Retention – What Can Faculty Do?

Retention – What Can Faculty Do? Los Angeles Trade-Technical College Presented by Marcy Drummond Vice President, Academic Affairs September 28, 2006

Retention Quiz • On average, for every 10 students who attend Trade-Tech in the fall semester, how many will not return in the following spring? • 8 • 7 • 5 • 3 • 2 The answer is C. The probability of a student entering in fall term not persisting to the spring term is 53.5% or 5 out of 10.

Retention Quiz • Of these 5 students, how many of them will return within three years? • 0 • 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 The answer is E. According to findings of the TRUCCS study, 79% of LACCD students who “stop out” return within 3 years.

Retention Quiz • If this pattern of “stopping out” remains constant, how long would it take the average student at Trade-Tech to complete an AA/AS degree? • 4 years • 6 years • 8 years • 9 years • 10 years The answer is B (6.32 years).

Retention Quiz • If the probability of students not returning is the same for this fall to next spring, what are the potential revenues the college will lose? • $1 million • $3 million • $7 million • $10 million • $13 million The answer is E. The estimated lost revenues for the college would be $12.6 million (average FTES yield per student is .41 x $3900/FTES).

Retention Quiz • What percentage of Trade-Tech students drop out of class within the first two weeks (or by census)? • 2% • 5% • 8% • 13% • 17% The answer is D – 13% of Trade-Tech students drop out within the first two weeks (by census), this equates to potential lost revenue of $2.66 million.

Retention Quiz • On average, what percentage of Trade-Tech students who are enrolled on the first day of the semester will remain to the end of the semester? • 70% • 75% • 80% • 85% • 90% The answer is B – 74% of Trade-Tech students who are enrolled on the first day of class will be retained to the end of the semester.

Retention Quiz • On average, what percentage of Trade-Tech students who are enrolled in courses on the first day, and remain to the end of the semester, will successfully complete those courses (obtain a grade of A, B, C, or P)? • 90% • 80% • 70% • 60% • 50% The answer is D. According to findings of the TRUCCS study, 59% of Trade-Tech students who are enrolled on the first day of a course will successfully complete it.

Retention Quiz • On average, what percentage of students who are enrolled on the first day of the semester in your discipline will remain to the end of the semester? • Locate your discipline in the “Overall Retention and Success within Specific Disciplines” table. • Look up the percentage in column A. • This is the percentage of students enrolled on the first day who will remain to the end of the semester in your discipline.

Retention Quiz • On average, what percentage of Trade-Tech students who are enrolled in courses in your discipline on the first day, and remain to the end of the semester, will successfully complete those courses (obtain a grade of A, B, C, or P)? • Locate your discipline in the “Overall Retention and Success within Specific Disciplines” table. • Look up the percentage in column D. • This is the percentage of students enrolled on the first day who will remain to the end of the semester in your discipline.

Why Do Students Leave? • Difficulty Adjusting • Goals – narrow, uncertain, new, do not have ways of gauging progress towards goals • Academic Programs • Lack of Service/Support • Commitments – weak, external • Financial difficulties • Incongruence – don’t fit or belong • Isolation

Faculty Play a Key Role • Faculty have the most consistent, and sometimes only, contact with students • Research shows faculty / student interaction is the primary contributor to student motivation, involvement, retention, and success

What Can Faculty Do? Courses and classroom environments that: • help students make transitions, • direct students attention, • challenge, • support learning, • are caring, • build connections, • express clear expectations and being accountable, • ensure helpful and speedy feedback, • employ active-learning techniques, and • provide structure ensure student success!

What Can Faculty Do – In the First Days/Weeks of Class? • Make the first day of class a meaningful introduction to the course • Conduct a full class meeting and introducing content. This activity sets a positive tone for the learning environment you want to set. • Hold scheduled labs during the first week, even if it is an introduction to lab rules, equipment, safety, etc. • Hand out an informative and useful syllabus on the first day of class (and make it available on the Web). List and discuss your course objectives. Adapted from a paper “101 Things You Can Do in the First Three Weeks of Class” by Joyce Povlacs Lunde - University of Nebraska at Lincoln

What Can Faculty Do – In the First Days/Weeks of Class? • Let students know how your course can fit in with their personal/career goals. • Tell students what they should expect of you and how you will contribute to their learning. • Have students fill out an index card with name, address, telephone numbers (including cell phone number), email address, goals, and other personal information you think is important. Adapted from a paper “101 Things You Can Do in the First Three Weeks of Class” by Joyce Povlacs Lunde - University of Nebraska at Lincoln

What Can Faculty Do – In the First Days/Weeks of Class? • Tell the students (orally and in writing—particularly on the course syllabus) what your attendance policy is. Make them aware of your concern for attendance and remind them periodically of the policy. Check on absentees. Call, email, or write a personal note. • Diagnose student’s preparedness for learning in your class by a questionnaire, pre-test to determine their knowledge, background, expertise, etc. and give them immediate feedback. Adapted from a paper “101 Things You Can Do in the First Three Weeks of Class” by Joyce Povlacs Lunde - University of Nebraska at Lincoln

What Can Faculty Do – In the First Days/Weeks of Class? • Announce office hours frequently, and hold them without fail. Invite individual students who need help to your office (set-up and keep an appointment-include office hours on course syllabus). • Learn and refer to students by name. • Use early feedback to let students know how they are doing. Give a test or quiz early within the first three weeks, and return it graded in the next class meeting. • Participate in the early-alert system by making referrals, but also by personally and proactively intervening when appropriate. Adapted from a paper “101 Things You Can Do in the First Three Weeks of Class” by Joyce Povlacs Lunde - University of Nebraska at Lincoln

Online Resources Honolulu Community College Faculty Guide Book and Teaching Tips Excellent resources for teaching and improving student success. http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/guidebk.htm http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/teachtip.htm#questions RX for ER – Prescriptions for Student Retention This project is funded by the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Act though the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board under the title of RX for ER: Prescription for Effective Retention.http://rx.nhmccd.edu/technology_strategies.asp?1 Center for Teaching, Learning, and Technology - Illinois State University Online Faculty Development resource with many strategies, tools, and information.http://www.cat.ilstu.edu/

Online Resources Center for the Study of Retention The Centerprovides retention resources to individuals and educational institutions. The Center provides researchers and practitioners with a comprehensive resource for finding information on college student retention and attrition. You may sign up for a listserv to receive routine information on research in student retention.http://www.cscsr.org/article_enrollment_management.htm On Course Faculty Development Website Here you'll find a gold mine of resources to support your efforts for improving student academic success and retention. New student success strategies are added frequently.http://www.oncourseworkshop.com/ Active Learning Resources This site supports the scholarship of teaching by providing research-based resources designed to help faculty use active learning successfully in college and university classrooms.http://www.active-learning-site.com/index.html

Reading Materials Habley, W. & McClanahan, R. (2004). What works in student retention? Two-year public colleges. ACT, Inc. Hagedorn, L. (2005). Traveling successfully on the community college pathway. The research and findings of the Transfer and Retention of Urban Community College Students (TRUCCS) Project. Los Angeles, CA: University of Southern California. Kinzie, J. (2005). Promoting student success: What faculty members can do. Occasional Paper No. 6. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research. Tinto, V. (2003). Taking Student Retention Seriously. Syracuse, New York: Syracuse University. Tinto, V. (July, 2004). Student retention and graduation: Facing the truth, living with the consequences. Occasional Paper. Washington, DC: Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Education

Retention – What Can Faculty Do?