Education Inspiration Graduation
The goal of college is to educate, inspire, and prepare learners for life and professional practice. Our customized programs are designed to improve student performance while cultivating a nurturing learning environment. Our first-year experience textbook is a great tool to increase student retention and engagement.
First Year Experience
The first year is the most important years of a student's life. It is the first year where students develop their academic identities and more importantly - form their initial impression about your institution. Therefore, it is important that students develop positive academic identities and form favorable impressions about your institution.
As many as 1 in 3 first-year students won't make it back for their sophomore year. The reasons run the gamut from family problems and loneliness to academic struggles and a lack of money. Many colleges speak of the importance of increasing student retention; however, apply antiquated methods to solving the problems. ACG's approach to addressing retention utilizes evidenced-based practices applying common sense methods.
Students' Hierarchy of Needs
Five Keys For Understanding Retention
1) Students are more likely to persist and graduate in settings that hold high and clear expectations for student achievement.
2) Support is a condition that promotes student retention. Research points to two types of support that promote retention, namely academic and social support. Unfortunately, more than a few students enter the university insufficiently prepared for the rigors of university study. For them, as well as for others, the availability of academic support for instance in the form of developmental education courses, tutoring, study groups, and academic support programs such as supplemental instruction is an important condition for their continuation in the university.
3) Feedback is a condition for student success. Students are more likely to succeed in settings that provide faculty, staff, and students frequent feedback about their performance.
4) Involvement is a condition for student retention. The more students are academically and socially involved, the more likely they are to persist and graduate.
5) Learning is a condition for retention. The more students learn, the more value they find in their learning, the more likely they are to stay and graduate.