The four supports were used, then, as a starting point for gathering information. They also provided a sound philosophical basis for the development of the Redirection Protocol.

Process for Gathering Information

In order to develop a redirection protocol we needed answers to a number of key questions such as:

• What are the roles and responsibilities of learners, practitioners, support staff and administrators in tracking attendance and monitoring learners’ progress?
• What constitutes reasonable rates of progress for learners?
• What is the critical point for redirecting learners, e.g., how do you know when the learner’s goal is no longer realistic?
• What kinds of options are available for learners who need to be redirected and what are the factors that influence those options?

Our method of gathering information was purely qualitative. For example, we did not attempt to create representative profiles of at-risk learners. Rather we wanted to verify findings from other studies on retention, probe new issues and identify other important questions. We consulted support staff, faculty from the special needs centre, practitioners and a group of ‘restarted’ learners at Cambrian College through focus groups, questionnaires and personal interviews. We reviewed LBS program policies and procedures that were submitted for our review. In particular, we wanted to identify the key indicators used to show that a learner may be at risk. As anticipated the key indicators are:

• poor attendance
• lack of progress
• inappropriate classroom behaviour

While all three indicators may tell us that a learner is at risk, they do not tell us why.

Two questionnaires were developed based on retention research, college policies and initial feedback from support staff, practitioners, and learners. The practitioners’ questionnaire was distributed to all LBS colleges. Over 40 LBS college practitioners from 14 different colleges responded. See Appendix C for the practitioners’ questionnaire.