November 13, 2020

Retention Subcommittee Minutes

Committee Members Present:

  • Email to all sub-committee members on 11/13/20

Committee Members Absent:

  • None

Agenda Topics:

  • Seeking a wider reach of voices from the entire campus

Action Items and Timelines:

  • Ask for feedback, and anticipate a committee meeting in early spring.

 

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Retention Feedback

We need free or income-based childcare for the children of our students.  TSTC partners with Head Start to offer this.

  • Our students crave connection.  The faculty member I asked said Zoom isn’t the same as being in the classroom, but it’s providing a sense of connection that otherwise wouldn’t be there.
  • Students need a more realistic understanding of the time requirements needed to be successful in f2f and online classes. 
    • Using the SmarterMeasure assessment has helped this staff member show students what they may not realistically be prepared to handle, and that’s better than throwing them to the wolves, let them get overwhelmed, and then fail/drop.
    • They should take it after the TSI before being advised, so their advisor can help them be realistic about the load they’re agreeing to take on.
    • If they can’t figure out how to use WebAdvisor to register, but they want to sign up for a full 12 hours online, it’s like you’re setting them up to fail.  They just don’t know what they’re getting into.
  • Students need a way to get acquainted with Brightspace sooner.  If they’re waiting until the 1st day of class, it’s too late.

I think there are several factors that impact retention. I don’t think there is any one solution rather it needs to be a concentrated strategy with a multi-pronged approach.

I think one of the factors students drop out is because they feel they don’t belong, there isn’t a strong sense of community. Creating student groups and spaces to include students from myriad races, gender and ethnicities could be one step to creating a more inclusive college experience. Not just creating these spaces but providing a platform for open discussions and questions.

As a college, we need to a better job of understanding what our students want through data, surveys and listening sessions and actually implementing those suggestions to create an environment where students feel welcome.

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  • I think instructors have to be present throughout the course and proactively reach out to students, check in on them, and develop connections/relationships.  Empathy, I think, really helped our students this past spring, and I think it goes a long way as far as helping students persist and want to continue courses.  ​
  • I think the first step should be to collect the data to know the reasons for drop out, and plan strategically for each category focusing on their needs.
  • Camaraderie between students.  We certainly can’t force that, and I know during Covid it is more of a challenge, but sometimes good peer pressure is the best thing to keep a student chipping away when things become challenging or just lose their sparkle.  Not sure how this would be encouraged for the bulk of students and not just those in certain categories.
  • Instructor presence is one of the biggest, easiest and cheapest ways to impact student retention. I believe this is one of the reasons for such a high retention rate in spring with COVID.
  • Auto enroll current and newly enrolled students in a group advising session that features: Student Professional Organizations, Internship/Extra-curricular Opportunities, New Program Offerings, Career Outlooks, Testimonials and Q&A.
  • Offer multiple section of courses every semester. (That is easier said, than done. If a student doesn’t or can’t stay with the courses the way that it is laid out on the plan, they have to wait until the next Fall or Spring. Course substitution helps a lot when this occurs.
  • ​An idea to keep students is to loan or rent laptops to students who may only have one computer or devise or no computer at home. So many of our students are parents and with one device and they feel they should allow their children to do their work first. Also, if there was a way to work with internet providers to give a discount to college students to boost their WIFI service would be amazing. Yes, students can use their phones for Zoom; however, it is extremely difficult without a strong WIFI connection and there are limitations such as not being able to share the screen on an iPhone and formatting a paper on a phone. 

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With Covid-19 in the way, I realize we are very limited in our choices but I believe creating more student activities will help keep most students motivated. If they feel like they are part of a program and the success of the program is their presence and participation, it may help them stay motivated. Perhaps forming teams like golf, volleyball, or tennis? With so many 5k Run Fundraisers within the City of Waco, why not incorporate Track, a Runner’s Club or Fitness Club? Part of the challenge would be entering in the 5k Run; maybe even a marathon. If incorporated, these be considered electives. Other activity suggestions are Rallies on game days for our athletic teams. Throughout the semester, we could initiate Lunch on the Plaza and play music for students to enjoy while they’re eating. I’m sure we could come up with many more activities.

Also, I’ve noticed these past couple of months, students bringing a blanket to study out on the lawn. Another brought a hammock. Why not create some study areas for students to enjoy the outdoors. I think we need to add more picnic tables (with umbrellas) around the Plaza and throughout the campus for students to use for studying, reading, or hanging out.  Since the dining area isn’t being used, why can’t it be converted into a coffee shop, study zone, and quiet hang out area for students? We could incorporate bar style tables and chairs and play some type of mellow music like Jazz or Classic Rock music. We could also incorporate charging ports at the tables, or somewhere nearby, for students to charge their devices (i.e. phones, laptops, IPad, etc.) This can be a relaxing environment for students plus not all students can study when it is too quiet. We could sell Starbucks type drinks plus fruit/vegetable type smoothies?

