From Start to Finish: Classroom
Interventions That Work
Presented by:
Shelley Rinehart, Retention Counselor
Joan Mauldin, Language Skills / ESOL Department Chair, Faculty
San Jacinto College South
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Fall 2005 Enrollment of 8,589 Students
Part of a Multi-Campus District of approximately 25,000 students
Large Metropolitan/Suburban Setting
Non-Residential Campus
65% Academic/Transfer and 35% Technical
2005 Average Income = $78,132.00
Tax District Average Income = $58,170.00
62% of households earn more than $50,000.00 (District 47%)
Ethnic Breakdown
o Caucasian 47.1%
o International 5.7%
o Hispanic 26.2%
o American Indian 0.2%
o Black 9.7%
o Unknown 2.3%
o Asian 8.6%
Center for Student Development
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Advising
Career & Employment Services
Counseling
International Student Services
Recruiting
Retention
Special Populations
Testing
Faculty / Administration Buy-In and Support
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Courting
o Our philosophy is to build relationships both on a professional and personal level.
o Met with Faculty to learn what is important to them both on a professional and personal
level.
o Educated instructors about what we could do to help them.
o Maintaining a presence on campus; interacting with instructors and students.
Department Liaisons
o Each counselor/retention specialist is responsible for an instructional area—attend
meetings, develop relationships, become experts in advising.
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Relationships with Developmental Instructors
o Meet on a regular basis—lunch meetings, brainstorming on how we can help students; new
initiatives.
Recruiting Students
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ESOL Roundtable
o Met with currently enrolled ESOL students to explain the process to transition from ESOL
to Academic classes.
o Listen to their concerns about the transition process, cultural differences, academic
challenges of a non-native English speaker.
GED Classes
o Go into GED prep classes offered through Continuing Education.
o Explain ATTF process; answer questions students have about college.
High School Visits
o Planning Your Future presentation with Business Computer Applications class.
o Career testing during lunch/during classes.
o Admissions meeting with graduating seniors at a local high school—were identified as “San
Jac interested” by High School counselor.
o Promote positives of Community College and dispel myths.
Spreading the Word – Giving Students Resources
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Workshop Schedule – provide copies to all developmental faculty to attach to syllabus
Freshman-level course presentations
o Talk about basic student services; Center for Student Development; make sure they get
academic advising/degree plan; Workshop schedules; tutoring; special populations; share
personal story about college success; hand out student success manuals & student
handbooks; handout freebies/marketing materials.
Distance Learning resource sheet
o The above presentation on paper and in electronic format available on Black Board.
Student Success manual is available in PDF file.
“Improve Your Grades” flyers posted in Math Wing
Giving Students a Leg Up – Study Skills / Life Skills
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Study Skills Presentations on Demand
o Taking our workshops into the classroom.
o Ranging from Time Mgmt., stress mgmt., dealing with Burn-out, test anxiety, motivation,
successful strategies, note taking, reading a textbook, etc.
Developmental Math Presentations
o Based on previous math experience and Dr. Nolting’s Winning at Math book.
o Presentation covers why math is different from other subjects, learning styles, study habits,
note taking, homework and testing. Strategies that students can use are also discussed.
o Spring 2005 – reached 61% (Fall 03 we only reached 44%)
o Successful completers (A-C) – Workshop 53% vs. Non-workshop 24%
Developmental Reading Career Testing
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o Scheduled career testing in READ 0310 classes to give students an opportunity to research
different careers based on skills and values inventory.
Early Alert System
o In the Spring 2005 term, piloted this with developmental courses with the highest
enrollment in ENGL, MATH and READ. Faculty turn in a list of students to the
Counseling Department. Counselors then call students to determine obstacles and work
with students on resources to help them be successful. Now, opened up for all
Developmental Classes.
Graduation
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Presentations to Upper-level math and behavioral science courses
o Started out going into Department Chair’s Upper level Math courses to teach students how
to do online degree evaluation—at instructor’s (dept. chair’s) request.
o From this, it became a departmental goal to visit ALL upper level math classes to discuss
• Degree Evaluation
• Graduation
• Becoming a math major
• Usefulness of a Math/Engineering degree
o Math Dept. Chair started talking to others and we got requests to do the Behavioral science
department
Postcard
o Identified students with 50+ hours if degree-seeking and 25+ hours if certificate-seeking
o Mailed postcards to these students inviting them to visit Center for Student Development to
see about graduation.
o Informed students about graduation application deadlines.
o Registrar’s office worked with Center for Student Development by extending graduation
application deadline to increase number of potential graduates.
o Success! We had almost 30 students come in and apply for graduation after the original
deadline.
Graduation Advising Sessions
o Specially-arranged meetings to show students the online process of doing a degree
evaluation.
o Taught them how to read a degree evaluation.
o Had enrollment services officer at the meetings to process graduation applications on sight.
Increase in Enrollment & Retention
Post-race Wrap-up & New Training Techniques
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GED Graduation Ceremony
o Hold a special ceremony multiple times a year to honor GED completers who use our
campus testing services to take the GED.
Reverse Transfer
o Mailing a letter to all students who are within 15 hours of graduating; who have not been
here for 2 years to encourage them to transfer credits back to us so we can award them a
degree.
Tutor Program/Study skills training
o Anyone requesting our free peer tutoring program will be required to attend a study skills
workshop.
o Tutoring recipients are matched up with a counselor to check on them periodically during
the school term.
Developmental Graduation Initiative
o Similar to Upper-level Math presentations about degree evaluations
o Goal is to catch students early to encourage following a degree plan and mapping out their
courses
Early Warning System
o Would like to expand into freshman level courses
o Looking at District-wide implementation