Hi Shakespeare,
Your sharing the expectations and responsibilities aspects of the course is a good way to help the students see the big picture of the course. You are letting them know what they are going to have to do and what they are going to get out of the course as a result of doing it them.
Gary
Experience has taught me that clear and concise communicating of student expectations to them work best. The key is to communicate these expectations often and frequently. I have them available in handout form the first day of class. I post this handout in my instructor files. I email the handout to my students. I also integrate and reiterate these expectations at the beginning of each class for the first two to three weeks of class. Repetition and constant communication has worked best with me.
Everything we do ministers,
Jennifer Gaddy
Besides handling out syllabus, I will provide a written copies of expectations and students' responsibilities that have been missed in the syllabus. Utilize the entire first day of class to make students come up with questions that might have been missed or confusing in the syllabus, policies, and procedures.
Take time to go over the syllabus and allow students to ask question and to clarify any misconception about the course. Go over criteria and guidelines for projects and grading system clearly.
Hi Elven,
Good way to keep the requirements in front of your students. As you know students require repeated reminders so they will make sure to complete their assignments on time.
Gary
When making my expectations clear I always go over them verbally and I also put them on my whiteboard. They are always visable. I also take this approach in my grading the students always have a rubric and know how I will be grading and why.
I write the objective for each lesson on the board before I begin the lecture.
Hi Dara,
Following up on your ways to earn an A or F in your class idea I would recommend the following. Take the same information that you are currently giving out and turn it into a contract for an A in the course. I do this with some of my classes. I list the ways one can earn an A in my class so the students get to see all of the positive aspects of the grading format. Along with that I also list how one can have the A slowly taken away such as with absences, late assignments, etc. I list the penalties for each. This way they are informed about consequences but I do it with the idea that I want them to all earn A's in the class if they will put forth the effort.
Gary
I expect verbal communication from them expressing to me weather or not they do, or do not understand the lesson, the context or assignment given them. They may come to me during class time or after class.
I make sure that they all receive a syllabus on the first day. I also review with them daily on what tasks and expectations they are to have. I try to warm them in advance of any test or homework we may have so they are prepared for it.
Hi Bianca,
Right you are. Our students need to get a hold of the concept very early in their education so they can build their skills in this area. This involves their language, dress and social interaction. We call these the "soft skills" and are essential for career success as we all know.
Gary
I make sure that my syllabus is absolutely clear. All assignments, due dates, classroom activites, objectives, evaluation requirements, and contact information are included. In addition, I also let students know what they can expect from me.
It is vital that all students have a good understanding of what is expected of them. By handing out a well structured plan that containes expectations, testing and assignment due dates, explaination of how work is to be prepared and turned in, will put the student at ease and encourage success in learning.
Besides writing the class objectives on the board and providing the students with a class syllabus it’s important to give very clear written expectations about attendance, punctuality and professionalism in regards to the classroom.
I have a written document entitled Classroom Expectations. I admit, though, that I only do this because I've found that I have to. The document is all the do's, don'ts and penalties. It's kind of a negative thing to cover early in the term. I found that if I don't clearly explain my policies for late work, absences, make-up work, and classroom behavior, I set myself up for failure as an instructor.
I just would like some suggestions for reformatting this document to not make it seem so, "Wow, she's going to be mean...." I'm using a document that other instructors use, but I don't love it.
Maybe I'll redo it into two pages, one entitled, "How I earned an A in ____ Class" and another entitled, "How I earned an F in _____ Class." I don't know -- I'd have to be really careful not to come off as snarky in it.
Distributing handouts regarding policies and procedures can also be done so that students are not confused. It is always better for them to be reminded. The syllabus should also be clear and detailed as it comes to student's expectations.
I must say "keep it professional" is a big one for me. Professionalism is what employers desire most.
We have started implementing our tutoring session sign up sheet. Our college gives our students the option of getting tutoring as needed before or after class. With this sheet an explanation of what tutoring sessions consists of is included so students don't just schedule it and tell instructors "I don't understand anything!" it explains clearly that we expect them to do their part as far as reading their text then writing down specific question for us to be able to work on.
I like this approach. The cohort can still march to the same drum even though they are physically separated while on externship and I have a thought to have them have a chat room (or blog) so they can discuss their successes and challenges amongst the group. Thank you for your post!
This is excellent advice. While I don't deal in a clinical setting, the same could be said of our hospitality sites. Another important lesson to be taught and learned is to report to work, no "no call, no shows."
