STRIVING TO INCREASE

STUDENT RETENTION: A BEST

PRACTICES TO IMPROVE
STUDENT ENGAGEMENT &
SUCCESS
Jennifer Lauren Simpson, M.P.A
First-Year Learning Communities Program Instructor

Some Causes for

Student Retention Difficulties
70-80% of students who are not retained may leave for the following reasons:
Adjustment difficulties
Lack of goals
Commitment
Financial Issues
Lack of integration and community memberships

Most students will decide whether to continue enrollment at their college within the
first 6-8 weeks of their first semester.
Saret, L. (2007). Retaining Students in Classes: Putting into Everyday Practice. Ways Faculty Can Encourage Student Retention

Getting to Know Your Students

**Special thanks to my mom for the idea for this assignment**

Student Profile Page

First Day Class Assignment
Great for getting to know your students and for letting them know that you care about them.
Some of the points that the students put into their profile page:
Where the come from;
Major interests;
Personalities;
Hopes/Concerns/Questions;

Can be used as an early alert system

Getting to Know You

Im terrible with names (though good with faces)!
As a way to introduce yourself to me, I want you to
create your own Profile Page which will require you
to include a picture of yourself.
Please bring a print out of your profile page to me by
noon next Friday, September 5th. You can always
turn it in early, though.
This will count as your first participate grade.
NOTE: You will be turning this in that day to me to
keep. So dont use any pictures that you dont have
copies of.

Assignment Description/Instructions

My Sample Profile Page

Remind 101
This is free tool that allows teachers
to quickly and safely keep in contact
with their students via text messages
and/or email.
A new feature for chatting has also
been enabled.

The teacher can instantly broadcast a

message to an entire class or a
selected few.
Text message
Photo
Voice note

The teacher and students never have to

reveal their own personal phone numbers
or email.
The teacher can alert students of:
Classroom changes
Cancelled classes
Changes in due dates or assignments
Remind about upcoming events
Or alert them about a campus event that you
see happening.

Easy addition that I use along with

Blackboard

Remind 101 Class Plans

Sample Remind 101 Message

Integration to Campus
In Freshmen Orientation, students receive a campus tour and introduction to the
many campus facilities that we have here to help them. Unfortunately, many of the
students either are not paying attention during the tour or simply forget some of
what they heard about by the time school starts.
Campus Scavenger Hunt
Allows students to discover all of the programs and services that are available to them on
campus.
Can be done as an individual assignment or in groups.
Best to do this early in the Fall Semester.
Can be done as a hard copy assignment or an online assignment (Facebook/Twitter).

Sample Hard Copy Assignment

Take a screen shot of
the website on your
computer & highlight 2
organizations that you
might be interested in.

Visit where you can

check out laptops
on campus.

Write down the

location, hours and
requirements.

Create an account with

Visit Career Services
them.

Find out what

upcoming events
will be happening in
October at the
Performing Arts
Center

Write down 2 events

that you are thinking
of attending.

Alumni Center

Find out when & where

the next alumni
function is.

SandDollar Card

Add money to your

card. Print and save
the receipt. Also make
note of where where
you did that at.

Find the website for

student
organization.

Visit the Health

Get a business card &
Center & Counseling
write down some of
Center
the services they offer.

825-Talk2Me

Find out what it is and

describe it in your own
words.

Sample Online Assignment

Identifying Students Headed for

Academic Difficulty
Midterm Conferences
These students learn how to manage getting over the midterm slump.
Understand what their status is in your class.
Prepare for registering for the Spring Semester.

Explain what midterm grades are.

Seems trivial but many students truly dont understand what midterm grades are and the importance of
understanding them.

Having you explain them, briefly, and meeting with them, can make a big difference with many of
these first-year students lives.
The Islander Success Advocates in CASA have a very informative presentation on Midterm Grades,
Academic Probation/Suspension that would be very appropriate to have during this time in your class.

Midterm Semester
Midterm Grades will be entered
beginning October 15th-31st
Midterm Grades are just a snapshot
of how you are doing during the
middle of the semester. They are not
reported on your transcript or in your
GPA.
I will be holding Midterm Conferences
all of next week to discuss your
progress.

