Addressing Student Fears
What activities are you currently including in your orientations that address student fears?
We have webinars, seminars and open days before the start of classes.
The main idea is to answer all their questions. It's hard to break the ice at formal events, but these "casual" activities allow know each other much better.
I thin that this sounds like a lot of fun and anything that can be done to motivate the students to get involved on campus is great!
Roger,
That is wonderful! So many times, we forget to be really proactive with these issues and they make such a difference in the student being able to persist.
Susan Backofen
Many of our students are jobless, have children and even in some cases homeless. We have partnered with many local non-profit organizations that we can refer our students to. We changed our Mission to include the statement "....we further strive to help our students grow and develop as individuals to become happy and productive members of their families and communities.".
Every employee believes that statement. All of our staff and administration have strong relationships with many of our students. We truly are a "School that cares" and we have seen retention grow because of the extra services, even outside of our institution, that we are able to help our students with.
I always remind them that they are not the only ones starting class for the first time everyone in their class is coming for the first time this lets them know they are not alone with their fears of fitting in that this is new to the entire class,and I let them know its okay to be nervous but also assure them they i will be here to assist them every step of the way so they know they are not alone in their process.I also maintain a relationship with them during their entire time even if i just give them a friendly hello or how's things going.
One of the fears is being able to understand the material. We share at orientation that our school offers free tutoring for all subjects from instructors and prior students. We encourage them to take advantage as soon as they are stressed and share success stories of students who have raised their grades.
During the 1st orientation Administration goes over rules, regulations, what to expect on campus and so forth. Then when they get to each class they are given a review of what was said during orientation and then they are given an overview of the class they are currently in. There are also student body mentors that are available to each student as well as faculty advisors for each student.
That professional counseling for various issues is available.
That tutoring is available for free and encouraging students to seek it and as often as they need to do so.
That there is an open door policy where the students should feel comfortable to address any issues that they have with their instructors, Program Directors, Director of Education, etc.
Present guidelines, standards, and expectations upfront at Orientation with reinforcement provided by information on a USB drive we give them at Orientation that provides documents they can refer to if they have questions and don't want to ask someone else first.
In our breakout sessions, we have students currently enrolled in the programs as well as graduates in the field for new students to meet and talk with regarding the school, their program, and career counseling services.
The Program Directors also meet with the specific program groups in this meeting, giving the new students specifics on class requirements, services provided, and what they can expect as far as courses required, hours to complete program, reviews offered for certifications, and other items relevant to their matriculation.
In our general session, we point out our open door policy, discuss the advisability of seeking tutoring early and often, maintaining attendance as part of the success quotient, and discuss activities that the students will expect to have occur, including and awards and recognition ceremonies we hold. We address the idea that their success is first and foremost. The Administrative Academic Team is introduced and we talk a little about what we do to assist them while they are enrolled, encouraging them to understand that they should not hesitate to seek assistance from any of us for what they might need.
In regards to activities, awards, and recognitions, what are some things you might recommend to enhance what we already do.
We have A Student Advisor/Counselor. We hold Award ceremonies where award certificates for President's, Dean's, and Honor's List, as well as Perfect and Exemplary Attendance. We also do a Student of the Quarter rotating between departments for students that show outstanding achievement, attitude, service to the students and the school, etc. We provide faculty tutoring as well as Peer Tutors. The Library is an Enrichment Center where the tutors work, computers are accessible and all library resources are available. There are even weekend hours offered.
Do you have other ideas which we might implement to enhance our students' collegiate experience?
We reassure students that they are not alone in their andevor to achieve success in their chosen field.We, as faculty make sure the students are made aware that before and after class, I as well as other faculty are available to lend an ear so to speak with concerns pertaining to class or on personal matters which many times is the case.
We are supposed to have a class discussion (it is part of the provided talking points) This would be excellent except for two things: #1 our live sessions are not required so very few students show up. #2 In that first meeting, many students are too uncomfortable to share. It ends up coming up in the class several times until the students are comfortable. The problem is that many are lost before we reach that point.
We introduce members of the executive team and each person explains a little bit about their department and how each supports the students.
We recently started having break-out sessions with each program director. The program directors thoroughly describe the program and answer specific questions.
Students may not ask questions in a larger forum, but when they break-out with their PD, they often ask more questions specific to their programs.
We try to make orientation fun while also setting clear expectations for students--I tell students that our middle name is 'Career' and that's what we are about--helping them reach their dream career!
I give the new students the tours to various of the Kitchen classes and let them feel comfortable by expalning how to get things ready for their classes
Anthony--
Telling stories and giving personal tips is wonderful! I am sure you students appreciate the humor and 'real life' experiences.
Susan
I usually discuss the fears I had in school and how I went about dealing with them. I give a few pointers and give a joke or two to them. I will give them a few get to know you and me type exercises. I also explain to them what I expect from them and what they should expect from me.
Good afternoonn Susan,
one of the things that i do si try to find out what is the fear about, and what i found out is that 90% of the students have fear of failling, fear of a new environment, fear of new people, etc. so first thing i do on the first day of class is introduce myself and have the students introduce themself and then i tell them that being in school is one of the best things that could happend top them because they will be prepared for success in their professional life.
i would give examples of how their career will make an impact in their lives.
I concur with all of the points that you stated. I think it is important that the message being delivered is sincere. The students are excited and nervous about taking this first step and they have an preconceived idea as to how this is going to improve their current situation. Therefore, they want or expect the institution to treat them with respect, be honest with them and live up to your reputation or what was promised.
During orientation I try to make myself as approachable as possible. If we come off arrogant or detached it can add to the stress of starting a new chapter in the students life. It is important that the transition ot college is made smoothly so that the student is less likely to drop out.
The orientation process at the school is very detailed,and gives the students a lot of information,inorder to reduce their fear s.
At orientation they show the students a video which shows footage of all the important faculty staff,and what they are in charge of,they show who they should contact when they have a problem, or need guidance.They have an open door policy so the student feels comfortable seeking help.
the video shows classroom settings with classes being held,so that the student knows what to expect.the video shows all the campus facilities to familirize them with the new environment.Students are taking on a physical tour of the campus explaining in details and allowing students to ask questions.
I feel that the school does alot to ensure that the students feel well informed and comfortable in their new classes.
