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Journal of College Student Retention and Recruiting for both On-Campus and Online Universities

Student Retention People with Impact

Dr. Adam Troy


People with Impact

Dr. Adam B. Troy is the Director of Research within the Enrollment and Retention Services Division of EducationDynamics. He holds an M.S. and Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Miami, and his research has been published in peer-reviewed, academic journals including Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin and Psychological Reports.

Q: How do you decide what to research?
Dr. Adam Troy:

When approaching an empirical question in higher education, I classify possible solutions into three categories—the 3 P’s I call them—predictive, prescriptive and preventative solutions. On the predictive side with retention for example, I am interested in identifying students at high risk for attrition before they even arrive on campus. Identification may be based on questionnaire responses or behavioral indicators, and I develop assessment tools that capture the important variables. Questionnaire items assess satisfaction, financial need, social belonging, or they may address personality issues. Four weeks into the semester we might ask students if they feel like life is chaotic, if they feel like they can manage tasks at hand, or if they feel overwhelmed. Some of these questions are related to personality characteristics while others are related to how well students adjust to a new atmosphere. I add or remove items based on their ability to predict outcomes. Prescriptive approaches take the next step to decide what means of intervention is needed after we’ve identified students at risk for attrition. We know students may have indicated that they have difficulty with writing skills, time management, making friends on campus, and/or mental health issues, so we need to make sure students are getting content that addresses these areas. The content may be delivered in the form of self-help articles, tests, interactive modules, or access to a social community. And finally, preventative approaches test the interventions that are best for all students to reduce the probability that students will become at-risk by providing an outlet to develop a social support network and access to content that helps students adjust to life on campus.

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How to Identify Successful Online Learners

The topic of retention continues to gain interest across the fields of higher education. One major issue to consider is determining whether students are ready for the challenge ahead. At one end of the retention spectrum are the highly competitive professional programs, such as medical and law schools, which are fueled by a very selective admissions processes wherein as many as 90% of the students who start will graduate. On the other end of the spectrum are part-time online programs whose admissions processes boil down to more of a qualification and whose graduation rates often dip into single digits.

Preliminary survey results from the National Dialog on Student Retention, academic preparedness is one major reason for students leaving programs. As discussed in an earlier column, program quality is another.

Online student retention rates are significantly lower than their on-campus equivalents. With record numbers of students studying online, it is imperative that we discover why online learners have a significantly lower rate of persistence than on-campus students. One recent estimate has 3.5 million students taking an online course. That translates to 20 percent of all students in U.S. higher education and, while these programs appeal to a growing number of students, we need to consider whether students are best served through this medium.

To discover what makes for a successful online student, we contacted eLearners.com has also created an external community to support current online students and has mobilized this community to help prospective online students.

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The National Dialog on Student Retention Conference

An event specifically designed to address the challenges facing for-profit and not-for-profit institutions as they attempt to retain students for graduate, undergraduate, on-campus and online programs.

Over 150 senior administrators in the areas of marketing, admissions, enrollment management and student affairs will join our keynote speaker, Dr. George D. Kuh, and a line-up of renowned higher education thought leaders as they address some of the most pressing issues in student retention today, including:

  • Practical Strategies in Online Student Retention
  • The Power of Peer Programs
  • Key Tenants of Successful Minority Student Retention
  • The Lifetime Value of a Student
  • Attrition in Online and Campus-Based Degree Programs
  • Predicting and Influencing Student Success
  • Improving Retention with Adult Learners

Only at the National Dialog on Student Retention Conference can you immerse yourself and your team in practical and proven best practice solutions for improving student retention at your institution.

Join in on the Dialog and register today. Space is limited.

Mark Shay
Chief Academic Liaison
EducationDynamics, LLC
www.EducationDynamics.com
5 Marine View Plaza, Suite 212,
Hoboken, NJ 07030
ph: 1-201-377-3007 fx: 1-201-377-3098
Contact Mark Shay here.