Executive Summary
Overview
The recommendations for this plan were developed
as a result of the College’s first Retention Summit in March 2017. This event
allowed faculty and staff participants to brainstorm ways in which the College
could improve student retention. The concept for this event grew from a Facultyand Professional Staff Senate report on Academic Support and Student Retention(2016), which advocates for a more inclusive approach to addressing student
retention concerns.
The structure of this document includes a
background about Bristol Community College and the origin of the Retention
Summit, recommendations developed from the Retention Summit, and appendices for
materials used in the planning and facilitation of the event.
Summary of Findings
In addition to the individual focus areas listed
below, overarching themes included the need for improved communication
throughout the College and institutional policies to support initiatives. We
also discovered that there is a need for more systematic data collection for
items pertaining to student retention.
One of the strongest themes that emerged from
the post-event evaluation was an overwhelming commitment to the Mission of the
College and success of our students among faculty and staff. This was noted by
participants and external facilitators. Despite the barriers we face as an
institution, our employees are committed to helping the institution move
forward.
Summary of Recommendations
Recommendations were obtained from the 230 faculty and staff who
participated in the Retention Summit. Session feedback was streamlined for
redundancies and the following nine focus areas emerged.
Focus Area
|
Activities
|
Academic Advising
|
Streamline student
pathways; improve student self-efficacy; revise advising protocol; create
campus-wide holistic model.
|
Access to Student
Services
|
Offer equitable
services across campuses: tailor activities to meet student needs and
interests; improve student connections; improve student referral systems.
|
Communication
Strategies
|
Improve dissemination
of accurate information; create culture of student-focus; centralize
communications; create a welcoming environment.
|
Cost of Attendance
|
Develop a task force
on textbooks, support Student Senate Book Exchange Program; support and
expand Open Education Resources (OER) program; educate faculty about costs of
textbooks; select a food vendor that provides affordable meals to students.
|
Course Scheduling
|
Redesign course
schedule based on program/student/campus needs; improve transparency in
course offerings; provide multiple modalities in offerings; increase the
number of developmental co-requisites and placement test refreshers.
|
Curriculum and Pedagogy
|
Support and promote
High-Impact Practices; develop and adopt structures that encourage consistent
classroom experiences.
|
Enrollment and
Registration Processes
|
Review enrollment
processes and identify areas for improvement; explore why students are purged
and improve the process; disincentivize late payments and registration.
|
First-Year Experiences
|
Improve the concept of
a prescribed First-Year Experience for students beyond College Success
Seminar (CSS) courses; re-examine CSS courses; empower students to become
self-directed lifelong learners; educate students about their
responsibilities.
|
Meeting Basic Needs
|
Expand student access
to needed resources; improve students’ sense of belonging at the college.
|
Conclusion
This document captures the spirit of the Retention Summit and
faculty and staff views on student retention. However, it is important to note
that it includes limited student or adjunct faculty voices because it only
captures feedback from those who participated in the March 2017 professional
development day.
While the items below fell outside of the scope of this
committee’s work, we offer the following recommendations for the College’s next
steps:
- Identify a structure for oversight, implementation, and
assessment (e.g., Retention Committee)
- Ensure key stakeholders are involved in this structural
process (e.g., administration, faculty, staff, students)
- Prioritize the action plan recommendations based on
greater College goals (e.g., President’s Goals)
- Identify key goals, outcomes, and parties responsible,
along with a timeline for implementation
- Identify micro/macro activities along with short- and
long-term goals
- Explore best practices in higher education related to
these recommended strategies
- Research what types of students withdraw from the
College (e.g., student profiles)
- Explore ways to promote involvement of the entire
College and to encourage all employees to find roles within these
strategies
- Regularly communicate updates on this work with the
College community