I would like to see us offer something more for students to get excited about than just coming to their classes and going back home.

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So I’ve spoken with several of my colleagues who have come to the same conclusion (individually).  The number one key to retention from day one to graduation is personal advising/mentoring.  As we’ve talked about in other meetings, so much happens in these sessions that help the student maneuver the difficult waters of college:  these include but are not limited to:

  • Personal connection (someone who cares and believes in them)
  • Good advice how to put classes together for success
  • Mentoring about the field/job they want to pursue
  • Answering ancillary questions or directing them to folks who can (financial aid, testing, success coaches, tutoring, counseling, etc.)

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I recommend treating students like human beings. We don't always know what they are going through/have been through to get to college.

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Promote MCC as the safest, best academic quality, more delivery options, and cheapest higher education option in Central Texas.

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Larger Scholarship Budget.

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I’m thinking of implementing a mandatory face-to-face (or Zoom) meeting in the first week(s) of the semester.  In this meeting, my role would be to listen, to allow students to say whatever it is they want to say, and—ultimately—to allow them to feel supported and to know that I’m on their side and that I want them to succeed.

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I think for my classes, “participation” is my one thing.  Keep them engaging with each other and the instructor and the material on a daily basis.  I do it with board work.  They can’t zone out or not do it and they interact with one another.  That also means they are actively working with the concepts as they are taught, rather than after class, when they get home to do homework.

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One-on-one communication either in class or virtual.  I make a point to get to know the student by asking lots of questions and then making note of anything that might effect their class participation.  I keep a record (wrote it down) so that I don't forget and can ask follow up questions the next time we communicate which says to the student that I was listening and that I care.  I have done this for a long time in my piano studio and it works!  I think this says to the student that we realize their issue is real to them and we care.  

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I think if we are more vocal about services that we offer, students would realize that we have so many programs that are here to help them. I know we briefly cover some of them during orientation but not enough for students to remember or take advantage of. At the Testing center we get a lot of very nervous students taking their TSI they are anxious to begin and are usually freaking their selves out. They are unsure if they are ready or even cut out for school. They are mostly afraid of wasting money and failing. When I was a student I didn’t know we offered counseling and tutoring until my last semester because I had a classmate going through a divorce and failing her classes. I also didn’t know that we had a center that will help you write papers until I worked here in the Student Services building. As a community college we have all types of people in all sorts of situations. It is important to emphasize that we have programs to support our students in order to help them succeed. This way when they hit a road block they don’t just quit or not follow through.

There has to be a better way to communicate this information to new and returning students. MCC has so much to offer but it can all be utilized more by making student’s more aware of their existence. It shouldn’t be offered to students when they are already struggling and nearly dropped out, but from the start that can be used more as a prevention than a solution. We can be proactive instead of reactive in helping students.

Now I’m not quite sure how to accomplish this besides making it easy to find on our webpage and going into more detail during orientation. We could also be sure that advisors mention it or any staff member who talks to students who seem stressed out. Being trained is the first step.

  1. Host online social activities with thoughtful giveaways. 
  1.  Create Pathway-centric learning communities or groups w/scheduled tutor availability. (Can be virtual now and in person once the pandemic gets out of the way. 
  1. Poll students to find out what would make them stay in school. Ask them questions that allow them to tell you what they need. For example, 

     "What do you wish your college professors, advisors, financial aid department knew and

       understood about me? 

     "What is one factor that would make you STAY in college next semester?"

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Provide or even require Career Assessments for "at risk" students. At risk could be those on suspension, low GPA, frequently changing degree plan, high # of credits but not close to achieving degree, etc. Can Success Coaches administer and review career assessments with the at risk students they work with? Giving these students direction and a career to work towards might be the boost they need.

How do we identify "at risk" students?

Peer Leadership Initiative.

Call/text campaign to check-in with all students; can use Peer Leaders from different depts to conduct calls; doesn't have to be school-related, just to check-in and see how they're doing / provide them with resources if needed.

A personal connection point in the first 6 weeks of school could be made--a call, a text, an out-of-class professor meeting at an MCC event, etc.--to demonstrate our commitment to their well-being and so that students have someone they know they can talk to after the first 6 weeks.

Co-curricular events that keep them engaged in campus life beyond their academics. When we're holistically healthy/involved, we may be more apt to invest in optional opportunities and in our required ones as well.

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