Retention 101: Piecing Together the Retention Puzzle

Retention 101: Piecing Together the Retention Puzzle LaMont Rouse Cedar Crest College Presented for Penn State

Goals of the Presentation Create a framework for studying retention in an ongoing fashion Understand the dynamics involved in student retention Identify best practices for increasing retention Engage the entire campus community in retention efforts

Defining Retention Retention is defined as the ability of students to persist from Point A to Point B * A common indicator of institutional effectiveness is measured by the ability of institutions to graduate an X percentage of first-time, full-time graduates within 150% of normal time (Six years for colleges and universities; three years for community colleges)

Limitations of Retention Studies Student behavior is often difficult to categorize Students often do not fit neatly into the retained/drop out categories (Example: Stop outs) Retaining students often mask students that are struggling Leaving students often have very successful academic records

Why Study Retention? Overall, it is an indicator of institutional effectiveness. Retention has significant budgetary implications. Retention is important because it demonstrates accountability to funders (federal, state, local, alumni, etc). Provides insight into the efficiency of the institution .

Common Excuses Retention is unimportant because we have an open admissions policy Retention doesn’t tell the whole story We admit too many at-risk students, how can we have a quality retention rate? Success shouldn’t be defined by one measure

Rebutting The Excuses When an institution admits students, they are invested in their success. Appropriate resources should be dedicated to their needs. Institutions should be accountable for supporting students’ social and academic transition. Students that aren’t retained and do not transfer are significantly more likely to default on loans. High default rates can jeopardize the ability to access federal and some state funding programs.

Common Cohorts First-time, full-time students Part-time students Full-time Transfer students Gender Special Populations Overall, institutional rate (all students)

End of Part I Summary Retention is complex & important. Despite limitations it is an important indicator of institutional effectiveness. It should be measured in an ongoing basis.

The Retention Puzzle: Studying Leavers 1st Strategy: Use Your Database Demographics (Gender, ethnicity) Social Economic Status College Grade Point Average High School GPA High School SAT (Verbal and Math) Attempted to Completed Credit Ratio Graduating high school Are there unique characteristics found in your leavers?

The Retention Puzzle: Studying Leavers 2nd Strategy: Use the National Student Clearinghouse Each semester an institution should take their 10th day enrollment and explore the students they’re sharing with other institutions with a concurrent enrollment report. (Hint: If it is above 3%, there’s smoke.) Run a Clearinghouse report on all leavers (Are there trends?) Example: Students that leave your institution enroll at other competitor institution(s).

The Retention Puzzle: Studying Leavers 3rd Strategy: Surveying Non-Returning Freshman Surveys should be distributed to first-time, full-time leavers at the first semester and at one-year intervals. Did you make the second sale?

Theories on Why Students Leave The Tinto & Student Swirl Paradox. Tinto argues that students leave when they do not socially and academically adapt to the environment. Student Swirl explores the growing phenomenon of “consumer driven” education. Explore Tinto & Swirl in the survey. Did students feel connected to the campus? Did students have divided loyalties?

Activate A Proactive Campaign Address Issues…. Talk to students about why your institution is the right fit ( A decision needs to made on whether you mention your competitors to students) Talk to institutions (especially community colleges). Strengthen transfer articulation agreements. Make the second sale! Have a proactive plan to get students involved on campus

End of Part II Summary Actively study leavers (use your database, the National Student Clearinghouse and surveys) Are your leavers driven more by Tinto or Student Swirl? Create a proactive campaign to address leaver patterns. Convincing students to enroll is the first step. In the first year, you must answer the question on WHY they should stay enrolled.

Promoting Retention @ The College Level Best Practices Four year graduation plan (Two year graduation plan) Quality advising designed to maintain momentum toward graduation Course sequencing and offerings (Does your schedule serve the interest of the professors or the students?) Identifying bottleneck courses…add sections, seats and times.

Promoting Retention @ The College Level Best Practices Beware of “rolling over” the schedule from year-to-year Course schedule is established and published as early as possible Have students register as early as possible for courses Be strategic with summer enrollment

Promoting Retention @ The College Level Best Practices Contact continuing students that have not registered. Have an active communications strategy that includes broad messaging via Facebook, Twitter and student publications to individual strategies through email, text messages and phone calls (Brute force methods still work). Late registration after the first week is a losing proposition at most institutions (although it may generate revenue). This population has significantly higher failure rates. Get students registered as early as possible.

