An interesting article about Jennifer Boothby, the new associate vice president for academic affairs at Indiana State University.
Two key points jumped off the page for me – first, that students will be asked to submit completed electronic surveys in order to identify early warning signs of attrition and, secondly, that they are identifying key factors influencing attrition (death of a parent).
Hopefully the surveys will be used by faculty and staff when they witness a studenet exhibiting behavior that increases the risk of attrition (late registration, absence from class, failure to submit assignments on time, etc.).
And identifying key factors influencing attrition is HUGE! This helps focus resources on those factors that can be influenced and increase the chances of positively impacting retention. Too many organizations look at retention as an ‘all or nothing’ exercise – meaning that the organization can end attrition if they work hard enough – and that’s just not realistic. Some people will leave – you can’t prevent everyone from moving on. But some people can be positively influenced with the right action taken at the right time so it’s always best to know what you’re dealing with and focus your limited resources of those issues that offer the greatest potential for success.
One of the initiatives will involve having students fill out electronic surveys that provide early warning signs if they are having problems academically or socially.
If students are having problems, ISU staff will work with them to help them overcome those challenges. The university offers many services that include tutoring, mentoring and counseling.
Other areas that will be reviewed include the freshman “first-year experience” and ISU’s academic advising program. Also, ISU needs to make students more aware of the support services that it offers.
Boothby worked with students who were on academic probation last year, and it’s not always academic ability or motivation that affects success.
Among the group that she worked with, a sizable percentage lost a parent the year before, she said. “We often don’t think about those unique, personal issues,” she said.
