Reasons for Enrolling
How will knowing why students have enrolled in your program help you to plan your instruction?
Well said, Khalid. When a student shares why he/she enrolled not only I but the other students benefit. Similar goals surface which helps connect students to each other.
I agree with you. Knowing not just the immediate goals but future aspirations as well, helps me to give the students more direction in my lectures. It also helps me to give more indivdual direction to the students, to help them stay on the right path.
Patricia,
Right you are. The more we know the more we can customize our instruction to support them and their learning efforts.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Students have many reasons for enrolling in school. In order to plan your instructions you need to know what motivates them, what level of education they already possess and what they are prepared to do in order to excell. Learn their study habits, job, family and personal time.
Sophia,
Good point about knowing why the students are in school and what their career goals are. This way we can customize our instruction to support them as they progress through the content.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
By understanding why students have returned to school the instructor can relate the material to these reasons. Not only can the course material be discussed but also how it relates to "the Real world."
Michael,
Attempt to bring in activities that will engage them. Do a good job of preparing and being enthusiastic about what you are offering. The fact is some students will never put forth any effort in the class even though they are paying money and preparing for their future. I am always disappointed when I have students like this and I talk with them to see how I might be able to motivate them and their efforts. Sometimes this works and other times it doesn't. At the end of the class I do know this and that is I have done my best as a professional educator to provide high quality instruction to everyone that is enrolled. It is up to them to put forth the effort and if they fail they have failed due to their lack of effort not my lack of effort.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
In spite of their lack of desire, they are enrolled in class. Do you have any suggestions on how to motivate them and keep them engaged in class?
knowing why they enrolled will also help to know if they are even intrested and if they really want to know what they are about the subject
Joseph,
I like having this information as well. It helps me to zero in on supporting each student when I have such knowledge.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
It helps me understand someones motivation for being in school, do they have any prior experience in the field, or is this a totally new path that they have chosen.
Knowing the students' socio-economic as well as education back ground goes a long way in developing not only the repore with a student but allows us as instructors to better tailor our teaching to their educational needs.
Beth,
Our job as educators is never boring that is for sure. The diversity of backgrounds and life experiences that bring students to our classes is always a learning experience for me. There are so many different reasons for being in class as you mention. The key is to connect to those reasons and then build an educational plan for each student. The ones that are there under force are the most challenging but if you can connect with them and they catch fire about the class than it is fun to see them progress.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Knowing why a student has enroll for the program is important for the instructor to know.There are many reasons a student willl enroll in a career college. I have taught students from 17 to 66 years old and eveyone had different reasons for why they wanted the career.
Their parents made them, Starting a new career after a lay off, Applied for one program, and did not pass the the enrollment test and went into another program, Newly divorced and stayed home raising kids or they have dreamed about this career their whole life.
The students that wanted to be in the class and are excited about the class wants extra work and are excited about learning beyond the books and lectures. The others that are "forced" to be there need to be motivated more than the other students to find their place in that career, to be sucessful.
If you know why your students are there then you can address what questions they may have. If it is brand new to them or if they already have a history with the material will make a big difference in the pace of the class.
Jumana,
I agree with you about the value of knowing why student have enrolled in the course. This information is a valuable way to connect with each student.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Knowing the reasons why a student enrolls in my school helps me identify the students goals, which allows me to structure my class to help these students obtain thier goals and objectives.
I ask the students to tell me about themselves and where they want to go in terms of their academic goals after they have finished the program. This also helps me develop a rapport with my students so they can come and talk to me if they have any issues. If I cannot solve it I will take help of my supervisor and we will be able to retain the students and not give them a chance to drop.
Knowing what students plan to do with their education, helps instructors bring out pertinent information that students can use.
Discovering why they enrolled in the program can give me a good idea of what their end-goals are and what they are expecting from the program. It also lets me know about their motivation for being there. Some students are quite focused and have a real desire to be in the program while others will need a lot more encouragement and support. This can all be incorporated into my planning and presentation for the course.
