Outline in the syllabus, place on the board, review each Monday. For example Thursday worksheets are due. next Monday is a quiz etc...
I supply a due date calander for the assignments for the course. It would include homework assigments, group assignments, upcoming papers/quizes. The next weeks assignment will be posted on the board and electronically.
Hi Madelaine,
This is a good practice to utilize to provide clarity
Patricia Scales
What I'm going to do is to give out a schedule of events. The hand outs will state what will be covered in each class session, assignments or homework to be submitted and the dates they are expected to return the homework for grading.
Hi Kathleen,
I have encountered this as well. Most of our students need to be reminded constantly. Students must realize in the real world you are told one time to do something, and you will be held accountable without constant reminders.
Patricia Scales
I have found that no matter how much emphasis I put on dates at the beginning of class (even taking time in class to create a calendar as a group) I still need to go over requirements on a daily basis. They have a syllabus, calendar, at-a-glance and yet, I must use the whiteboard daily to keep them on track.
In my syllabus, I include all of the course requirements. There is also a tentative schedule with assignments and due dates. At the end of each class, I remind students of what topic we will be covering the following class and I remind them of any upcoming assignments (orally and written on the board). If my class is a lecture, I always start my Powerpoint with a title page that summarizes what topic we are discussing.
I teach Lab and several other classes. I give each student a packet about the class, with a schedule of what we will be covering each day and when quizes or assignments are due. I always tell them in class when the next quiz will be and remind them to look at there schedule. This has worked very well for me the students are more prepared for their quizes and most of them get their homework in on time.
The syllabus includes a week-by-week breakdown of what will be covered and when assignments are due, etc. so I thouoght it was very clear. However, I found that students tended to put the syllabus away and then not refer to it, so they didn't remember what was due at the end of the first week.
I asked them what I could give them to help them stay on top of these things, thinking that they would know best what has worked for them in other courses. The consensus was that they like a simple list with dates, that they can keep handy at the front of their binders. The result - I printed a one page schedule in the form of a table, with due date in one column and what was actually due in the next column. At the bottom of the page I reminded them about the penalty for overdue assignments. The students loved this, and it has kept everyone on track (so far!!).
Course requirements clearly explained in the course syllabus. Give examples showing the impact on a person's grade if they fail parts of the requirement. At the beginning of the second week have students do a short worksheet over the course syllabus to reinforce the major points and requirements of the course.
For each assignment the student is given a packet of directions and how that assignment will be assessed. In addition multiple examples of that assignment are presented to the class. Finally we discuss why we were doing the assignment in relationship to the real world application.
Hi Robert,
Calendars are extremely helpful to students. Calendars help keep students on track.
Patricia Scales
I usually tell my students when the assignments are due, but making a calendar hand-out is an excellent idea.
Hi Mary,
Awesome! Rubrics provide great clarity for students. Rubrics let students know exactly what they need to do to do well. With a rubric students should have a real good idea of what their grade will be before submitting their work.
Patricia Scales
The course requirements are stated as objectives in the course syllabus. All assignements are also accompanied by a grading rubric, so there is no room for confusion.
Making the course requirements clear for the student is essential. In many of my sylabi I place the grades vaules and course work in a box to specify the importance to the course. I will enficize them during class Welcome.
Hi Kelly,
You make good use of the visual aid, the whiteboard, to ensure your students can see exactly what is expected of them.
Patricia Scales
I use the whiteboard to list class requirements for the day:
Homework/reading assignments due
What materials we will cover today
What handouts/videos we will cover
What labwork will be covered
Hi Jennifer,
You do a fine job of making requirements clear to your students. You give reminders, which is a plus. Some instructors will tell their students only one time and that is it.
Patricia Scales
Hi Jacqueline,
Students love being reminded! I too remind my students. I am more at peace with myself when I remind my students and then they don't come through. They have no one to blame but themselves.
Patricia Scales
I plan to outline the course requirements in the syllabus, remind the class verbally with new assignments, and also include requirements for specific assignments when the assignment is provided to the students. If there is a problem with students struggling or not fulfilling the course requirements, I plan to remind the class of them, if necessary.
