Active learning for effective student retention  Forget about the  fundamentals of retention  (just for a moment! )  Instructors should focus on having your students come to school every day  Understand the areas of accountability for faculty  Understand how the role of faculty has an impact on student success

Quick Assessment Exercise Write down the top 10 reasons why you think our students drop out of UEI Discussion of possible reasons

Active learning for effective retention Top Ten Reasons Childcare Transportation Illness Family issues Non support from family, job or peers Lack of motivation Instructors Expectations not met No connection with school No connection with faculty

Why do students drop from school? (Raisman,2008 The real reasons)  TEACHER DIDN’T CARE  Staff didn’t care  Expectations not met  No connection with faculty Attendance is the symptom NOT the disease!!

Key Indicators of a disengaged student:  Absenteeism  Low grades  Discipline and/or behavioral issues  Lack of involvement in class and/or student activities

Bottom Line….. Students have 2 things in common: 1. DREAM – You are either nurturing it or Destroying it and you don’t even know you are doing it! 2. FEAR – Students are absolutely terrified of making a mistake and you are either perpetuating it or disintegrating it! Students need POSITIVE vibes!! They hear bad things all the time!!

Active learning for effective student retention Example: Confidence Monitor Before Red Leather Yellow Leather Confidence Monitor After This is how our students feel!

Accountability + responsibility = SUCCESS TEACHERS Change Lives!! There is no such thing as “Unique Geographic Difference” Aka UGD

Retention Basics ANYONE CAN SAVE A STUDENT! 3 Reasons Students find it easy to leave: 1. Something someone did that the student did not want or need 2. Something someone DID NOT do that the student DID want or need 3. Student did not make education a top priority

 Getting to know classmates and faculty  Developing a career path that interests them  Creating a career vision and plan  Understanding how their education will get them there  Believing their education is valuable and worthwhile  Developing long term self-sufficiency  Lowering their anxiety about graduating and getting a job  The desire to make more than minimum wage What motivates students?...

Tips for successful retention  Create the culture. Make everything revolve around retaining students and student success. Everyone at the campus is accountable. Partnership and ownership among instructors is a must. There is nothing worse than instructors battling each other or displaying anger or discontent with a school issue.  Embrace, engage, educate, empower, explore and entertain (active learning) your students. Create an extraordinary student experience. Provide excellent customer service.

More tips…  Track students’ average daily attendance and reach out to them BEFORE it’s too late!  Inject excitement through events and activities to build social integration. Student recognition and achievements  Early intervention of students who have greater than 10% absence rate and students who have GPA less than 2.5. Meet with them and set up success plans  Create value in the classroom every day

New Rules When students come to you and say they must drop, our answer “no, you are not going to drop and I will look forward to seeing you tomorrow!” “Tomorrow we will talk about your situation and we will take action, but you are not going to drop!” CHANGE the CULTURE!

Final thoughts There is no such thing as “At-Risk Learners” THEY ARE ALL AT RISK AND THEY CAN ALL BE SUCCESSFUL! “EDUCATION IS THE GREAT EQUALIZER OF ALL MEN” – Horace Mann

Summary  Understand and summarize the fundamentals of engaging students  Understand and describe faculty accountability  Provide examples of “best practices”

Group Activities Scenario based role playing:  First day of class-how do you build a culture of belonging and motivation?  Classroom Management- how do you address attendance issues with students?  Overcoming obstacles- how do you help students achieve academic success?