• Early in the term, include a Student Survey with only a few questions that will help you identify potential risk/promise factors. For example, you can ask about their study/success plan for your course, as well as whether there is anything they would like you to know related to their participation in the course. 

• Organize courses to include routines that support student agency, community, and engagement in learning

  • LRC Peer educators can help students set up a study/success schedule.

  • Organize students into peer accountability groups where they check in on each other and follow-up if someone doesn’t come to class 

• Have a low-stakes, graded assignment early in the semester and provide meaningful feedback on the assignment. This is a chance for students to get a sense for the course and experience early success, and for you to connect with students before their low performance leads to a decision to stop showing up.

  • Use the “email students who” feature in the Canvas grade book to email students who either did not submit the assignment or who earned a grade lower than a certain threshold. 

• Inclusive Teaching: Strategies for Promoting Equity in the College Classroom by Kelly A. Hogan and Viji Sathy is written by two STEM instructors and is loaded with helpful tips (both bite-sized and large-scale) to create an inclusive classroom community. Tips from this book may help students connect with you and each other early-on and provide a link of communication before students drop.

• Consider giving students a small amount of points back on their test for completing an exam wrapper. Students may “give up” when they believe they don’t belong in the STEM field, when in reality they just need to adapt their learning strategies. Exam wrappers are an opportunity for students to reflect on their study habits and adapt accordingly. 

  • Related OneHE activity: Cognitive/Exam Wrappers for Metacognition.

• Students may be more likely to stay in the course if they are able to see themselves succeeding. Help students become better learners by providing transparent tips for success in the course. At the beginning of the semester, consider providing your own list or creating a wisdom wall from students who have taken the course before, evidence that students just like them have made it through. 

  • Related OneHE course: Helping Students Learn How To Learn

• Students tend to stop showing up when they think they have no hope of passing the class. Consider examining your grading scale. For example, 0/10 points = F and 5/10 = F. The impact of early 0s on points-based assignments can be difficult to overcome. 

Resource

• Create (and Answer) A Learner Information Survey to Initiate Belonging, Presence, and Community

Recommended OneHE Courses and Resources:

• Helping Students Learn How To Learn

• Cognitive/Exam Wrappers for Metacognition

To activate your CSUCI institutional OneHE account, please complete this interest form.