Knowing why students have enrolled can help give me an insight into their motivation. If I understand why they are choosing to attend college in the first place, I often can remind them of that motivation when things get tough or, better yet, relate their classroom learning to this objective in order to make course content relevant.
Jude,
As I teach a gen ed required course I can relate to your situation. Thank you for the comments about capturing student attention when it comes to courses like this. You are right it is a challenge because there are times the students do not see the connection between this required course and their career preparation no matter how many applications I make. The good news though is that for the majority of students they do see the connection and what hard at acquiring the information in the course so they will be more effective at both written and oral communication.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Gen Ed is an interesting case in this regard. I teach English to students who, whatever their motivation for enrolling in a career program, have made a choice to "upgrade" to a degree over certification. For them, Gen Ed classes are the hurdle they have to jump more than a direct choice. The challenge then is to find ways to relate the class content not only to their craft but also more generally to their lives -while still dealing with that underlying feeling of "I have to do this" that can obscure interest. The same thing applies in 4-year college with freshman composition classes. The difference I find in a career college is that some, at least, of the students are more motivated overall by their career goals - "whatever it takes." However, others do struggle to take the class seriously, or to understand it as more than a box to check. My challenge is to find ways to keep students interested in the class content for long enough to also convey that writing skills - and imaginative skills - have relevance.
Students enroll to further their education for a variety of reasons. It is important as the instructor to recognize and validate their goals and reason for enrolling. The instructor can guide and provide support and encouragement for students by reminding them why they enrolled in the first place.
Karl,
Like how you make a practical application for each student once you know why he or she is in the course. This is the foundation upon which you can build your rapport with your students and they in turn see the ROI that will come out of the course.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Getting a handle on what they want out of your course allows the instructor to lead by example. If a certification is a goal this is what I did to get there and here is what you need to do.Reasons for enrolling may vary but together we take this road to get to a successful career.
Bonnie,
I really like the way you use the life experiences of your students to encourage student support and interaction. By using this approach you are increasing the value of each student, not only in the class but to their classmates as well. This is a good lesson for them to learn as they are going to need to know how to work with others once they are in the workplace.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Knowing why students have enrolled in your program will help to plan instruction by understanding their previous life and work experiences that may have led them to their current career path. It will help to understand what is motivating them to succeed. It will also help in establishing a starting point for much of the instruction because many of the students in our Dental Hygiene program have had previous dental employment experiences. Some have had experience in the dental field through military service or in a private practice setting having worked as a dental assistant, administrative staff, or laboratory technician. These students already know a lot of the terminology and even more importantly they have had real life experiences dealing with patients in all types of situations. I certainly want to recognize the skill levels they bring with them so that I am not talking below their level of understanding. Also, I have found that they can help other students who do not have any dental experiences by sharing their knowledge, skills, and previous experiences that relate to what is being taught. Often the students with previous dental experience are great study-partners for students who may be struggling. It has also been my experience that students who have worked in the dental field previous to enrolling in our program are highly motivated to succeed because they understand what is involved in successful treatment of patients as it relates to becoming a Dental Hygienist.
Nicole,
You make a good and key point in relation to why students are enrolled. It is great when you can use the energy and drive of goal oriented students to help other students to see the value of the content and why they are in the class. This is especially true for students that are enrolled for reasons other than their own. They are often a challenge to get "buy in" from.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Students enroll in higher education for a number of different reasons. Some because their parents told them they needed to go to school or go to work, others because they are venturing into a new career path or continuing their education in their career in hopes of a promotion. Not that any one reason is better than another, but if I know my students are here because they want to be here and they are wanting to learn, I tend to focus my examples and such on their experiences or their current program or chosen career path. It helps to validate the material and how it relates to their chosen field.
Kyle,
Your effort to customize your instruction to your current students is reflective of a invested instructor and I commend you for that. The more you know about your students the more accurately you can provide instruction and support. Thank you for making this point so all of us instructors will make sure to secure all the information we can about our students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Knowing why students enrolled in my program will help me to plan my instruction because knowing why they are here is very important. For exmaple, I teach a course in chemistry. If all of my students were nursing students I might want to focus on things relevant to their field. If all of my students were in engineering I might want to focus on different topics. By tailoring a class to the students they are more likely to be excited about the class, thus more willing to work hard in it and succeed.
Jessica,
I think this is such valuable information to have for the reason you state. It is the foundation upon which you can build your relationship with students. This is how rapport is developed and student learning expands.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Before the student is enrolled I interview each prospective student and one of the first questions is why this program. Understanding why they are at this point in their life helps the instructor plan out a teaching environment that will help the student be as successful as possible.
Royace,
This is great information to have as it helps you when you do your instructional planning and content selection.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Understanding why a student enrolled help me to develop a plan for teaching each student.
Roxanne,
Great suggestion. I know this will be of value to other instructors, especially those that are just starting their teaching careers and are looking for ways to get students engaged.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Knowing why a student has enrolled will help direct my interaction with them. Most are here to develope the technical and academic skills that are required to obtain employment in today's market. Remembering why they enrolled in the first place will often help keep them on tract, even though those tough times when they may be discouraged.
Knowing why thy enrolled tells a lot about the student. It gives the instructor insight into their goals and allows us to use that information to keep them motivated and keep their "eye on the prize" so to speak.
This might be another suggestion to start off the new class ask the students what are 3 long term goals and 3 short term goals that they can achieve in enrolling in school. To see the goals achieved after a 3 and 6 mth. evaluation give students a reason to continue.
