I understand why you're posing this question and I believe in many career education programs it would be beneficial to know why students have enrolled.
In my particular circumstance, however, I have seen time and time again students who they themselves don't know why they have enrolled - or have enrolled simply to "try it out"
I teach at a culinary school with an open enrollment policy - if you can sign your name on a piece of paper to go into huge debt, than you can come to my school.
What that means for the classroom kitchen is that every six weeks I get a group of 32 students - some of whom definitely want to be there and learn culinary arts, and a few who have no idea what they've got themselves into.
Irrespective of why the student is there, I must teach a fast-paced curriculum so that students acquire the skills and competencies to move forward.
After just a few days of seeing students in the kitchen and evaluating their individual behaviors, I can tell who has enrolled with determination and seriousness, and who will succumb to the realization that this industry is not for him.
As previously stated, I cannot plan my instruction based on why students enrolled when many of them are so unsure of their education choice.
I've found that asking students about their motivations for being in the program help to make a class of individuals into more of a like-minded group. Many of the students will have similar motivations, and the discussion helps the students be more familiar with each other.
In addition, the responses I receive are often good lead-ins for discussion topics from the course.
Every student learns differently, and knowing why they are here can give you insite into how to reach them. A motivated student, here to improve their outcome is easier to reach out to. They are already vested in the program. A student here to keep their benefits from lapsing is much harder to reach. These students need the motivation to stay the course. An instructor can take a student "here because they have to be", and turn that around to "here becausse they want to be", by keeeping them motivated and showing them, the experience they gain here will not only help them in the workforce but in daily life. Then these students become vested and stay the course.
In the middle of the course, students tend to forget their original motivation. Knowing this helps the instructor to reinforce the reasons why individuals want to take the courses.
This will give me as an instructor information on how I can support them. For some students, taking my class may be part of the cirriculum and they may have no interest in the field itself but need to do well to graduate. Other students may be planning to go into the field that I am teaching or may already be in the field and this may be crucial to their knowledge base in their current role.
Personally, I like to specifically identify those students who just think they need "the piece of paper" so I can immediately make a mental note of challenging them to gain more from the course. I set goals like this for myself and the degree factory mentality is a prime motivator...vI find that mainly with the 18-20 year old students, and not quite as often with adult learners.
Hi Tommy,
Good point. I to like have these students in my class. They are excellent resources that we all can benefit from and it helps them to get settled into course as well. I currently have a student that was the CEO of a major corporation. He got laid off due to the economy and is looking to enter a new career field. He has been an excellent contributor to the class and the younger students really look to him for advice and counsel.
Gary
I always enjoy having older students in my class. They can relate the material with actual job experiences. It makes the students want to exerience the same thing and makes them work harder.
When i know the students reasoning for coming to college, i am better able to taylor the course content to their needs. For instance, knowing the background of an older student and their desires helps me to relate the information to their expierences. With younger students, i strive to appeal to their curiosity. They have entered the 'classroom' with less 'life' expierence and their curiosity is a driving force to their success; they want to know.
Students enroll at career colleges for many reasons. Some enroll to prepare for career advancement on current jobs, some enroll for self improvement, some enroll due to court order, some enroll to acquire a new skill, and some enroll as required through TWC retraining. Lessons plans, instruction, and materials should be prepared in a manner that will fulfill various needs of a diverse group of students.
A good instructor accesses those needs at the onset of classes and is prepared to provides instructional flexibility in order to assist all students. This instructor is aware that one method of instruction does not reach all students and does not fulfill the needs of all students.
lifetime changes in job positioning.
To enhance adult learning and possibly reposition themselves for future employment.
It will help me to construct my lesson plans to their individual needs as students.
Hi John,
You make a very good point about why it is important to know the reasons for students enrolling in a course. This way you know how to approach them in relation to how you can encourage them to put forth the effort needed to acquire the necessary competencies.
Gary
It will also depend on whether the student is enrolling in a certificate program or a degree program. The students in the certificate programs are generally trying to meet some sort of work requirement and often will just do what it takes to complete the certification process. The are employed in their chosen field and just wanting to improve their position. The ones working on the degree programs are often trying to get in to the field.
Knowing a student’s goals and career path can be very helpful in how I plan their instruction because their are different levels of instruction that can occur and different levels of practical application as well. By knowing this information up front, I can plan more meaningful, applicable lessons.
required gen ed courses ,such as math.
Most of my students avoided math trought their
high school years.THe reason they are in a math course, they are forced into it.
I try to plan my delivery with humorous examples,
and try to simplify it as much as possible.otherwise I will lose them in no time.
You can tailor your lessons around the reasons for enrolling. For example, as an IT instructor, most students are coming in for one of two reasons: for a career change or this is the chosen career path for young students. I tend to create my lesson plans around both of these reasons and provide real-life examples as well as entry-level education with additional focus on customer service and basic troubleshooting.
knowing your student's motivations is the key to everything.....it can help the instructor keep them motivated when motivation lags, it can also be the key component in retention
If the instructor is able to know why the students have enrolled in class, it may be possible to directly relate real-world examples that tie in to the student's previous life or work experience. This may reinforce the student when he begins to doubt the applicability of the curriculum.
