Tisbany,
Welcome to the forum. How should one handle a situation where the students expectations are unrealistic?
Cindy Bryant
Proper training of all staff and faculty, make sure all know the Mission Statement, policies and procedures and each have a campus catalog. Faculty believing in the education they are providing and relating it to the work field consistently encourages the student that they are learning what they need to know to be successful.
I think student outcomes can be improved through having an honest dialogue with students about their strengths and weaknesses. I don't think faculty should shy away from topics like time management and proper stress management. many times people don't have the proper organization skills to do well in school. They may be bright and fully capable of completing a program, but have not found a way to schedule their lives in a way that helps them balance work, school and every day living. Students need to be aware of what resources are at their disposal and offered help when it is clear they need it. Motivating reminders of why they made the personal choice to pursue education can also be helpful.
Pam,
Hi. Thank you for bringing up how training relates to outcomes. Outcomes will be improved if everyone is on the same page and upholds their schools mission statement.
Cindy Bryant
Diamonte,
Many schools are focusing on life skills to enhance a students ability to stay in school. Maneuvering life is critical to success. Having guest speakers related to stress and time management or as important as the subject matter being pursued.
Cindy Bryant
Creating positive student learning outcomes involves several factors. From the moment a student walks in for their first interview to enrolling and moving through the educational process - the student must understand their educational and financial responsibilities; students must have clearly defined expectations and goals, qualified instructors teaching a well designed program, a strong support system and motivated career assistance to help them achieve success. If any one of these systems break down it can greatly impact not only the quality of their education but the end results as well.
The institution must have the building blocks in place to track and improve student outcomes: student committees; initiating early interventions to assist students with learning or personal challenges; teaching, learning, and programmatic assessments; and measuring learning outcomes all play a part in obtaining positive student results.
Institutions must always strive to make sure each step in a student's educational process is the most positive that it can be.
I think providing the students with the help and encouragement that they need to maintain the excitement they start school with will help them overcome some of the down times when they are not sure if the decision they made was the correct one.
One of the main ways we can help students achieve their goal is by providing them with enough information to help them see the purpose for what they are learning and what you expect from them.
Svetlana,
Students must see the value in the education that will lead them to their new career. Without this value students will fail to take their education seriously which could possibly lead to a lack of interest or worse dropping out of school.
An admissions representative should be intuitive enough to understand what the student is looking for and build the value premise.
Cindy Bryant
There are many ways to improving the students' experiences and outcomes. In my opinion, the best way to do it is to set them up for success from the start, and constantly trying to acheive success throughout their time in school. By letting the student know everything that is involved with going to school, how much time they should expext studying and how much homework is involved, they will be able to make an informed decision. Once they are in school, to do evaluations and offer tutoring would help make sure they succeed.
I would like to see campus seminars offered on life skills, such as how to balance a checkbook, time management, and the power of positive thinking. It is my opinion that students have the desire to attend school but are poorly equipped to handle the added demands that school brings.
Greg,
Preparing the student upon entry should have an impact on retention. Historically, many times a student would express that they felt uninformed which led to them leaving school. Your suggestions of providing details regarding all aspects of education fall perfectly in line with the Program Integrity rules and transparency.
Cindy Bryant
Barbara,
This is a great idea, life skills is so important. Helping them learn and understand the value of everyday skills is critical to their professional growth.
Cindy Bryant
We employ a multi-pronged strategy for facilitating student success. First, during the admissions process, we make every effort to ensure that potential new students are "school ready." This means we work with each prospective student to identify current and potential challenges to success and assist the student to create an action plan, and a back-up plan, to address these challenges. On the first day of every new class/module/term we bring all of the students together briefly to introduce the new students and celebrate the outgoing "seniors." We also introduce department directors, program chairs, faculty and administrative staff. We inform new students and remind current students of the various student services available on-campus, including but not limited to tutoring, learning resource center, local part-time job postings and referrals to community-based support (food bank, rent assistance, childcare, legal representation). The admissions, financial aid, education and career services departments meet every Monday and Thursday to identify at-risk students and to implement strategies to mitigate their risks through compliant, appropriate and individualized intervention and assistance. Through this proactive and timely approach, we are improving our student retention and facilitating successful outcomes.
First and foremost is for the admission rep to help the student to fully understand the disclosures and expectations of the program of their interest. A full understanding will help the student determine if they are a correct fit for the program and the school. Clear and concise delivery of information will build a solid trustworthy relationship and provid the student with confidence that what has been promised will be delivered. Excellent customer service also plays a large roll. Resolving student issues and complaints without delay improves trust and helps the student to have a valuable experience which will lead to a successful outcome.
The first step would be to work as a team, faculty and staff. When we have our staff meetings everyone is there and if there is an issue with a student everyone knows so they can pay extra attention to the situation, as well as bringing new ideas to help the student. I believe every student is here with the goal of improving themselves. Our mission statment states we are here to educate and graduate just that sometimes we do so in more than just classroom theory. I believe the main idea would be for us to realize that a student is ours to care for, not just while they are in the admissions office, but all the way til they get to wear their cap and gown.
It is every staff and faculty member's responsibility to help every student succeed. Since the day the student walks through our school's door, it is every employee's responsibility to take upon their role in serving every student with their needs with the highest ethical standards. More importantly, being very honest with students helps build trust and therefore, will allow us to help them overcome any obstacle or challenge they may face. Every department and employee must be in the same page with the same mind set in helping students achieve their educational and career goals. Working together towards the same goal of helping change students lives will always improve student outcomes.
Iza,
Thank you for saying this. I agree it is everyone's responsibility to assist the students with achieving their goals. Too many times students are passed from one department to the next and forgotten. Bravo!
Cindy Bryant
The key aspect of helping students succeed is providing them with the tools necessary for that success.
DB
During our weekly staff meetings, each department comes with a list of students who have any issues. Many times, our lists are similar. It seems that if a student has an attendance issue they have other problems as well. These weekly meetings help us all to stay informed and help them succeed.
