Improving Retention Rates

Posted on Wednesday, February 8th, 2023

Authored by: Jamie Bramburger, Manager of Community and Student Affairs – Pembroke Campus

The energy that had been missing from Algonquin College’s campuses the past couple of years has returned. Hallways are again full of students and employees, classrooms and labs are busy, and students are engaging in a true on campus experience.

There are many questions that can be explored, but as we move into the Winter term, there is some pressure to ensure we are doing everything that we can to keep our students in school. That means a concerted effort is needed by all areas of the college to interact with students to help them stay engaged with their learning and aware of where they can go for help.

Life on campus feels much like it did before the COVID-19 pandemic began in the spring of 2020, but beyond the hustle and bustle of our rejuvenated campuses, there is a concerning trend in our enrolments. More students are dropping out of college or are not progressing in their programs.

The impact of higher withdrawal and failure rates is being felt throughout the college, especially as they are coupled with declining domestic enrolments. Retention rates are dropping, budgets are feeling the pinch and students who had hopes and dreams when they entered college are not achieving their goals.

Conversations are happening throughout the institution about why more students are struggling to stay in college? Is it because they have not been as well prepared for post-secondary education, perhaps because their previous education was disrupted by the pandemic? Is it a hot labour market that is luring them away from school? Are they not asking for help, or are they not sure how to access student services support?

Re-orientation activities, academic advising, setting up early warning systems, individual and group tutoring, pro-active interventions and timely responses to student inquiries are all important as we work towards retaining more students. Having a mindset to help students, before they know they need help, is a call to action as we work to improve our retention rates.

If you are interested in exploring student retention further through an informal virtual collaborative discussion, there will be a session on Wednesday, March 1 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. You can pre-register here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/roadmap-series-conversations-on-student-success-tickets-532268688977


Comments

Comments are closed.