The document discusses strategies for faculty to promote student retention through engagement and social integration. It outlines annual faculty development plans, data sheets, and the importance of clear attendance policies and 100% attendance. It summarizes models of student retention by Spady, Tinto, and Swail which emphasize the role of social and academic integration. The document provides tips for classroom management, leadership, and identifying student needs to foster engagement from day one.

2.  ACICS = Accrediting Council for Independent
Colleges and Schools;
 Annual Faculty Development Plan:
◦ Plan year runs April 1st through March 31st;
◦ 4 mandatory in-service sessions per year outlined on plan;
◦ 3 mandatory professional growth activities each of various
“types” outlined on plan:
 Professional growth “types” include related business experience,
memberships, continuing education, professional writing,
workshops, webinars, reading professional journals, etc.;
 Remember to document your professional growth and submit
evidence to your school chair or dean;
◦ 4 e-Campus courses per plan year.

3.  ACICS Data Sheet:
◦ Page 1 will only updated unless you have a major change in
your personal information, acquire a new certificate, earn a
new degree, etc.;
◦ Page 2 will be updated each quarter:
 The table at the top contains your class schedule for the upcoming
quarter;
 Your school chair or dean will confirm the accuracy of this schedule.
◦ Complete the professional development information in the
second half:
 Methods courses or workshops during the past three years;
 Conventions or educational meetings during the past three years;
 Organizations and professional societies related to your position.

4.  Encourage 100% attendance from every student starting from day 1:
◦ Dean Smith sets this expectation when he speaks to incoming students at New Student
Orientation… continue the message on day 1 in your classes;
 Encourage clear communication about attendance:
◦ Expect students to e-mail you and call you if they are going to miss class;
◦ Provide your students with good contact information and respond to your e-mails!
 The importance of accurate attendance:
◦ Print the class roster and make sure the date is visible;
◦ Have the students sign the roster within the first 30 minutes;
◦ Enter attendance into system within the first 30 minutes;
◦ Indicate on the roster which students have emailed you or called out;
◦ LRC staff will come by your classroom to collect the roster;
◦ Academic staff will call all absent students and document on roster and in system;
◦ Academic staff will return the roster to your classroom;
◦ It is still expected that you personally call and e-mail missing students;
◦ Turn the roster in to metal bin by the photocopier in the instructor’s office.

5.  Exercise:
 “Why are you here?”
 Student engagement
 Attendance = Retention
 Remember the goal… 100%
 Simple equation to keeping students engaged from day 1:
 Strong bond with:
 1 Administrator + 1 Instructor + 1 Student = Engagement
 “Social integration of students increases the probability of
academic and social success in the institution. If students are
engaged, they are more likely to feel a part of … the college
or university” (Spady, 1970).

6.  By the mid-70s, Tinto (1975) developed his model of Student
Integration based on the prior work of Spady (1970):
 Prior to admission to higher education institutions, students have already developed
certain attributes conditioned by their upbringing;
 They have also already developed certain academic and social skills and abilities
throughout their experiences;
 All of these experiences form what becomes the student's goals, expectations, and
level of commitment toward college, the workforce, and the world around them;
 Once they are enrolled in the institution, there are many formal and informal
activities that will have an impact on the student's "integration" into the college, or
lack thereof;
 If the integration is strong, the student is more likely to decide to persist (be
retained);
 If the integration is weak, the student is more likely to decide to depart (to drop);
 In many cases, students need to be reconditioned so they are better equipped to
handle social situations and untaught so they are better equipped to handle academic
situations!

8.  By the mid-90s, Swail (1996) developed a model for student
retention based on the prior works of Spady (1970) and Tinto (1975):
 The student comes to the college with characteristics across two distinct
lines – cognitive and social;
 These aspects define very distinctly the student's strengths and weaknesses
in academic and social situations;
 The institution, at all levels, then has the ability to identify these areas and
better meet the needs of the student so that he or she is able to succeed.
 What are the cognitive and social lines of the Swail model?
 How do we as educators identify these areas?

10.  So, how do we as educators identify these areas?
 The answer is in the connection between the concepts of:
 Social integration  Persistence/retention  Engagement
1. We have to make sure students are attending classes as
regularly as possible with the goal being 100% ;
2. We have to make sure that students are forming strong
connections with administrators, faculty, and fellow students;
3. We may have to recondition students to certain social situations
and unteach certain academic behaviors;
4. We must get to know our students…

11.  Things NOT to do during class:
1. Say the words “drop” or “withdraw”;
2. Come across as negative, bored, or disengaged;
3. Read from your slides and stand stationary;
4. Arrive late and/or unprepared.
 Things TO do during class:
1. Call students by their names often;
2. Build accountability and buy-in from day 1;
3. Teach interactively and reach multiple learning styles;
4. Manage and lead your class with confidence…

12.  Classroom Management:
 Maintaining accurate attendance records;
 Following the institution’s attendance policies;
 Maintaining accurate grades for all students;
 Returning graded work to students in a timely manner;
 Distributing progress reports at weeks 3, 6, and 9;
 Writing your agenda on the board every class period;
 Controlling any noise, chatter, and discipline problems;
 Immediately reporting and documenting instances of plagiarism;
 Controlling the “Grand Central Station” effect;
 These are maintenance-related activities!

13.  Classroom Leadership:
 Effectively delivering the assigned curriculum and utilizing the books;
 Asking effective questions of all students using appropriate techniques;
 Pressing students for engaging feedback to ensure they “get it”;
 Providing solid feedback to students that motivates them to dig deeper;
 Switching gears enough that students do not become disengaged;
 Developing interesting field trips and inviting special guest speakers;
 Building confidence in your students by having them speak in public;
 Assisting students with adapting to changing classroom conditions;
 Leading in a way that presents you as an expert in the field;
 These are leadership qualities that help you mentor and empower!
Social integration  Persistence/retention  Engagement

14. Engaging faculty and staff: An imperative for fostering
retention, advising, and smart borrowing. (2008). Round
Rock, TX: Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corporation.
Retrieved from http://www.tgslc.org/pdf/EngagingFaculty.pdf
Spady, W. G. (1970). Dropouts from higher education: An
interdisciplinary review and synthesis. Interchange, 1(1), 65-
85.
Swail, W. S. (2004). The art of student retention: A handbook for
practitioners and administrators. Education Policy Institute,
Retrieved from http://www.educationalpolicy.org/pdf/ART.pdf
Swail, W. S., Redd, K., and Perna, L. (2003). Retaining minority
students in higher education. An ASHE-ERIC Reader. San
Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

15. Tinto, V. (1975). Dropout from higher education: A theoretical
synthesis of recent research. Review of Educational Research,
45(1), 89-125.
Tinto, V. (1993). Leaving college. The University of Chicago
Press: Chicago, IL.