Research indicates that students who lack a connection with their institution are less likely to return for the next semester.
However, faculty members can play a role in retainment as they serve as the “biggest advocates” for students’ success, according to Dr. Rosemary A. Costigan, vice president for academic affairs at the Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI).
“When you speak to students who have graduated or just in passing, they usually can point to a faculty member whose made a difference,” she said.
Seeing how collegiate relationships impact students, the Institute for Evidence-Based Change (IEBC) developed the Caring Campus Initiative. Using funding from the Ascendium Education Group, the program works to build a culture of connectedness at institutions to increase student retention rates.
To do so, a small group of faculty and staff members — who hold high rates of classroom success — at select institutions engage in coaching sessions where participants identify behavior commitments and develop training curricula.
The types of behavior commitments include learning a student’s name early into the semester, building relationships outside of the classroom, developing clear course syllabi, assessing early to establish learning baselines and being “situational fair.”
“Students want to feel a sense of belonging,” said Maureen E. Abbate, professor of English at CCRI. “They want a sense of community with their faculty member. And once you can establish this with your students, it just paves the way for a much better semester.”