Registering for the Spring

Many students do not understand how to register or even look up classes (especially since we
pretty much do it for them during summer orientation).
They also like to put seeing their advisors, looking for holds, registering for classes until after the
semester ends or near the end.
They do not understand the importance of getting all those things done early.
For me, this assignment is a grade for my class (either as a major assignment, daily assignment,
or midterm project assignment). This can also be used as a small daily assignment or extra credit.
It is extremely easy to hand out and to grade.

Registering for Spring

You will need to setup a conference
with your Academic Advisor and/or
Islander Success Advocate.
To set up your classes for the Spring
And to make sure you do not have any
holds on your account.

Evidence of this conference will

needed for your Midterm Portfolio

Registration Instruction Sheet

Registration Assignment

Registration Sample Video

Preparing for Exams

I always try to connect the skills students are learning in class, issues, exam skills, and
connecting them to how they can use those skills in either their future career and/or future
classes.
Mini In-Class Review Quizzes
Create 10 MC Questions from prior lecture.
Students, in groups of 4, use their notes to complete the review quiz.
If they get 7 or more questions correct, they receive full credit.
Can also be done online
Can replace low review grades by attending an SI Session, Writing Center, or CASA.

Jeopardy Review Games

Showing current event news articles/videos at the beginning of class, that connect to a
topic that we have been discussing.

Making a Connection to the

Subject

This activity, allows my students to see that any topic can be connected to politics. This helps them in
choosing research topics that actually interest them, instead of immediately going for the typical hot
topics.
Making it Political
You will be put into groups based on the playing card you received.

Each group will be given a topic that you will need to make political.
Look up ways to make your given topic political by using your phone/tablet/computer.
On the given sheet of paper, write the following:
What your topic is;
How your topic is political;
Given at least two perspectives

Be ready to present what you have written down.

Presentation of Research Outlines

Having students create outlines of their research paper is something that some instructors
have as an assignment to be a checkpoint.
I have found the following to be extremely helpful in making sure that students are on the right
track for both presentations and research papers.
Research Proposals
Presentation Outlines

Both are easy to grade checkpoints.

The presentation of an outline helps students with using digital media and with speaking skills.
Also builds a connection with classmates by giving them an opportunity to offer suggestions
and compliments.

Research Proposal
The purpose of this is to check in on how your
research is coming along.
It is also to answer any questions and/or
concerns that you may have about the project
and/or about your group mates.
This assignment can be done as a hard copy
assignment or be completed as a digital
presentation in the class.
Makes it easier to grade and critique;
Gives students the opportunity to practice using a
digital form of media;
Gives student a chance to practice speaking skills.
Student audience members can offer their own
opinions and the suggestions.

Midterm Evaluations
I adapted the end of semester
evaluation questions and created this
midterm evaluation form.
I make sure to do this before midterm
grades and before the drop date.
This gives the opportunity for me to
address any concerns/questions that
the students may be having, instead of
after the semester when it is too late.
These are done anonymously.
Can be done has a handout or as an
online survey.

In Conclusion
Teachers who experience close relationships with students reported that their students
were less likely to avoid school, appeared more self-directed, more cooperative and more
engaged in learning.
The quality of early teacher-student relationships has a long-lasting impact.
Rimm-Kaufman, S., Sandilos, L. Improving Students Relationships with Teachers to Provide Essential Supports for Learning. American Psychology Association.
Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/education/k12/relationships.aspx

A positive school culture, caring relationship between teachers and students,

academically supportive environment, and social capital could eliminate the effects of
increasing drop out rates. Authentic caring, equalizing opportunity, and maintenance of
the community is critical to a first year students experience.
Valenzuela, A. (1999). Subtractive Schooling: U.S.-Mexican Youth and the Politics of Caring.

Thank You for Listening!!!

For more information on the activities I discussed, to download the assignment
descriptions, and to view this presentation, please go to the following website:

http://student-engagement-success.weebly.com
Feel free to also visit my professional page for information on more research
projects:

http://simpsonjl.weebly.com