The human factor in student retention is very important. We, as instructors, do not know what challenge the student may have faced on their way to class and is important to acknowledge each student as they enter the classroom. Sometimes, just having someone say "hello" will bring that student to explain a hard time that they might be experiencing and the instructor may have some ideas to pass along to the student that will allow them to focus on the course material for that class meeting and showing an instructor's human side may enable the student to return to each class knowing that they can be successful in the course.
Kim H.
The human factor is one of the things that aids in retention. When we connect with our students, learn their names, make them feel welcome and important in our classroom, they are more willing to work with us and stay in the class. If we treat them with respect and value their ideas they feel like they are contributing to the learning experience for everybody. Students who have a vested interest in a class are more likely to complete the class and do so successfully.
Hi Betsy,
Thank you for sharing this great example of the personal touch by an instructor. You gave her the individual attention she needed to continue on in the course and as a result she is going to be successful in the course this time. Great job!
Gary
The "human factor" is extremely important in student retention. Students, no matter what age, like to feel that they can be open and are listened to by their teacher. In adult learning as well as secondary education the teacher needs to develop a raport with his or her students so that they want to attend class while feeling validated. Everyone wants to feel validated.
I think that most students want to know that they can count on the instructor for support and guidance to help them to achieve their goals. They want positive feed back, kindness and encouragement.
Human factor is extremely important in regards to retention. Some people are considered "hands on" learners, others can sit in a lecture and just soak in information as it is passed to them and even others can read a book about a topic and by the last chapter have retained 90% of the material covered. Ultimately the biggest thing is that not everyone retains information the same way and as an instructor you must identify the wide variety of ways the members of your class are able to retain information and plan for that accordingly, or of course, make adjustments to your lesson plan as necessary.
The human factor is very important in student retention. Over the course of many years of teaching, both in the classroom and online, I have had students thank me for caring. Just this quarter, I have a student who is taking the course for the third time and sees no relevance in the course (it's a beginning keyboarding class). She posted her frustrations in the discussion forum, so I replied to her in a personal email. I acknowledged that she was the typical adult learner who needed to see the value in the course. I also acknowledged and agreed with her reason for not being able to see the value in the course. Then, I complimented her on her attitude to complete the course this time. She thanked me and said that no one had given her that attention before. She is definitely on course to complete with an A.
Betsy Ray
Hi LeeAnne,
Learning is an emotional process as well as a cognitive one. Your point is a good one in relation to engaging the students to the point they want to come to class because they know they are expanding their knowledge base to further enhance their careers.
Gary
The human factor is very important to retention because if you do not have an open channel of communication with your students, you will not learn who they are and what their interests are. When you can apply the students feelings and life experiences into your lectures, you can be certain that they are going to want to come back to class.
Hi Ida,
So true. We need to always remember this when we are working with our students. They need to know we care about them and their success.
Gary
The human factor is important because every student wants to feel special, and cared for
I try to get to know each student by their names and find out something about them , like do they have any previous experience in the field of medicl care. or what they did before coming into the nursing program to give me a better idea of what their personal needs are.
Recognizing each students unique attributes is critical. Most students are in a career college because a more traditional environment was not very succesful or they are non traditional students returning to school. In either case there is a good chance that their confidence level is not high. Just by recognizing them as individuals you can increase their confidence and ability to suceed.
The Human Factor is very important in retention (just as it is in any interaction with people). People (or students) don't care how much you know until they know how much you care! This is oh so true; I have had students come to me or report to others that they would did not give up because I did not give up on them, that my encouragement and care (and yes even pushing them to do better) was the one thing that actually kept them going instead of throwing in the towel.
I do tell my students that while I may be stern or have high standards , I also understand what they face and will be there to help them reach their highest potential-- I encourage them to have faith in themselves and to be willing to hang in there during the tough times.
Students are learning from a live instructor. That instructor needs to provide all the necessary classroom application in order for the student to maximise thier learning ability.
Hi David,
Well said about the need for variety and change of pace in keeping the attention of students. You are doing a great job of keeping them engaged as a result of your working hard at being a professional communicator of information and knowledge.
Gary
Hi Tina,
What a great way to show the human side of yourself as an instructor in an online situation. Those little personal comments and connections do so much as you well know in keeping the students engaged in the course.
Gary
The human factor is very important in forming the bonds that ties the information to the individual. If the student is not comfortable or does not feels accepted their mind will not be able to focus on what is being taught.
Everyone needs to feel they are important and that they matter....
As a song writer/producer, I find that it's best to assume all my listeners have ADHD and construct my songs so that they are always changing, even if only a little, so that the ADHD listener does not get bored with my song. The same applies in the classroom. Dynamics in tone/inflection, changing presentation styles...lecturing with use of smart board, then use of over head projector, then hand-outs, then hands-on learning, etc. It's all important to keep them engaged and make the time pass quickly. Before they know it, the class time is over and they've paid attention for most of it.
