Student Retention | Didem Mutçalıoğlu | Bilgi University
Didem Mutcalıoğlu
Bilgi University
Tracking Student Retention to Improve Student Success
Student attrition, in other words losing students due to dropping out or as a result of not being able to complete the program successfully within the allowed maximum time, has been a key issue for English Preparatory Programs within higher education institutions in Turkey. These programs aim to retain as many students as possible to ensure those students can complete the program successfully. Thus, understanding the reasons for attrition and implementing actions based on these causes are key determiners in improving student retention and achieving success in higher education and specifically in English Preparatory Programs in the Turkish context. That being said, student retention and success is a complex issue that is affected by different factors for different students and student groups. This workshop aims at discussing the main causes of attrition as well as presenting retention tracking models and ways of improving retention rates in English Preparatory Programs through a sample model implemented at İstanbul Bilgi University to understand the reasons for attrition and the action taken to improve student success and retention.