"An institution's capacity to retain students is directly related to its ability to reach out and make contact with students and integrate them into the social and intellectual fabric of institutional life. It hinges on the establishment of a healthy, caring educational environment which enables all individuals, not just some, to find a niche in one or more of the many social and intellectual communities of the institution." That is one of the conclusions shared by Dr. Vincent Tinto in his book Leaving College: Rethinking the Causes and Cures of Student Attrition. It is also the topic of this week's faculty development workshop to be held on April 25 at 1:30 PM in the CT+LE Commons. Dr. Sherri Shoefstall will lead this solutions-packed workshop that is part of the Center for Teaching+Learning Enhancement's ongoing faculty development programming. Helping your students to succeed involves learning the proper skills necessary to identify patterns and trigger-events that can lead to student attrition. Faculty will receive participation credit towards the Faculty Development Program. Registration is encouraged but not required. Barry Leshowitz, Kristen Eignor DiCerbo, and Scott Symington in their article Effective Thinking: An Active-Learning Course in Critical Thinking write, "One explanation for the poor performance of students in reasoning and other higher-order thinking skills is the nature of the educational experience typically encountered in our classrooms. Educational researchers have long observed that instruction at all levels does not emphasize information-processing skills. Instead of making the development of reasoning a priority, most instruction forces a large fraction of students into blind memorization." They outline many active learning methods they were able to utilize in their class that focused on developing critical thinking skills as the course outcome. "In classroom exercises and real-world-based investigations, the students discover that knowledge of causal relations allows one to predict and control future events. This knowledge is fundamental to making the informed decisions that underlie effective problem solving," they conclude. Technological developments and financial forces have led to the increasing prominence of online education, which challenges the value of a physical campus for delivering a college education. William H. Weitzer asks in an op-ed piece, "What are the risks for higher education if institutions do not adapt quickly or significantly enough to this dramatic environmental change?" Clearly the demand exists for the current product that these elite institutions deliver, but for how long and for how many institutions? In The Innovative University: Changing the DNA of Higher Education from the Inside Out (LA 227.4 C525), Clayton Christensen and Henry Eyring argue that educational technology and other factors place American institutions of higher education at great risk. They state that even as our traditional universities continue to perform critical functions, they also face disruptive innovations that are changing the educational landscape and they must respond. Their concern is: “If they cannot find innovative, less costly ways of performing their uniquely valuable functions, they are doomed to decline, high global and national rankings notwithstanding. University communities that focus their activities and measure success in terms of absolute performance rather that relative rank can enjoy a bright future. They can be the best in the eyes of their own students, faculty members, and public and private supporters. They can serve more of their chosen students at higher levels of quality.” Weitzer's comments echo those of Dr. George Mehaffy who visited LU last week. While Lamar University has been a pioneer in online education, there is much to be said about engaging in the community that exists on college campuses around the world. LU has been working to enhance both environments and is firmly committed to delivering teaching in multiple forms. Stay tuned as this conversation continues to evolve. As you being to administer the ACES survey to your students, we encourage you to take the time to explain the significance of the data being collected. Research shows that respondents are much more likely to take the time and give thoughtful answers if the results are tied to their personal concerns. Since we use the data gathered to improve teaching and learning, it is important that we increase the rate of completion in order to capture a true picture of what is happening in our classrooms and online.