Armstrong Atlantic State University
NOTES from the Brown Bag Colloquium on Improving Student
Retention at AASU (3/21/01)Brown Bag Colloquium
sponsored by the AASU Committee on Minority
Affairs
Readings on the Role of Faculty
in Aiding Student Retention
Academic Advising Center: An
Advising Model That Improves Student Retention (pdf file)
Report from the University of Central Arkansas (July 2000)
"Access Plus"
(pdf file)
Report from Missouri Western State College (1999)
"A
Comprehensive Approach to the Retention of Transfer Students" (pdf file)
Report from the College of Charleston (1999)
"Freshman
Year College:
A Comprehensive Approach to the Retention of First-Year Students" (pdf file)
Report from Brooklyn College (1999)
"Improving
New Student Retention"
Report from Virginia Commonwealth University (March 2001)
"New Vision Program"
(pdf file)
Report from the University of New Orleans (1999)
"Retention-Attrition
in the Nineties" (ED393510)
Florence B. Brawer (1996)
"Scholastic
Enhancement Program" (pdf file)
Report from Miami University of Ohio (July 2000)
LESSONS
FROM THE FIELD:
NOTES FROM THE BROWN BAG COLLOQUIUM ON
WAYS FACULTY MIGHT IMPROVE STUDENT RETENTION AT AASU
(21 March 2001)
Dr. Deanna Cross, Chair of the Minority Affairs Committee,
introduced Dr. El Tilson (Dept. of Radiologic
Sciences) and Dr. Evelyn Dandy (Early Childhood Education
and Director of the Pathways
to Teaching Program).
Dr. Tilson recounted the methods employed by his department
to provide a "safe environment" for an entering class made up largely of at-risk
students. These methods--which have resulted in a retention rate that is close
to 100%-- included the following:
--minimizing lecture-based classes and redefining the role of the instructor--from
"the sage on the stage" to "a guide by the side" ("Most faculty
are people who were good at being students; we generally lack experience working
with people who are far less comfortable assuming the student role");
--mentoring students at the first sign of difficulty and creating a
"safe environment" in which students feel free to comment on which teaching
methods are effective and which ones aren't;
--providing out-of-class tutorials (often on weekends) and actively encouraging student
participation in those tutorials ("Those who need help the most are often those least
likely to ask for it or to take advantage of it when it's offered");
--teaching life skills (e.g., how to deal with the public and how to
work with difficult people) as well as traditional course information;
--dealing directly with student attitudes by explaining why certain materials are
taught and why they are taught in particular ways.
"Our goal," Dr. Tilson concluded, "should not be to make it hard
for students but to make it possible."
Dr. Dandy outlined some of the aspects of the Pathways to Teaching Program
that have resulted in a retention rate of about 94% over the past decade. These
aspects include networking, mentoring, counseling, and tutoring. Dr. Dandy
then compared the characteristics of Pathways scholars to what researchers have told us
about the general characteristics of resilient adults (see Henderson and Milstein, Resiliency
in Schools, 1996): the tendency to be motivated toward self-improvement, to be
adept at solving problems, to be purposefully involved in social change, to have a sense
of faith, and to be engaged in the quest for meaning and usefulness. In short,
resilient adults approach adversity with the attitude that "there must be a lesson in
all this." Dr. Dandy then went on to recommend six ways to mitigate risk and
foster resiliency in students:
--increase bonding (with the faculty member and with one another);
--set clear and consistent boundaries;
--teach life skills;
--provide caring and support;
--set and communicate high yet realistic expectations;
--provide opportunities for meaningful participation.
Dr. Dandy concluded that, as faculty, we should strive to "look for students'
strengths with as much care as we look for their problems," view ourselves "as
facilitators rather than as gate-keepers," and become "enablers" without
lowering academic standards.
Following the presentations, Vice President Sara Connor reminded faculty that the new
standing committee on Advisement and Retention would begin its activities this fall.
Faculty interested in serving on this committee should contact Dr. Connor.
In the discussion that followed, concerns were raised about the feasibility of applying
some of these recommendations to commuter students in large class sections--particularly
sections of core classes where attrition is highest. Dr. Tilson suggested that the
Internet provides opportunities (through e-mail and electronic bulletin boards) for
students to communicate in a safe environment with one another as well as with the
instructor. It was also recommended that students be encouraged to take greater
advantage of library resources--including (and perhaps especially) the library staff.
Greg Anderson, Director of Academic Orientation and Advisement, stressed the
particular importance of effective advising as a means of connecting students to the
institution. Finally, it was suggested that a version of this session on retention
be presented this fall as an orientation activity for new faculty.
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