Course Retention & Success Rates

Three Measures from Every Course Overall pass rate: Calculates the number of students that receive a passing grade against all students that attempt the course (Withdrawals are counted in the system) Course retention rate: Calculates the number of students that receive a grade A-through-F against all students that attempt the course. Course pass rate: Calculates the number of students that receive a passing grade against the total number of students that receive a grade A-F (Withdrawals are NOT counted in this measure) Course Retention & Success Rates

Best Practices Distinguish between Fs (not all Fs are equal) Monitor grade distribution of all general education courses (and other high enrollment courses) Watch out for courses that tend to be “spring flings.” Some courses have significantly different outcomes in the spring compared to fall. Why? Course Retention & Success Rates

High Failure Rate “Killer” Courses • VP of Academic Affairs and every Dean should have a list of all courses with an overall pass rate of sub-70% (n=>50). • Ask why? Avoid blame storming students… • Studying Killer Courses • Objectives of the course; • Appropriate text and supporting materials; • Concept sequencing issues; • Enforcing prerequisite(s); • Focus groups (instructors and students) Course Retention & Success Rates

Best Practices • Limit (eliminate?) late registrations. Second week is problematic; third week is just poor form on an institution’s part. • At risk students NEED all 15-weeks to compensate for knowledge and skill gaps that may be exposed by a particular course. Retention @ The Course Level

Best Practices • No students after the 1st week (if the class meets only once per week) • No students after the second class (if the class meets either two or three times per week) • Avoid late registration of “killer courses.” • The more an institution violates this rule, the more risk they incur. Retention @ The Course Level

Best Practices for Instructors • The First Day • Set the tone and expectations; • Have students engage each other; • Start learning students’ names; • Ask students to write their expectations of the course; • Try to quickly ascertain their skill and knowledge levels (adjust accordingly) • Note: I email students BEFORE the 1st day with a copy of the syllabus and brief message. Retention @ The Course Level

Best Practices for Instructors • The Course Syllabus/Structure • Establish clear expectations; • Strongly consider having an attendance policy; • Include formative assessments as a significant part of the course (Feedback is crucial for students); • Promote rubrics; • Don’t over rely on lectures; • Email vanishing students; • Provide a midterm grade (and suggest methods of improvement) Retention @ The Course Level

Best Practices for Deans and Chairs • Syllabus Oversight • Collect syllabi (ask questions) • Are they updated? • Are there numerous errors? • Is the course in line with the goals of the program and university? • Are the student learning outcomes clearly identified and articulated? • Are there enough units of learning to adequately measure progress? • * While maintaining collegiality, discourage and eliminate poor practices in this area. Retention @ The Course Level

End of Part III Summary Identify bottleneck courses; Identify killer courses; Instructors should use best practices; Deans and Chairs need to take a proactive role

Best Practices • At-risk students benefit from a first-year experience course. Embrace the boundaries of this often 1-credit course. • A first-year experience program benefits all students and the institution. Retention & Student Activities

Best Practices • Consider pairing first year students with an upper-class mentor. • Vibrant student activities and government should be established and expanded. Retention & Student Activities

Best Practices • Target non-traditional groups (older students, working mothers, commuter students, etc) • Engage Online Learners with Activities. • Establish yearly themes that promote a sense of community. • Use the yearly themes to create a framework for students’ interactions with the college/university. • Use themes to actively combat leaver trends. Retention & Student Activities

End of Part IV • Summary • Have a First Year Experience • Link first year students to mentors (students helping students) • Student activities increase learning, enrollment and retention (it is not just a “cost center.”) • Establish yearly themes. Promote! Promote! Promote!

Final Words • Retention is everyone’s responsibility from Admissions to Alumni, from financial aid to tutoring. • Significant improvements can be made through decisions informed by data. • Small changes, like an emphasis on customer service, can lead to a large rate of return.

Final Words • It is easier and cost-effective to retain students than to continue the revolving door of replacing leavers. • Embrace the challenge of retention; don’t run from it. It’s not mission impossible.

Thank You.

Retention 101: Piecing Together the Retention Puzzle