COLL100 REPOST

Hi Danielle,

This assignment is for you to choose the topic, give your research question, and the thesis statement for the Week 8 Final Project Presentation. Please review the assignment instructions, include those three things, using the thesis generator tool to help you write the thesis statement (one, single sentence). Message me with any questions.

Submitted Text (Instructor comments are highlighted in yellow)

STUDENT RETENTION IN COLLEGE

Danielle Murray

APUS COLL 100 B027

Date: OCT. 25, 2015

Topic: Student retention and effective strategies for promoting personal success in college.

Question:  Today’s first time university students appear to be less prepared, carrying more emotional baggage than their counterparts and they have a different set of expectations compared to previous students (Swail, 2006) . As a result, universities have been having a harder time retaining students up to completion. Every student lost represents a financial loss for universities and colleges in a variety of revenue streams. Hence universities need to carry our inquiries as to why students fail to complete their programs and find solutions to mitigate this problem. The poignant question then is, “What are the main reasons why students leave universities without completing their courses?”

Answer:  The three main reasons that cause students to leave universities are Academic difficulty, Financial Difficulties and Family reasons, but universities are addressing these problems using various approaches in order to reduce the number of leaving students.

A typical university earns a lot of money from a single student via many revenue paths. This includes tuition fees, income from book purchases and associated services, housing as well as revenue from alumni associations’ contributions. Furthermore, students who drop out of the university lose too. Apart from losing their financial investment, studies have shown that students who complete college education report better quality of life for themselves as well as their children, better job satisfaction, higher incomes, and higher general indicators of happiness compared to their counterparts. In response, universities usually have departments of student retention, whose main mandate is to calculate annual retention rates, conducts surveys and interviews among students to find out levels of student satisfaction, and find out the trends and characteristics that define the students who leave before their due time. With these facts in hand, universities can then get a clear picture about the state of education in their institutions, identify students likely to default on their studies and implement measures that support and encourage these students to finish.

Strategies for Promoting Personal Success in University

Universities have implemented various strategies in order to maintain student retention at acceptable rates in line with institutional policy as well as in comparison to their peers. Research indicates that successful retention programs involve partnerships between academic and student affairs, multi-functional collaborations, and responsive departments or units. They strive to create an academically, socially, and emotionally conducive environment for students to create the best probabilities for their completion. However, in addition to the university administration’s efforts, the individual in campus is personally obligated to ensure their success. By adopting a go-getter and I-will-make-it-attitude, they are able to persevere through the academic and social challenges that face the average university student (Utah State University, 2010).

Every student should give special attention to their GPA scores at the end of each semester and ensure that they are acceptable. They should be effective managers of their time, ensuring that they set aside ample time for study and academic review. Universities have various programs that are designed to intervene in student’s welfare, academically and socially. This includes tutor programs, student counseling as well as financial aid programs that are designed to mitigate the main reasons of student drop-out. Students should take advantage of these programs to address the problems that are bothering them and hindering their academic efficiency. Befriending their professors as well as their tutors has been proven to be an effective strategy. Conversations with these people may provide insights into the academic work that may be omitted when the tutors are teaching in a group setting thus enhancing understanding, and increasing the probability for the occurrence of light bulb moments when facing academic challenges.

In conclusion, the students and the university administration have to work together in order to improve retention rates for the institution as well as ensure personal success on the part of the student.

References

Swail, W. S. (2006). Seven Guiding Questions for Student Retention. Retention 2006. Las Vegas, Nevada: Education Policy Institute.

Utah State University. (2010). Retetnion and Student Success: Frequently Asked Questions. Retrieved from Utah State University: https://www.usu.edu/retention/htm/faq

Assignment DetailsOpen DateOct 5, 2015 12:00 AMGraded?YesPoints Possible5.0Resubmissions Allowed?YesRemaining Submissions1Assignment InstructionsAssignment InstructionsThe culminating activity for this class is to write and submit a research project. You will be working on this project all through this course building research skills and content one step at a time. To get started, please review the following list of topics and select one you might like to use as the topic of your final paper. Please keep in mind that any topic you choose must be approved by the instructor and must deal with learning in some form or fashion. In addition: you may NOT use this presentation for any other class. Using this presentation for any other class is a form of academic dishonesty.

The project is to fully address one of the topics below. The presentation modality will dictate some of the project's structure. We will explore presentation modalities in Week 3, so it is not important to know your modality now.

Your task:

• Write your topic choice in the text box below.
• Write a question that will drive your thinking and research on the topic.
• Answer the question in one, declarative sentence (Tip: the ANSWER to your question is what you will write about in your research project. You will support or refute your topic through research. Also, visit Thesis Creator website: http://johnmcgarvey.com/apworld/student/thesiscreator.html. This website is an interactive site that helps you create your project's thesis. )

Possible topics:

• Reading for comprehension in __(identify a field of study)__. Think about how reading comprehension is important in General Education courses, a specific discipline, a specific course, or the workplace.

• Ethics and the college student who is enrolled in ___(name a discipline)___.  As part of your research, report on an instance of unethical behavior in academia, in your degree field, or in the workplace.

• Digital tools and effective strategies for student engagement in the online classroom. Consider how these tools can be used outside of the classroom.

• Digital tools to increase academic success for the adult learner in ___(name a discipline)__. Consider how these tools can be used outside of the classroom.  

• Netiquette and civility in the online classroom.

• Student retention and effective strategies for promoting personal success in college.

• Beyond the first college course and effective strategies and resources for completing a degree program in ____(name a discipline)___. This presentation should include the name of the Program Director of your degree program and the Dean of the School in which you are studying. These people are a resource to you.

• Any topic related to the adult learner: online learning, learning strategies, plagiarism, and ethics that drive successful practices. This topic must be approved by the instructor.

• Any topic related to online learning, resources, effective practices, ethical behavior, etc. in a specific discipline of study. This topic must be approved by the instructor.

Please note: this final project topic must be approved by the instructor. If you change your topic during the course of your research, consult your instructor to discuss the change.

Grading Information: This assignment is worth 5 pts.

Directions for Submission:  This assignment is due Sunday by 11:55pm, Eastern Time, of Week 2. Please refer back to Lessons (the link "Lessons" on the left hand side navigation tool bar in our classroom) and open Week 1: Lesson to review directions on how to submit assignments in the Sakai learning environment (our classroom).