motivating students to complete homework on time
I have been having trouble motivating students to complete their homework on time. Many of the students I work with have full time jobs and children to compete with their time. I have noticed that the people who do not put the time in outside of class are not able to do well in the course.
E Marshall
Hi Amy,
You are doing the right things concerning time lines and assignments. You have encountered a common problem that all instructors have. The students do not value the points or grade enough to get the assignments in on time as evidenced by three of them not turning the assignment at all. In you syllabus you should have a clear policy about what happens if assignments are not turned in on time or turned in at all. They are testing you to see if you will keep with your policies. To regain control of the situation I believe you are going to have to explain that the students missed the deadline and will not receive and points for the assignment. Once the class starts to get the idea that you are firm on your requirements they will come around. There will always be several that will be looking for exceptions but you can consider these on a case by case basis if you wish.
Gary
I have noted that the students who carefully review the syllabus and realistically examine the requirements are better able to self manage their time. This is despite many also working full or near full time. Those who are unrealistic and expect to complete all preparation in one night will be incomplete. I hope that I am modeling the self organization.
I also have a detailed syllabus with dates, assignments, objectives. In addition, there are weekly 5 point quizzes. The quizzes were added to keep students from lagging too far behind. Unfortunately, I have at least 4 students who did not turn in an assignment on time. One has turned it in a day late, the others are outstanding.
Every class I reviewed the assignment, the expectations, the due date and offered assistance with understanding of the detailed instructions.
Overall, am trying to treat the students as adults. The timelines are to assist with organizational skills.
Can you think of anything I should be doing differently to improve the compliance with on-time completion?
One thing that I have done to help with this is spend some class time explaining my gradebook/grading process. Many students don't really understand how grading works and how much late or unfinished assignments can affect their grade.
For instance, I might write on the board every major assignment for the quarter and its corresponding point value. Then, I demonstrate how much the overall points for the quarter can be affected by even one or two missed or late assignments. I do this by erasing several of the point values and cutting them in half (my late policy involves awarding half points for late work), and then showing how this affects the total for the quarter. They quickly get the idea that even one or two missed or late assignments can push them automatically out of 'A' contention.
I think this is effective because students tend to think that missing a few assignments early in the quarter/semester (or turning a few in late) isn't a big deal because they have the rest of the quarter/semester to make up for it. This helps them to visualize how big of a difference these missed/late assignments really do make.
In one of my classes, there are already a number of students who have turned in little or no homework. How do I keep those students motivated once they realize they have already impacted their final grade in a big way?
In my fashion design classes I constantly talk about how every assignment can be utilized in different ways. Examples: a starting point for a page in their portfolio, inspiration for sketches for a different class , Inspiration for a more complicated design that they will learn how to develop in a future class, the focal point for a design idea that may relate to a subject in one of there general education courses- (example, if in their history class they are studying the rennaisance period ,relate that to an assignment in textiles class , then maybe sketch a garment inspired by that time frame for their design class. I have found that when career based students see that the assignment is useful , they take more interest in it.
We have the same issues at our school quite often with students not completing homework on time or even at all. Sometimes the percent is so high that it could fail a student if not completed.
I try to make the homework as relevant to the test questions as possible, almost a “study guide” of some of the most important or key questions on the test. When I let the students know that it will help them on the test that sometimes works. You will always have students that are uninterested in doing the homework no matter what the point value or relevance is.
I agree that clear expectations are key, as mentioned above. If you set the bar at "no late work," and explain why this is important, students will rise to the expectations you set.
Also, we ALL have competing uses of our time, whether we are talking about homework or anything else. Time management is a required life skill. When giving the first assignment, I like to give some pointers on how it can be completed most efficiently and effectively.
I do different things depending on the type of homework assignment. If it's a reading assignment I try to make it less than 10-15 pages I may even tell the students to pay special attention to a few particular topics. I often have a pop quiz over the assignment and will even mention be ready for a quiz.
If the assignment is to be turned in I give them several day to complete and remind them daily with a note on the board. I have a policy of not excepting late work, which does motivate them. I also ask them how they are doing with the assignment and if they need help. I talk about it a lot so it is top of mind. If time permits I will let them work on it in class.
At the start of each quarter, I hand out a class calendar which outlines assignments and tests as well as their due dates. I also hold strong to a "no late work accepted" policy. Because my students know what is expected of them ahead of time, they are usually fairly good at completing everything on time. Group projects can also be motivating.
i take time for my students to work on homework during break or end of class to help them get started and show them how important and i make it fun.
Mrs. Kim
I have found that if homework represents a fairly large percentage of the grade (30% or so) that students will do the work.
Homework is really a tool to assess competency. I work that competancy into my instructional delivery.
If you can stress how important the class is to their near future, at the end or start of each class that might improve with the homework motavation
