| The researcher developed an approach for measuring multiple factors influencing student experience, level of student satisfaction with an institution, and mapped student satisfaction levels into a matrix of action outcomes; namely, stay, leave or stay with regret. This information could equip an institution of higher education with the knowledge necessary for making appropriate changes in institutional practices, procedures, offerings, and environment which would increase the probability of students remaining with the institution and finding their experiences worthwhile. The model and accompanying survey instrument developed for the study was tested at Rockingham Community College (Wentworth, North Carolina). While the predictive capabilities of the model could not be thoroughly tested, absent a longitudinal study, the Rockingham Community College (RCC) results are supportive of the central thesis of the model. The survey produced an extensive quantity of positive data regarding student satisfaction with highly specific aspects of RCC. The data enable RCC's administrators to take very specific actions to increase student satisfaction. The survey results also demonstrate the projected relationships between student satisfaction and retention. |