When addressing challenges it is important that the student is able to find a solution that suits their situation, and not something you as the Rep come up with for them.
Making introductions to faculty and staff during the tour and allowing the prospective student to observe a class are all great practices. How do you determine who you will introduce during a tour?
The tours I have found most useful are my professors and students. While on tour I will let the prospective student sit briefly in a classroom and listen & watch the interacting student teachers.
Thank you for sharing these great tools Susan. It looks like the institution you described was very student focused and eager to partner with the student when addressing challenges. How do you think that impacted the success of the student once they were enrolled at the institution?
Coming from a distance education background, the tools we used were a little bit different than the ones mentioned, but ultimately produced the same result. We offered students an interest-free monthly tuition payment plan. This allows for students to work the monthly amount into their budget and hopefully not create too much of a financial burden. We were also a liberal arts university and the degrees do not point to one specific job, but students would learn valuable skills which can be used at various jobs. Also, because our school was unique and telephone discussion-based, we offered a free quarterly discussion which allowed prospective students to participate with faculty and current/graduated students to get a feel for the curriculum and teaching methodologies. All of these tools helped to address individual student's concerns about the program and to see if they had the time to commit to their studies.
That's a smart approach. What types of questions do you ask to help address the challenges your students face?
I listen, acknowledge and ask questions to better help the student.
Jeff, that's a great point. A lot of students, no matter old or young want to find someone that they will be able to connect with at school. I think you are using the right tools here.
Dr. Jean Norris
I agree having the options available to offer to students is powerful. Most of the time students are just not aware of what is available to them to overcome thier Challenges.
I work with our online division and work with Adult students that have multiple commitments. Many times they think they are an exception and that they won't be in class with others with similar situations as them. I find that using Emotional Intelligence works in a lot of situations with these students. It is encouraging for them to learn that they will be in class with others who are going through a similar process as them whether it's: having been out of school for a while, working FT, or being "older" there will be someone that they can make a connection with.
Hi Michelle,
I ageree with you that it would be helpful to have some examples or potential earnings for some of the specific degree programs offered. In module one, one of the suggestions was to use statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Do you think this will be a helpful tool?
Hi John,
I agree with you that the validating, normalizing, and neutralizing method works great. It is very similar to the method we have been using and have been receiving additional training on: the feel, felt, found method. It really works well with over-the-phone conversations with students since we cannot read body language.
I typically try to make sure that I understand the challenge first. Then I try to use the Feel, Felt, Found method of relating with the student. It is similar to the Acknowledge, Normalize, and Neutralize method discussed in this module. It works the same and an example would be if a student is feeling nervous about going back to school because it has been a long time, I would say something along the lines of “So what I am hearing you say is that you feel nervous about going back to school because it has been a while since you have taken classes. Many of our students have felt the same way, but what they have found is that once they get started again, they often wonder why they waited so long to get started.†It doesn’t work with everyone but it can be a powerful way to show empathy/understanding while helping the student overcome his or her challenge.
Hannah, great point. I think that's where people in the industry have gotten in trouble in the past.
Dr. Jean Norris
I also provide a list of resources to my students who are concerned over the price of their books. Over time our staff has compiled a list of websites where discounted books are available. My students are often pleasantly surprised by how much they can save by purchasing their books from one of these resources. My list also includes some free and subscription websites that assist students with the writing style. New students find it to be such a relief to have these resources at their fingertips, allowing them to focus more on the course material. When I have a student who is worried about their writing skills, I refer them to the Writing Lab on our website, and occasionally to a speech-to-text software that takes the fear out of writing their first papers.
Thanks for this idea, Luz! Sharing information from a 3rd party makes the information more credible, and helps the student to trust that I have their best interests at heart.
Most of the students I work with are working adults with full-time commitments to job and family. They want to be a student, but don't know how it can possible work. I love to describe for them what it is like to be in a class of their peers, engaging in meaningful discussions. I give them an idea of what will be expected of them each week and how the class can fit into the time-gaps provided by their busy schedule. Once they begin to visualize themselves as a successful student, they are more creative in overcoming their own obstacles, and are more forthcoming with challenges they need assistance with.
I agree Hannah. Asking questions that lead to the student having to think about their response and voicing it, often brings clarity to the student. Once they hear themself speak the words, it can bring clarity and confirmation.
I share the facts of our school which are attributes, however we do not use a very dynamic internal and external tools to encourage the student, I would like to see more of this and have those available to share with the student. At this time I will need to ask my Director and also research on my own. I would like more tools, because I am bored with the current ones I use.
Since our students are predominantely adults going back to school online, one of the greatest challenges is fear. They usually find it a great comfort just to know they are not alone, so I like to share stories of my former students who were in similar situations and felt the way they did, but succeeded in school!
