1. Amy Jones and Joe Roidt / Davis & Elkins College ACA Summit October 15, 2011

2.  D&E: A brief primer  The “not so good” old days at D&E ( ‘00 - ‘07)  Challenges and change (’07-’10)  The present

4.  Retention at D&E ( ‘00 - ‘07)  Lower 70 th percentile (fishy numbers)  Mid 60 th percentile (pretty solid numbers)  Academic support at D&E ( ‘00 - ‘07)  Underutilized  Understaffed  Entirely reactive

5.  Cutbacks and downsizing ‘07- ‘08  The elimination of the underutilized, understaffed, and reactive office of academic support services  Faculty committee charged with addressing issues and challenges of academic standing is groping toward more proactive practices to bolster retention

6.  D&E is undertaking accreditation self-study and reflecting on its mission and identity  D&E is undertaking new initiative to boost regional enrollment  Significant enrollment gains at D&E bring corollary retention challenges

7.  Fall ’09  D&E creates electronic form enabling faculty to relay concerns about individual students in real time  Retention team is formed and begins meeting on a weekly basis for the first time  Marginally more structured academic support initiatives are introduced

8.  The retention literature: Forming relationships or fitting in?  “Forming relationships” sounds preferable to “fitting in”  “Fitting in” may be equally important, in the sense that students need to feel confident that— academically speaking—they “belong” at college

9.  Retention team meets weekly throughout the year  Tracking all students referred to Office of Institutional Effectiveness  Working to connect students to appropriate resources  All students placed on academic probation are automatically enrolled in Academic Skills

10.  All students with multiple midterm deficiencies are automatically enrolled in Academic Skills  Students who continue to struggle academically after completing Academic Skills are placed in Structured Academic Support  Creation of broad array of tutoring services and other academic support initiatives

11.  Academic Skills is a mandatory course that runs half a semester  It is required for students who enter the semester on academic probation  It is required for students who have two or more deficiencies (D’s or F’s) at midterm  It is a graded credit that does not count towards the graduation requirement

12.  Punishment  Extra Work  A waste of time

13.  Students are held accountable for their actions in a non-judgmental environment  Students are provided with the behaviors needed to succeed in the college environment  Students are provided with support and plugged into key campus resources to help them succeed

14.  Behavior  Ability  Motivation

15.  Graded 1 credit hour course that does not count for graduation requirements  Requires the following:  A weekly meeting with me  Two hours of mandatory supervised study hall  A weekly action/accountability report that discusses attendance, assignments, and grades

16.  Evolving  All tutoring services are FREE  Standing tutoring schedules  All tutors must have a 2.5 or higher gpa and a recommendation of a professor in the field for which they plan to tutor

17. “Students remember 10% of what they read, 20% of what they hear, 70% of what is discussed with others, 80% of what they experience personally, and 95% of what they teach to someone else.” William Glasser

18.  Develop a tutor training program in the form of a graded course for credit  Work more closely with faculty regarding study materials, study groups, recitation sessions, and tutor development

19.  FND 103 and FND 105 rely heavily on Behavoristic and Humanistic approaches to teaching and learning  Academic support programs were designed with significant consideration given to student development theories  Academic support provides students with the opportunity for a transformative learning experience