Get Your Students Hired
It is important to prevent student anxiety for some, and to help students to be aware of areas to concentrate on.
Jamie,
Good post. Students begin their classes and make various degrees of progress until they begin to receive feedback from their instructor. That feedback can be very encouraging and supportive to the level of motivating students to put in the needed effort for improvement, or inspiring for good students to keep up their good work. Either way, feeback about progress is as important as the delivery of instruction.
Barry Westling
Keeping students informed of their status at all times helps them to see the progress they are making and where they may need to put in more effort. It also shows that you as an instructor care about their educational progress enough to keep them informed and invested in the course.
Also, sharing course progress with the students opens up another avenue for students to ask for extra help and direction.
I agree with that, its lets them know how their doing and what they need to improve on.
Stephanie,
If we want to measure learning there are alternate methods to do that that are acceptable. We just need to make sure that the alternate way is fair, accurate, and doesn't give the student an unfair advatage over other students.
Barry Westling
I agree with you, Deborah. I recently had a student who had severe test taking anxiety to where she would literally pull her hair during the tests. But I make sure I create other opportunities for students to demonstrate their grasp of course content, including projects and informal discussions.
Richard,
I think providing encouragement and recognition is nearly always a motivator. I try to do that each time I meet with students and when done with sincerity, it is always received well, even if I have to also share grade information that needs improvement. That personal, one-on-one discussion time is very important in establishing a good rapport.
Barry Westling
It is important to keep the student informed of their progress so that they are not surprised later on to find out that they are lacking in progress through the class. The student needs to be made aware of their status so that they can communicate any difficulties that they may be having in understanding the class or in the opposite to let them know that they are doing great and to keep them motivated and excited about learning. Those students can often help to motivate a student who is lacking and perhaps find a way to help them that you may not have thought of. Motivation is the key factor.
Curtis,
I believe this is true. I would add that when sharing grade information is a perfect time to encourage, support, and show we care by giving proven advice and suggestions for improvement.
Barry Westling
students need to know how they are doing all during the course so they can enjoy the successes and work harder on areas that need extra work !
Larry,
I think students should know what to expect from day one of the course via discussion and as described in their syllabus. Status information should be information that helps students determine how close (or distant) they are from achieving the level of performance they desire, along with the instructors opportunity to provide feedback, constructive advice, support, and suggestions for getting to the students destination.
Barry Westling
Tom,
Of course not everyone will have a sense of accomplishment (those that may be doing poorly), but that doesn't mean we can't offer support and caring words of encouragement. Our advide and suggestions to pull up a grade can demonstrate that the instructor has interest in the student's success. And that can be a motivating experience.
Barry Westling
If they have a sense of accomplishment on the material already covered they will remain motivated to continue on into new areas. If they know where they stand they can judge for them selves there progress and understanding.
Angel,
When traveling, we use maps, navigation, landmarks, and signs to keep us on track. In school, it's kind of the same thing. Students need feedback in order to know how close, how far, or how apart they are in completing their courses satisfactorily or very successfully. This activity is one that helps them know if and/or to what degree they are on track.
Barry Westling
It is important for a student to know their progression because it allows him or her to work on areas that might be weak. I want my students to be successful, and this seems to be necessary in order to meet this goal.
John,
You're right. And this is a very nice feeling when a student experiences it.
Barry Westling
To take it a step further, carefully going over each question / problem can be a positive learning experience for students. You will get a lot of "...aha,I get it know!" This also gives the student the satisfaction of knowing he / she will probably not miss that point again.
Jeff,
Right. We all perform better when we have the necessary information to make decisons and act on our own behalf. When students have current information they are able to make judgements about how to cultivate the best strategies for study, improvements, or adjustments to plans towards the goal of successful achievement in the course.
Barry Westling
Keeping students informed about their grades and status helps them track their own progress and keep track of upcoming assignments and course work. This also allows them to focus on particular items at specific times.