Building faculty envolvement
Faculty are the "front line" in dealing with student issues that lead to withdrawl. Too many times teachers don't want to be involved with anything that is not directly related to subject matter. I think providing incentives might be one way to get teachers involved outside their subject area.
Some faculty members seem to feel more responsibility to the “field†than their students. They are the gate keepers whose mission is to keep the unqualified out. They are the ones who resist retention efforts if they perceive them as enabling marginally qualified students. Also, be sure to check state and federal regulations for incentive compensation for your faculty.
Thanks for the response regarding incentive compensation for faculty. I think we have all encountered faculty who feel it isn't "their job" to help students with anything other than course content...obviously, this relates to one of the points made in this unit's readings about hiring practices. However, my question is how can we help these faculty to have a change of heart about student success issues once they have been hired?
Thanks,
Teri
Not everyone is motivated in the same way. One of your challenges, Teri, is figure out what drives each faculty member. Is it the gratification of teaching? Money? Sharing the excitement of the subject? Obviously, some can be reached more easily than others. However, peer pressure can be a powerful motivator. If you agree on departmental goals and identify an incentive amount associated with the goals, allow the department members to evaluate the relative contribution of their members and recommend the amount of the incentive to be paid to each person. Student survey results and attendance rates are objective tools that may help with the evaluation.
I have had to take several students under my wing that I really felt had a lot of potential despite their fears of not being able to make it in a class. I feel we have to develop a good working rapport with students, holding students accountable for learning job skills but also being cheerleaders offering encouragement for students to "hang in there."
I agree with you, all teachers need to be open-minded and listen to their student problems, not just their academic ones, but also their problems outside of school.
Teachers must realize that many students who did not have home support while they were attending elementary and high school still don't have it today. When these students were in public schools their teachers were the only ones who cared.
We as teachers in the college arena need to know that these students can continue to depend on us for many types of answers, direction, or guidance. If we as teachers close them out, they will feel that this too is a lost resource. We need to show by actions, that your teachers were there for you when you went to public schools, and we are here for you as well in your new college environment.
Steve, taking a proactive interest in students is an important part of a school's culture. Rapport with faculty and support staff is often a critical part of a student's decision not to drop. Most students also understand that it isn't in their long term best interest if they aren't held accountable to reasonable standards.
What specific actions do you intend to take, Joseph?
I agree, Loren, that some faculty members believe they were hired to be "gate keepers" and keep the unqualified out. However, in the career college environment, our students already feel "unqualified" so we as faculty need to listen to their problems and be prepared to give them guidance to help them succeed in school. Several years ago, I was in a position of hiring instructors for a career college, and I always tried to point out some of the personal problems a typical career college student faces. Some candidates for the positions were surprised with the types of students enrolled in our programs. Upon hearing about some of the problem, a few candidates decided they did not want to be considered for the position(s).
Thank you for your question regarding how can we help those faculty to have a change of heart about student success issues? Open discussion about the student's expectations between the admission dept. and the instructor should take place, and should help. Student expectations are set by the school's marketing materials and admissions practices, so the two sides should work together.
Greater information received, would help the faculty to care more about the student success issue.
Thanks,
Julie
Do you have the next steps planned, Julie? How will you make sure that the marketing message aligns with the education you provide?
Along with providing incentives to get teachers involved with retention, there needs to be recognition from admissions that they are still involved with the students. Teachers often see that their first responsibility is to cover the subject matter. Problems with retention often do not surface immediately and w
Peggy, you're right about admissions staying involved with the students. Do you have a plan that will help the admissions people be more aware of their responsibility?
Your entry seems to have been cut-off. I'd like to encourage you to finish your point. Thanks.
I agree with your comment in that some instructors don't see the relevance of dealing with the students issues -rather feeling this is the responsibility of administration to handle all the necessary paperwork and other student issues. It is paramount for each instructor to be totally involved with each student from an academic perspective as well as from a counseling perspective. We must be "in-tune" with what our students are telling us. The hall-room talk is one area where instructors can pick up some vital clues as to the current status of a particular student. They are honest with instructors who they feel they can trust and who actually listen to them.
Non-academic conversations can be an invaluable source of “intelligence†about students who may be having problems that might lead to their dropping out, Ronald. Does your school have a system to record this information and get it to the appropriate person on staff?
The method we use is to gather this information and pass it on to the appropriate departments. If there were a financial issue, or a personal issue - we are aware of who and where to send each student for additional help while offering all we can at the moment. It is essential to take care of this as quickly as possible to show the concern is there and not just "talk". I have personally taken students to tutors, or to financial aid when the need arises, and then I follow up with them at a convenient time for them to make sure they received proper assistance. If not, I will redirect them to another person who can be of better assistance to them. I am not satisfied until the student is satisfied. I take a lot of pride in being the very best instructor I can possibly be at all times for all students.
Great job, Ronald. Thanks
REWARDING AN EMPLOYEE WHO GOES WAY ABOVE THEIR JOB DESCRIPTIONS IS AN EXCELLENT WAY TO NOT ONLY ENCOURAGE THAT EMPLOYEE BUT MOTIVATE OTHERS. IF YOU READ STAFFING ARTICLES,MOST EMPLOYEES LIKE A GOOD WORK ENVIROMENT AND RECONITION FOR THEIR ACCOMPLISHMENT. MANY COMPANIES UNDER UTILIZE THIS AND DO NOT SEE THE NEED FOR IT. EITHER ACCOMPLISAHED BY INCENTIVES, CERTIFICATES OR LUNCHEONS FOR THE STAFF. SAY A NICE WORD OR JUST THANK YOU GOES A LONG WAY.
Good counsel, Faith. Do you have a formal recognition program at your school?
I guess it's becuase teacher's have been accused far too often of getting involved with a student's personal life. We have repeatedly been told to just stick to our jobs and teach the subject, period! So, now if we face anything more than the subject being taught, we tend to ignore it.
