Hi Crystal,
I understand about night classes. The instructor must be creative with their teaching at night in order to keep the students engaged. Generally, night students are already tired from working all day. It is nice whenever the atmosphere is fun and up beat; you won't have anyone fall asleep.
Patricia
I strongly believe in attempting to make a class comfortable by making it fun. This is as simple as making light hearted competitive games (always team against team--not individual competitions which can be threatening)incorporating the material into common formats. I use a Jeopardy game to reinforce basic writing skills. We wrie floating paragraphs where partners write the thesis and pass their paragraph around until it gets back to the original writers for the conclusion. I have a bag of props,a deck of cards, and a bell to run up an ding. It is amazing all the tedious material a class can master without realizing how hard they really are working. It is especially helpful with four night classes.
Hi Peggy,
I can see how you get your students to buy in. I bought in simply from reading your response. I can feel your enthuiasm in your response. Students like to hear about our practical experiences.
Patricia
I get buy in from my students by letting them know I was there once too. I talk about my struggles and also my accomplishments. I am excited about what I teach and I express it in the stories that I use to introduce myself. This opens the door to discussion. Once I say a few things about my experiences they start to tell me theirs and before you know it everyone is involved in an excited discussion. Very fun!
It is definitely how you are perceived that helps the buy in! Peg
Hi Cynthia,
I always want my students to challenge me because it makes me a better instructor. I know that based on the challenges that I must be fully prepared and ready at all times because I never know what the challenge will be.
Patricia
Hi Gregory,
Absolutely! Students want to and need to know how applicable the concepts are. Once they learn that they are applicable to their career, there is an automatic attachment.
Patricia
I teach a class where a Service Learning project is required. To get buy in from students, I allow them to select a project of their choosing, within the general criteria imposed by the college, rather than assigning specific projects. I allow the students to decide if they want to work as a class or in smaller groups depending on the issues they wish to address in the project. To begin this process, I give short lessons on goal setting and critical thinking. They brainstorm. I relate these activities to not only the project but to the work setting. Throughout the term, I give short-lessons on such things as teams, leadership, etc. I facilitate and manage the groups' progress yet allow them the freedom to choose, plan, execute, etc. This can be a painful and long process but it allows for students to participate and prepare themselves for actual team settings, with the inherent successes and failures that come with them.
buy in from students can also be accomplished by connecting the educational goal to a real world situation to show how the information will be useful after graduation
I have found that, by example, my students follow my passion as they create their own identity in our field. In healthcare, both knowledge, clinical application and compassion are all essential. You must show that can deliver yourself. Surely, they will challenge your academic mettle and good for them if you encourage that!
Hi Roy,
What an awesome strategy! I like how the assignment is simple enough to obtain a perfect score. This is certainly a great way to get students to buy in.
Patricia
I've found that one way of getting buy in is to make sure students have a successful first assignment. An information card filled out by the students is an example. The student earns a perfect score when submitting the card. Now the student has an "A" and will work to defend that grade.
Hi Beatrice,
I firmly believe that enthusiasm starts from the top. Generally, if the instructor is excited, most students will be excited. I like the idea of wearing bright colors on the first night; it definitely is an attention getter. I make it a point to wear a suit on the first day of class; I want to look the part.
Patricia
I am enthusiastic, always wear bright colors the first night of class, move around a little, and talk about how one can never take away one's education.
Hi Roger,
I include humor that is mandated by your employer, but we are going to have fun. The WIIFM is simple in this case, they must do it if they want to stay employed with the company.
Patricia
Hi Terry,
It will always be the handful that want to buck the requirements. These students need to understand that guidelines will be given in the workplace, and it does not matter what their thoughts are, they are to abide by the guidelines or else...
Patricia
Patricia,
During the first class meeting, I tell the students stories of how the course topic has related to me experience working for a large corporation and, or, how it has applied to my own small business. During the course I reinforce how the topic relates to real life practicality by making assignments that require the students to apply the topic knowledge or skills as they would use them in life or on the job.
I also have a discussion about the value of writing well and how following the school requirement to use APA relates to real world jobs.
In spite of these practices, I seem to have one or two students who are not open to new knowledge, they resist the concept of research (they write papers about what they believe or their experience, but do not want to do the slightest research, and some would rather take a lower grade and complain about the ridicules APA requirement than follow the provided template.
Terry
Hi Terry,
What do you typically do to get buy ins from your students?
Patricia
I work primarily with adult learners and mostly they are self motivated and want to learn. The exception is when they are attending mandated compliance training classes. Many times these courses have been completed before. The answer to WIIFM is difficult, sometimes it is: because your employer has paid for you to be here, or because you need it to keep your job. Not very elegant, but motivation in a direct manner.
What methods have you used to help motivate and answer the WIIFM question in this situation?
Interesting idea; thank you. I might expand that to include how the course will help them in their career and how they will be receptive or open minded to new ideas or how they might challenge their current knowledge about the subject matter. --Terry
Hi Hector,
You have it, students must understand how the knowledge will help them in the workplace. Once students gain this understanding, any course is an automatic buy in.
Patricia
