as well.
RE: directivist design and teaching
In the research I referred to we asked students at a community college and at a traditional university to describe those actions taken by the instructor that influenced their success or lack of success. We then placed the comments within the teaching presence scale of the Community of Inquiry framework and looked at two things: 1. actual correlations that existed between those items noted by students and their performance in the courses, 2. differences between factors cited by the two groups.
The analysis showed that among both groups instructor feedback was the most important element associated with success. However, the other findings varied dramatically. Community college learners placed a very high value on instructor actions such as: identifying areas of agreement and disagreement, keeping course participants on track, and focusing discussion on relevant issues. In contrast, the students from a traditional university placed a relatively low value on these actions and placed a much higher value on instructor actions such as: guiding the class toward understanding and encouraging course participants to explore new concepts.
With respect to lack of success, instructor feedback was again the most important element. However, both groups were similar in that they believed that a failure to clearly communicate course topics, provide clear instructions as to how to participate in course topics.
In this later instance we see actions that are highly objective in nature (communication of topics and instructions). These I refer to as being directivist (or actually I should have said directive) in nature as they are concrete in nature and fall within a individual-objectivist socio-epistemological orientation. It is important to note that these two factors essentially lay the groundwork for success in the course as they let students know what is expected of them over the course of the semester.
However, once we move beyond expectation setting we see a divergence in the pedagogical / andragogical basis for course delivery. At this point community college learners are still dependent upon more directive actions on the part of the instructor. This group wanted the instructor to clearly identify the “correct” response in areas where there was disagreement, validate those areas in which consensus was reached, provide structre in terms of keeping the class on track and focus discussions on the most germane issues. Thus we see the need for the instructor to act in a manner consistent with a group-objectivist socio-epistemological orientation.
In contrast students at the traditional university wanted the instructor to act as a guide in the discussion and encourage them to explore new concepts. From a theoretical perspective this is grounded in work by Palmer, Doll, St. Julien and others that posits the optimal role of the instructor is to initiate and contain learning spirals. From a socio-epistemological orientation this falls into the group-constructivist classification.
While at first blush it may seem that I am splitting paradigmatic hairs here, the value for informing practice and design is very real. If the above findings can be validated with a larger / more diverse sample then it means that a more objectivist structure should be built into online community college courses in terms of design, problems posed and in terms of informing instructors as to best practice. These findings may also suggest that this structure needs to be relaxed as students enter into their second or third year of courses and they become more self-assured of their abilities. The same may well apply to the progression from freshman through senior at traditional institutions and the progression from masters to doctoral students as well. That said I freely admit that this last involves more than a little theoretical arm waiving.
From a more grounded perspective, I think that the work we have done to date illustrates the need to go back and contextualize Vygotskian scaffolding and assess whether or not soft or hard scaffolding is most appropriate for a given type of learner.
This work has not yet been fully written up, but we are in the process of doing so. I hope this synopsis helped answered your question. I can email you a copy of our Orlando ppt if you wish. Drop me a line at pice [at] uncc [dot] edu and I will send it over.
Best,
Phil
directivist design elements and teaching
Phil
Please can you give more details of what you mean by "directivist design elements and teaching strategies". Is any of your research published or available to view?
Regards
Brian Richards B.Sc. M.Ed.
Director, Instructional Design and Media Services
Middlesex County College
2600 Woodbridge Avenue
Edison NJ 08818-3050
www: http://www.middlesexcc.edu/ids/
E-mail: BRichards [at] middlesexcc [dot] edu
Office: 732 906 2
It is techniques
I am working on my dissertation on student retention, and I would have to choose techniques because of the importance of the relationship to the institution and the background of the student.
The decision to discontinue is a personal one, and it stems from a variety of reasons like family obligations, job changes or dissatisfaction with the current program. It appears then, that support for the student is of more important than the technnology.
The exception might in the case of analytics, which assists in the support of retention. Indeed Berger (2000) noted that studies of retention should focus on types of students and institutions as opposed to a one size fits all.
John Campbell et al. just published Academic Analytics: A New Tool for a New Era.
http://www.educause.edu/apps/er/erm07/erm0742.asp
Why students drop online courses
I agree with you, Chris. Each quarter, I administer a Student Drop Survey to find out why our online students drop their courses. The results pretty much reflect what you described: life gets in the way.
If anyone wants to see my survey, just let me know. My email address is bakerjudy [at] foothill [dot] edu
Dr. Judy Baker
Dean of Foothill Global Access
Foothill College
Los Altos Hills, CA