I believe the human factor is one of the biggest ways to retain students. It is true for all aspects of life so it would be true in teaching also. We all want to feel respected and valued. If our students feel respected and valued they will want to continue coming to class and being part of the learning process. If the student feels disrespected or feels like they just don't matter in the classroom, they will not find enjoyment out of what that are trying to achieve. The importance of the human factor cannot be overlooked!
Many of our students are coming to college from very difficult life circumstances - they need to know that they can be successful and that someone cares.
Knowing their name and listening and being able to empathize, just showing that you care goes along way in retention.
Hi Ida,
Right you are so it is important to get to know your students well. What are some methods that you use to get to know your students?
Thanks in advance for your input on this.
Gary
Giving personal examples of how their career goes depends on if they can see examples of other professionals who have reached goals similar to theirs.
Doing the right thing depends on how well you know each student and what their needs are
The human factor is important because everyone wants to feel special. Without this feeling of being special students may leave school due to external factors such as family responsibility
the humann factor depends on how individually students are treated. Like to spend at least once a week discussing with students their progress and what goals they have set for them selves
Hi Gary,
Good strategy and one I know helps both you and the students to get settled into the course quickly. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Gary
Hi Katie,
Good question and one that challenges all instructors. I think that you have to "read" your students as they progress through the course. By reading I mean get to know whether they are comfortable with the course and getting the support they need. It is easy to overlook a student that is quite and seems to be doing ok. I like to greet and talk with each student every time the class meetings. This gives me a general idea of how each student is going and how I can be of help to him/her. This way I can encourage them as needed. I don't always get to all of them but I do get to the majority and am able to help them move toward their career goals.
Gary
I found the module was exceptional in conveying the importance for the instructor to remember the human factor when teaching a class. I believe that embracing the human factor by reaching out to your students will improve your ability to enhance the educational journey that each student has undertaken when attending the class. In addition, understanding the human factor and using techniques such as emotional intelligence improves your ability of tearing down invisible barriers that the learners may have in place in order to help them gain the maximum value from each lesson. This in turn will improve student retention levels in the class.
Hi Angela,
You make a good point about the need for encouragement and support. Many of our students come into the classroom carrying heavy loads and the more we can help them to see their future the more motivated they will be.
Gary
I am one who has difficulty remembering names. So when I am using my technique for remembering names, I invite the students to do the same along with me. I have found there are many students who have a similar problem and they are being helped and engaged at the same time. Everybody likes hearing their name several times, and it builds rapport quickly.
I believe I am a fair and caring instructor. One of our evaluation questions asks for student rating on fair and caring. Answers are anonymous. I generally receive high scores, but I also get 1 or 2 low scores/25 responses. My question - is it better for me to know who these students are, so I can give more attention? My workplace says don't worry, but, I think these may be the students who do drop out. Perhaps I could have prevented this. What do you think?
I've encountered many students who experience crises during their school enrollment. For some students, the best option is to drop from school and re-enter at a later date. For many, if they can just "hang in there", the crisis soon resolves. These are the students that usually need a bit of extra encouragement and positive reinforcement, as well as occasional opportunities just to vent!
All students need our encouragement and support. Allowing them to see us as real, caring people simply makes us more believable in the classroom.
The "Human Factor" is quite important in student retention. In knowing that the online environment differs from a typical collegiate setting, I exercise patience with all of my students. I seek to motivate my students through positive and timely feedback. It is my desire for students to feel personally changed by their participation in a course I am teaching. In order to do so, I feel it is imperative to learn about the students. In listening to their experiences, it has helped me consider new and creative ways to make the course material relevant and interesting.
Setting up a learning environment is more than a lesson plan and syllabus. If the instructor isn’t honest and real the student can see it. Then you are just trying to play a character and it comes off as a bad joke at their expense. If the students don’t believe in the instructor they shut down and learning stops. Therefore there is no retention.
I always stand at my classroom door and greet each student. In the online world, I always begin emails with students' names.
Hi Jacqueline,
This is a good way to set the stage for your students. They know you are there to help them and that you are going to treat them as the adults they are. In return you expect them to put forth the effort to be successful in the course. This creates a win win for everyone if they follow through with their part of the agreement.
Gary
Understanding that your course is only one part in the whole make up of an adult student’s world, helps keep effects in perspective. The final goal is the retention of the student not their failure.
The human factor is incredibly important in both face to face and online learning. The online situation presents its own problems for this, as no one can actually see each other. I do my best to be available via email and phone, and let my students know this, so that they feel comfortable contacting me. I send weekly reminders each week to students I did not see in the participation. I use "thank you" and "take care" when applicable.
