Best Practices in College Student Retention

1. Santa Monica College Best Practices in College Student Retention Maximizing Campus Resources to Effect Student Success Esau Tovar John Gonzalez Retention Counselor Dean, Academic Affairs

2. Without systematic intervention, students at-risk will perform poorly or dropout from college within their first year of attendance. Community college students are more prone to dropping out. Freshman to Sophomore Dropout Rates By Institution Type Source: ACT Institutional Data Questionnaires 1999 Two-Year Public 47.5 Two-Year Private 30.1 BA/BS Public 33.3 BA/BS Private 28.6 MA Public 30.5 MA Private 24.0 PhD Public 23.5 PhD Private 16.4 National 32.6 Scope of the Problem

3. SMC Retention Information

4. Probationary Studentsat SMC StatusA and LA onlyL only Total% Con’t’g 184 1,417 444 2,045 9.1% Disqualified 211 329 769 1,309 5.8% New 453 1,787 1,005 3,245 14.4% Total 848 3,533 2,218 6,599 29.3% Off 59 479 347 885 3.9% Distinct Student Counts-- End of Fall 1996 (Based on 22,467 Enrollment)

5. What’s Working in Student Retention?

6. Characteristics of Highly Successful Retention Programs • Highly Structured Programs • THE key: Intrusive, proactive approaches to reach students before they experience difficulties • Interlocked with other programs and services • Extended, intense student contact • Strategized to “engage” students • Track student satisfaction • Institution-wide buy-in and understanding • Recognize, reward, and celebrate student success • Rewards and recognition for students, faculty, staff, administrators

7. Establishing Retention Priorities • Measurable targets for: • Recruitment • Retention • Persistence • Student Success • Student Satisfaction/Priorities

8. Best and Most Direct Way to Increase Retention • Assess: • Individual needs • Individual attitudes • Individual motivation levels

9. What Needs to Occur? • To improve retention, we must help students: • Connect to the environment • Adjust to the college transition • Work toward and reassess set goals • Succeed in their classes • Make them feel welcome and respected

10. Connecting to the College • Adjustment to College: • Are we a student-centered campus? • How do we know this? • What do students say about their priorities? • How satisfied are they with our programs and services? • Do we have a true customer service orientation?

11. How Can We Improve?

12. Structured First-Year Experience • For most or all participants? • Provide academic advising • Heavily influenced course selection • Supplemental instruction (SI) & Tutoring • Study groups • Services to assist with adjustment to the institution

13. Structured First-Year Experience • Academic Advising • Must be developmental and intrusive in nature • Multiple visits per semester • Ongoing tracking • Early Alert-type evaluation

14. Structured First-Year Experience • Heavily Influenced Course Selection • Learning communities • Freshman interest groups (FIGS) • Developmental instruction • Lecture-based vs. collaboratively taught; group discussion • Assessment driven

15. Structured First-Year Experience • Supplemental Instruction & Tutoring • Establish a comprehensive and ongoing training program • SI may be instructor or staff-led • Multiple tutors for high-risk courses

16. Structured First-Year Experience • Effective Study Groups • Most successful if led by a group leader—tutor • Meet regularly

17. Structured First-Year Experience • Pre-Enrollment Services to Assist with College Adjustment: • Specialized/expanded college orientation • Not necessarily to provide academic or enrollment information • Experiential learning & Adventure recreation activities are offered • Faculty & student-staff involvement

18. Structured First-Year Experience • "Targeted" Participant Recruitment and Participation Incentives • “Admission” criteria & control over ongoing participation • Promote opportunities for engagement—academically and socially • Personal, meaningful, and multiple contacts with faculty (in and out of the classroom—field trips, ad hoc discussions); • Mentoring experience • Teacher/student lunches • Employment opportunities • Arranged internships and externships

19. Focus on Academic Success Don’t say it. Do it!

20. Encourage & Support Student Success • Build upon students’ academic skills and confidence • Help students learn subject matter (e.g., SI, course instruction, computer-assisted instructional laboratories, study groups, and/or tutoring). • Clear and Effective Grading Practices • Communicate Expectations

21. Encourage & Support Student Success • Extensive Student Service Contacts • Frequent contact with students through individual and group activities • Work with students to: • Strengthen self-concept • Increase sense of control over environment • Set realistic goals and means to achieve them • Overcome negative educational experiences • Accept responsibility for own success/future

22. Encourage & Support Student Success • Faculty Development Activities • Focused on instructional techniques, practices, improving retention • Formative & Summative Assessment • Grading Philosophies • Traditional • Constructivist

23. Best Practices in Developmental Education Boylan, Bonham, & White (1999)

24. Best Policies in Developmental Education • Promoting institutional commitment to DE • Mandatory assessment and placement Provide comprehensive approach to DE courses and services • Enforce strict attendance • Abolish late registration in DE courses • Establish ongoing orientation courses and activities

25. Best Practices in Developmental Education • Centralized structure and coordination of DE courses • Encourage professional development • Implement classroom assessment techniques (learning, feedback) • Engage in regular and systematic program evaluation • Focus of developing metacognitive skills • Give frequent tests • Use a theory-based approach to teaching • Integrate classroom, learning assistance, and laboratory activities

26. Learning Communities Models and Practices

27. Learning Communities Components • Students enroll in classes together • Best when courses are offered on a central theme or problem • Frequently team-taught • Use collaborative and/or problem-based learning approaches • Offer opportunities to forms connections with other students

28. Unstructured Thematic Integrated Learning Communities Models

29. Freshman Interest Group Goal: To create a small academic learning community in a large college setting Offered as triad of courses and discussion group/seminar based on a theme Example of FIG Learning Communities Models Introductory Psychology + Individual & Group Correlates of Gender Sociology of Gender + Cultural Anthropology + FIG Discussion Group

30. Identifying At-Risk Students Predictive Modeling Approaches

31. Identifying Potential Dropouts & Unsuccessful Students • Predictive Modeling: Statistical analysis of past behavior to simulate future results • Examine institution's historical data • Isolate and weight (according to statistical importance) attrition indicators • Indicators are used to form a custom predictive scoring model for each student group • Use indicators to: • Formulate priority-ranked intervention strategies based on likelihood-of-persistence ratings assigned to each entering student.