An Overview of the

Retention Management

System™/College Student

Inventory™ (RMS/CSI)

Prepared for

University of Maryland

Eastern Shore

Learning outcomes

• Describe the Retention

Management System

(RMS)/College Student Inventory

(CSI) and its components.

• Explain the scales of the CSI and

interpret the RMS Reports.

• Implement effective approaches

to the initial advisor and student

conference.

• Refer students appropriately

based on the RMS/CSI results.

The success of students and the success

of the institution are inseparable

Our particular challenge:

enrollment and re-enrollment

• Why do students enroll?

– When they believe your

institution can help them build a

better career, a better life, a

better future.

• Why do students re-enroll?

– When they are satisfied that your

institution is helping them learn,

develop, and reach their goals.

Risk factors

What do you think may contribute to

student attrition on your campus?

Key questions to consider about your

students upon entry:

• What do you want to know

before they come to

campus?

• What would you like to know

as they make the transition

to campus?

• What additional variables

contribute to a student’s

likelihood to persist?

First-year students need

a prevention plan

• Intrusive, proactive strategies

must be used to reach

incoming students before

they have an opportunity to

experience feelings of failure,

disappointment, and

confusion.

Elements of the Retention

Management System (RMS)

The College Student Inventory

• The College Student Inventory, a motivational assessment with 100 items that assess a students academic motivation, general coping, and receptivity to your assistance

• Administered to first time incoming students early in the term

Individual Reports with a motivational

assessment for each student

• The resulting RMS Reports, generated from student’s self-reported data: – Coordinator Report: Sensitive and

concise information on each student – to help you prioritize your intervention.

– Advisor/Counselor Report: A one-page overview of the student’s motivational assessment and background.

– Student Report: Narrative explanations and less sensitive information.

– Summary and Planning Report: Aggregate information on the incoming class and outreach lists according to the students’ areas of need.

Taking a closer look at the sample

reports in your folders

• The RMS Coordinator

Report

• The RMS

Advisor/Counselor Report

• The RMS Student Report

• The RMS Summary and

Planning Report

Advisor/Counselor Report

Page one of the Student ReportNote: The student report includes three pages of narrative, explaining the scores.

A motivational assessment of each

incoming student

• General Coping:

– Sociability

– Family emotional support

– Opinion tolerance

– Career closure

– Sense of financial security

A motivational assessment on each

incoming student

• Receptivity to Support

Services:

– Academic assistance

– Personal counseling

– Social enrichment

– Career counseling

– Financial guidance

A motivational assessment on each

incoming student

• Background Information on

each student, including:

– Senior year GPA

– Time of their decision to

enroll

– Parent’s education

– The degree they are seeking

– Hours they intend to work

while in college

Information provided through the RMS

Reports

• Specific Recommendations for

Action are provided for each

student who completes the

CSI.

• These action statements are

rated on a scale of one to ten.

• They are used to facilitate

referrals to offices such as the

learning resource center,

career services, etc.

The Summary & Planning Report

• An aggregate document that

provides an overview of the

incoming class:

– Local means on major scales

– Priority ranking of

recommendations for action

– Outreach lists of students

according to their areas of

need.

General coping: sociability

• Measures the student’s general inclination to join in social activities.

• The relationship between sociability and academic outcomes can be complex: – High sociability can be a positive

force for a person with strong study habits.

– High sociability can be negative force for a person with poor study skills.

• Sample item from CSI:– “I greatly enjoy getting together with

a crowd of people and having fun.”

General coping: career closure

• Measures the degree to which the student has defined a career goal and developed a firm commitment to it.

• Career aspirations are often the central foundation upon which academic motivation is based.

• Sample item from CSI:

– “I have made a firm decision to enter a certain occupation and have begun planning my life around that decision.”

General coping: sense of financial

security

• Measures the extent to which the student feels secure about their financial situation, especially as it relates to their current and future college enrollment.

• Not intended to measure the objective level of financial resources that the student has, only their feeling of being financially secure.

• Sample item from CSI:

– “I have the financial resources that I need to finish college.”

Receptivity to support services:

academic assistance

• Measures the student’s desire to receive course-specific tutoring or individual help with study habits, reading skills, examination skills, writing skills, or mathematics skills.

• Helps determine whether to encourage the student to seek academic assistance.

