Section 5: Bringing the Research Together – Developing a Comprehensive Retention Strategy

For an overall retention strategy to be effective, all components of the LBS college program must work together. The failure of even one component to operate well can negatively impact retention efforts in other parts of the program. Many colleges, for example, tend to ‘front end’ their retention efforts. How the components are defined and how they interrelate may vary somewhat from program to program, but it is necessary for managers and staff to understand the unique connections and relationships between the different elements and processes of their LBS programs.

The following chart identifies eight distinct but highly interrelated program components. They are:

• Intake Process
• Orientation
• Policies and Procedures for Attendance, Progress and Behaviour
• Overall Assessment Strategy
• Program Planning/Content/Delivery
• Classroom Environment/Dynamics
• Support Services
• Follow-up Activities

The lists of best retention practices on the following pages (first column) were created by incorporating key findings, recommendations and retention strategies from several LBS/NLS projects that LBS colleges programs participated in. See page 92 for a listing of these projects. The lists of additional strategies and suggestions (second column) are based on input from practitioners during regional training events hosted in 2003. Space has been provided in both columns to add additional items. The third column is intended to help individuals identify specific areas of responsibility for each program component, and the final (fourth column) provides space to document an action plan.

The chart is a work in progress. It can be used by LBS college programs (a) as a starting point for discussing how the various components relate to one another (b) as a means to self-assess their own retention efforts in each component, and (c) as a framework for developing a more co-ordinated and comprehensive retention strategy.