Hi Walter,
This approach is good because you need to have balance in your learning groups. That way everyone can benefit from being in a group as well as contribute.
Gary
The courses that I teach are core courses in a lock-step program. Having said that, it should be noted that every student is not enamored with each course class, so motivation to learn about programming to 70% graphics students is always a challenge. The field is relatively broad, so many students do not see themselves interfacing with the subject matter.
Many students are kinesthetic learners. So the course is a mixture of lectures, PowerPoint, reading and programming examples as well as labs.
In career colleges it is essential that the delivery of course content meet real world industry expectations. I teach a class on ethics and I tell the students the first day of class that one of my objectives is to sensitize students to the ethical issues that they will be exposed to when they enter their professions. To accomplish this I have each student bring in a current event to discuss with the class. The intent is to have students discussing issues that are going on in the world experiences.
i find out some of the previous experiences my students have, and then i match them up accordingly. i never match up strong students with strong, i like to mix them up fairly even
Hi Kerry,
Congratulations on doing a great job of engaging students in the online learning process. I am always amazed that students find the material we present them is meaningful. I wonder sometimes what they think we are doing when we present our content. Like we come up with this material from out of no where when in fact we have a planned and organized sequence to instruction. Surprise the content can help them realize their career goals.
Keep up the good work.
Gary
Hi Gary,
I've developed an "Webinar" to try to help students understand how these types of courses can/do offer some educational "Bang for the Buck!"
Interestingly enough, by the end of each quarter, most students report that the material was not only interesting, but meaningful!!!!!!
Hi James,
Way to bring the real world into the classroom. This is making the course content come alive as a result of the relevancy that you are showing them.
Gary
I use my laptop and a projector when introducing a new concept in a computer course. I find that the students who usually work at their own pace, will stop and follow along with me as I demonstrate. This gets the entire class involved and it is very effective too.
Yes, you're right. I always ask my students this question: What are you going to offer the world so that the world will offer you a living? Napoleon Dynamite was right, bless his heart...a person needs skills.
I like to use a current event item to start a class, particularly if it relates to material we have or are about to cover. It establishes that what we are doing is relevant and grabs their attention. If you are teaching business/economic courses, this isn't hard to do.
Hi Kerry,
You raise one of the developing questions in the career college industry. For many years there were not gen ed courses required but that have slowly been added for a variety of reasons not understood by everyone. This is not an answer to the question your students raised but one that is ongoing for us in the field to consider. "Just how much general education is needed by career college students?"
Any input and comments on this area are welcome.
Gary
Hi Steven,
You make a number of very good points about how to keep students engaged in the learning process. As you say fear is one of those. A point I push is having multiple skills sets to be able to be mobile once they graduate. This helps to capture their attention as well.
Gary
Interestingly, the majority of courses I teach are in General Ed.
I find that in the "Career College" environment, the content relevance of such coursework is an ongoing question for students--especially at times when tuition payment comes due.
Students often, and legitimately, question why courses such as Humanities, Art and Film are part of the curriculum at all.
The biggest challenge is convincing them that they all need to upgrade their skills in order build a more secure future. Doing so requires a lot of work, and let's face it, no one really wants to take on more work. Thankfully fear is a wonderful motivator, and most move ahead, albeit reluctantly at times. They know too many people who are out of work right now, people who thought their job was secure.
Hi Steven,
Talk about real life! You are in the middle of it with the course you teach. If you students can't see application and relevancy to your course then they aren't going to ever get it.
What is your biggest challenge you face with students enrolled in this course based upon today's economy?
Gary
I teach a class designed to help young women and men find the career they will find the most satisfying and then show them how to go about getting a job in that particular field. All of the assignments are "real world" assignments, such as how to write a letter of inquiry about a particular employment position, how to apply for that position, how to interview for that position, and how to accept that position. My students are motivated to learn because they know that they can use what I am teaching to add value to their lives...immediately!
Hi Maria,
You are doing a great job of personalizing your instruction to meet the individual needs of your students. No matter what field they are in they can find some application to themselves. Keep up the good work.
Gary
I find it is important on the first day of class to have each student introduce themselves and tell the class which program they are in. This helps to give me guidance on how to present the course information to the group.
If I have students from multiple programs, I will use examples in class lecture and demonstrations that apply to each of those groups. I will also have them apply the course information to their area of study when they are doing a research paper or other group assignment.
In many of my classes I have students interview a professional in their field, observe their chosen profession, or in some other fashion participate in their chosen profession from the lens of the course material. They then, in some fashion, whether through discussion, writing, a presentation, etc., reflect on how the course content directly relates to their future.
Hi Catherine,
I bet your students really like to do this. This gives them a chance to have input plus bring relevant topics to the classroom.
Gary
