Understand barriers
Learn more about retention and the barriers Moraine Valley students face.
Professional Development · Programs
Retention Academy
Investigate a question
Explore a research-based project connected to a participant’s interests and work.
Share what works
Share findings and promising practices with colleagues across the college.
About the Retention Academy
The inaugural Retention Academy launched in 2017 with support from the Moraine Valley Foundation and the college’s Completion Commitment Committee. Faculty and staff participated in a yearlong action-research experience focused on student retention, success and completion.
The first graduating class completed eight projects—three group projects and five individual projects—covering topics such as deregistration, early alerts, scheduling, African-American male student success, academic probation interventions, online-course success, withdrawal practices and Medical Terminology success.
Improving online course success
A “Getting Started” Canvas module was added across participating online courses. The project reported improvements in aggregate course success and retention measures.
Early Alert interventions
A project reviewed the college’s Retention Alert process and tested a more comprehensive intervention approach for students at risk.
Academic probation interventions
A more structured counseling approach helped standardize interventions and was associated with stronger re-enrollment among participating students.
Scheduling and retention
A scheduling study identified more than 250 meeting patterns and helped prompt work toward more standardized scheduling practices.
The Retention Academy was supported by a Moraine Valley Community College Foundation Innovation Grant.