• Sample item from CSI:

– “I would like to receive some help in improving my study habits.”

Receptivity to support services: career

counseling

• Measures the student’s

desire for help in selecting a

major or career.

• It is most useful in

conjunction with the Career

Planning scale.

• Sample item from CSI:

– “I would like some help

selecting an occupation that

is well suited to my interests

and abilities.”

Receptivity to support services:

financial guidance

• Measures the student’s

interest in discussing ways to

increase their financial

resources for college.

• Sample item from CSI:

– “I would like to talk with

someone about getting a

loan to help me through

school.”

Case studies

Taking a closer look at the RMS

Student Report

What are the student’s major strengths?

What are the barriers that the students must overcome to be

successful?

What areas should be discussed with the student?

What cautions would you exercise in interviewing the student?

What recommendations would you make to the student?

Setting the stage

• These are not test results. They are self-reported survey

scores.

• Be careful not to “label” students.

• Goals of the student and advisor conference:

– Make a personal connection.

– Develop a relationship.

– Assist with transition and integration.

– Facilitate student success through collaborative development of

individualized retention plans.

Setting the stage

• Encourage students to be interactive with their student

reports. If they feel a score on any of the individual scales is

inaccurate or doesn’t reflect where they are at the moment,

encourage them to change it or change it yourself on the

form.

Guidelines for discussion of the

individual RMS report

• The individual RMS reports are a snapshot of the incoming student at a given time.

• It is important to approach the student and advisor conference with flexibility about the interpretation of the student report.

• The RMS report/CSI profile should be perceived as descriptive, not prescriptive. It is an informational tool for guiding discussion.

Meeting with the student about the

Student Report• Establish rapport

• Briefly discuss educational background and motivation

• Begin with identifying strengths

• Identify areas of concern

• Encourage student to use strengths to overcome any barriers to success

• Look at overall profile and summarize

• Discuss specific recommendations

• Get commitment from student to take action (if needed)

• Make referral (if appropriate)

• Use a “strengths-based” approach to the advising process with the RMS/CSI.

Involving the student

• Important considerations

when conducting the

advisor/student conference:

– Establish a relationship of

trust

– Help students establish

“ownership” of the process

– Make connections – verbally

and non-verbally

– Foster a dialogue

Expectations for the RMS advisor

• Serve as:

– A trusted student advocate

– A valuable resource for

campus information, policy,

and services

– A knowledgeable source for

referrals

– Not a psychological

counselor, unless you have

appropriate training

Qualities of the RMS advisor

• An educator with --

– A passion for student

success

– The ability to establish

rapport

– Empathy

– A view of oneself as a

student advocate

– A commitment to holistic

advising

Reminders

• Remember the CSI results are descriptive, not prescriptive.

• During the session with your student, remember to work from the Student Report.

• The purpose of the Advisor/Counselor Report and the Coordinator Report is to help you prioritize, and prepare for, your meetings with students.

Following-up with students

• Be “appropriately persistent”

• Develop a record-keeping trail

• Prior to implementation,

develop a sound

understanding with other

referral agencies

• Mark calendars and set

reminders

Referrals and resources on your

campus

• The RMS Summary and Planning Report

– Elements of the report

– Prioritizing interventions according to student’s needs

• Resource analysis

• Special session for referral services

• Creating a “resource guide” for your campus

• Tracking

• Developing a case study for your campus

Developing your resource guide

Facilitating referrals to the various

resource offices

• Discuss and decide how

these outreach lists on the

Summary and Planning

Report can be effectively and

appropriately used at your

institution.

Are you comfortable?

Describing the Retention Management System (RMS)/College Student Inventory(CSI) and its elements?

Explaining the scales of the CSI and interpreting the RMS Reports?

Conveying effective approaches to the initial advisor and student conference?

Describing appropriate student referrals based on the RMS/CSI results?

RMS Community of Educators’ Web

area: Your resource

• RMS Advisor’s Guide: This is a PDF resource guide for using and interpreting the CSI, and understanding the fundamental components of the RMS.

• RMS Coordinator’s Guide: This is a very comprehensive guide to managing and implementing the RMS.

• RMS Community Web area: This provides a wide range of online support materials for individuals engaged in the RMS process.

Your comments and questions