Sharing comprehensive and clear course requirements is very important indeed because the students know exactly what is expected of them. Giving clear instructions will result in students completing assignments in a timely manner. I allow questions to be asked for those not understanding what is expected.
Alison,
This is a such a critical part of being a learning leader. If you are not consistent with your requirements it won't be long before you will have lost control of the class.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
It is best to establish course requirement at the start of the class and remain consistant with the requirements.
Lynne,
Yes, it does. Each student needs to see and understand how he or she fits into the course. You are helping them to be able to do this with your clear and concise course requirements.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
It gives the students a sense of security knowing what is expected of them and lets them know if they have the foundational skills to complete this course.
Linda,
So true. Without expectations there are not standards for the students to work toward. We need to share with them clear goals and objectives and how they can achieve those goals and objectives. This is how you can get the class off to a good start.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Students who know what is expected of them are more likely to feel in control. Classes that are unclear on what is needed lead to confusion,and stress.
Hans,
To anything less is unfair to our students. Your point is well made and we need to remember it as we develop our syllabus, goals and objectives.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
As instructors we have the responsability to offer our students a comprehensive and clear course requirements, so they will know what are the expectations of particular class and in my experience, that contribute with a higher sucess rate among the students.
Heather,
I like your approach from the beginning and the end. You tell them, teach them and then let them tell you what they have learned through the use of the check list. This shows them how much progress they have made during the class session.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
A comprehensive and clear description of the course requirements provides a road map for students to follow. It allows students to understand the direction they need to take in class. In addition, it gives them a good knowledge base of what to expect as they move through the course. A checklist could be provided at the end the course for each student to examine their results.
Students need to know your expectations, how they will be evaluated, and be able to visualize the scope (from beginning to end.) Today's generation does not accept tasks without understanding "why" and "how".
John,
Good point. Student frustration is reduced when they have a clear understanding of the course policies, rules and expectations. Having this information lets the students focus on being successful in the course rather than spending their time trying to figure out what the instructor wants.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
It is important to give a comprehensive and clear description of the course requirements because it allows a student to fully understand what is expected of them and that will allow them to feel more comfortable in the class.
With clear instructions, the student will feel confident in their ability to effectively and efficiently tackle the subject matter. The purpose for guided education is to provide the student with a structure for learning.
I believe it will help the students to focus on learning. If they know what is require of them from the beginning that is one less thing they need to worry about and can then focus on reaching there goals. For the instructor I think that you will always have that to fall back on, if needed. Everyone including the instructor knows what is expected of them from the very beginning of the class.
So that students have a direct road map to what is expected and how to get there.
It helps students know what to expect and how to manage their time split between other classes. It also helps the instructor avoid miscommunication issues that may come up into the course, such as "I didn't know we had a project about..."
This gives no way for anything else that is outside of the course destription to become a henderance os issue. We, student and Instructor, are streamlining when it's plainly laid out.
By starting out with clear course requirements, it enables the student to see in print what the course encompasses and exactly what is expected of them to be successful in that course.
Students can also evaluate whether or not -- at that point it's a little late -- the class is really what they expected to participate in and whether it is beneficial to their scholastic needs at that point. Also, if they are employed, involved in other aspects of life, if they can actually perform to the level that's expected of them and meet the criteria of the course.
I also feel that certain course requirements (document) can be used in evaluations with the students down the line. It would be an effective tool in monitoring a student who is not living up to the expectations of the course itself by pointing out at the evaluation the pluses and weaknesses of their performance in accordance with the document (course requirements). It can be used to point out to the student exactly what was expected of them and where they stand at this point and down the line re-evaluated.
