UNIVERSITY COLLEGE of the FRASER VALLEY

heaalines

Vol. 6, Number 16

~ hyn

April 6, 1992

GO ASK ALICE, and she'll tell you that
things got “curiouser and curiouser”
at the Abbotsford campus Bookstore
on March 23 when staff welcomed
everyone to their “Alice in Bookland”
Open House.

(L-R) Dressed for the occasion are
Bookstore staffers Pat Neufeld, Janet
Allanson, Marlene MacDonald, Lucy
Ernewin, Hilary Cooper, Cameron Roy
and Janie Cyr.

Room for improvement in student success rates

UCFV has no problem attracting
students, but the institution could do a
better job of helping them to achieve
their educational goals once they’re
here.

That’s the theme of the Systems for
Student Success report penned by
counsellor Dave Birkett, who was
seconded by President Peter Jones for
four weeks this semester to research
and report on the topic of student
success.

_ Birkett’s report lists numerous steps
that could be taken to improve current
retention programs or implement new
ones, but he cautions that it does not
recommend certain methods over
others.

“This is not a recipe for student
success. It’s a document that the UCFV
community can use to begin the process
of deciding what it wants to do. Unless
the institution as a whole really gets
behind the idea of improving student
success rates, it won’t happen,” says

Birkett.

The report measures student success
rates as the percentage of students
enrolled at the beginning of a course
who complete it with a grade of C or
better. Other measurements, such as
successfully completing a diploma or
degree, did not fit UCFV’s profile
because not all students are aiming for
a credential.

“Unless the institution as a
whole really gets behind the
idea of improving student
success rates, it won’t happen,”
— Dave Birkett

Students attend UCFV for a variety
of reasons, including pleasure,
self-improvement, career advancement,
earning a diploma or degree here, and
earning credit to transfer elsewhere.

UCFYV also has a diverse student
population, including many mature and

part-time students, minority students
with varying cultural backgrounds, and
recent high school graduates, some of
whom have been turned away from the
provincial universities.

The report identifies Academic
students as the most needful of
increased assistance. It says that aside
from optional “Intro to UCFV”
sessions, there is no interview or
orientation process for them, and that
unlike Career students, they frequently
lack clearly defined educational/career
goals.

Students’ feelings of integration,
both academic and social, are important
contributors to success, according to
the report.

Ways in which UCFV is currently
fostering integration and retention
include Reading and Study Skills 101,
various assessment tests, Career
progyam interviews/orientations, high
school liaison, the Writing Centre,

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