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Academic Departmental Strategies
to Increase Retention
- Use early warning/ alert
strategies: Test students EARLY in the semester and provide an alert before
mid-term, advising students to use tutoring services to improve grades.
- Use active learning as
much as possible: internships included in degree programs before the end of
their program stimulate students to learn more.
- Develop ways to increase
contact with program majors through advising, social events, etc.
- Develop strong advising
with training in retention and cross-training in student support services.
- Develop peer mentoring
of upper level with lower level students – honor society members or others.
- Increase emphasis on
4-year graduation planning, taking full loads, and tuition rebates.
- Develop
intra-departmental degree plans to bring in students changing majors.
- Provide advising at
non-traditional hours [and perhaps online].
- Develop a community
feeling among majors – use email list, Blackboard, meetings, etc.
- Track majors from majors
lists (electronic files from Institutional Research) to see who is leaving,
possibly contact those who drop off majors lists.
- Survey majors to
identify their concerns and difficulties.
- Set program-specific
retention targets above current retention rates (program retention rates
available from Institutional Research).
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