Addressing Retention for Adult Learners

For many adult learners we accommodate their stepping out of classes for a term or two when life "happens." We recognize that stepping out is one of the challenges for people dedicated to their learning, but also coping with careers, families, financial realities including mortgages and children. This presentation presents strategies to promote retention plus a unique new course and concept to prevent stepping out and to enhance career planning. The college has a well-established opening course, free of charge called, Transitions, to promote registration and prevent melt between acceptance and enrollment. The Transitions course created a higher conversion rate and a brainstorming workshop was held to find ways to build onto the course and to expand retention strategies. As a result, more active advising, popcorn mailings, birthday cards, newsletteres, president's video and a new course were created. This new course is called "Momentum", is free of charge half way through the degree and has a number of elements to both keep momentum and to enhance careers. Through participatipant dialog we review a number of these strategies with examples of materials and content and video.

Rosemary J. Link, Simpson College

Brief Bio

Rosemary J. Link is Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs with responsibility for Continuing & Graduate Programs. Rosemary has worked with adult learners for twenty years as a professor at Augsburg College Minneapolis, then administrator there as Dean with responsibility for Augsburg for Adults, and more recently as AVP at Simpson College. Her work includes publications in social policy and presentations on human rights as her field of research and advising as her field of current professional support.

ACHE 2016

October 17–19, 2016

New Orleans, Louisiana