It is good for instructors to be fair and caring, but I think it is the most important for students to know your expectations from the very beginning and that you are there to assist them. When students have respects and understanding, it will create effective retention.
Instructors need to understand their audience. Knowing who you are teaching is an important factor in retention.Other instructors are a great resource. Observing teachers that have a great retention rate may give some insight into the strategies they use to keep the students.
I always let my students know that I care about them; and their success in my class. I tell my students that we will get through this together and everyone will be successful as long as they come to class. I let my students know that it is my objective to have exercises that are interactive; creating a fun and conducive learning environment.
Hi Colleen,
This is a great way to expand your knowledge of what is and is not working for your students. By getting feedback throughout the course you can make adjustments along the way so you are able to customize your instruction to meet their needs.
Gary
I always try to have a positive attitude and make myself as approachable as possible. I will not embarass a student in front of peers, I always discuss situations one-on-one with a student.
The more I learn about my students, the easier it is for me to learn what reward system works best for them so that I am more likely to retain them as students. Maybe it is words of praise or maybe it is a small food item. I firmly believe in acknowledging every student at the beginning of each class and learning names within the first couple of class periods.
These educational classes are wonderful ways for instructors to learn new methods to retain their students.
As a newer instructor I am soliciting feedback from my class on things that I can do to improve the course. I encourage discussion and ideas to better assist in making my classes more informative for the adult student.
I agree with you here - timely feedback with regards to assignments is very important as I know form my experience, I always review the corrections my instructor has made, this helps me to learn and grow
Caroline
I think it's important to establish a connection with each student. Getting to know the student's names are important to create rapport and make them feel important and acknowleged.
The ability to effectively communicate with the class is critical in the online classroom. In order for the class to function properly, the instructor must be able to provide clear and concise instructions as well as summarize and clarify assignments. Additionally, instructors should give frequent feedback on assignments so students have a sense of where they have excelled, where they need to focus more attention and suggestions on how they can make improvements. Furthermore, instructors must provide motivation and support. With issues in their daily lives coupled with completing their online degree, students need a source of understanding and empathy.
By taking courses like this we can become aware of the strategies that work for other instructors and by applying these strategies in our own classrooms we will shortly find out which ones work for us. The old fashioned trial and error effort seems to be appropriate for my online classes. All my students are in school because they desire to get an education, not because someone is forcing them to be there. Each class has its own identity and thus I have to try different strategies with each class. I have yet to find a rubber stamp method.
First be open to new teaching methods. Ask questions of other instructors, students, professionals within the field of study.
Reevaluating one's own work is not always easy.
So asking for a critique of your presentations by a trusted colleague could be rewarding.
Be Brave!
They can a) see how more experienced instructors accomplish retention b) educate themselves on the various retention strategies through book learning c) see what works in their classroom and learn through experience d) get to know the students and their needs to better know what types of teaching strategies will work best.
I remind the student of thier goals and ambitions.
One way is sharing best practices with their fellow faculty memebrs. At my campus the director of education holds a weekly stitch in with each instructor to discuss any at risk students. This requires the instructor to be more proactive on the retention front.
Hi Daniel,
In what way? What are some key things you look for as you are trying to encourage and support your students?
Thanks in advance for you input on this discussion. We instructors are always looking for additional strategies we can use in our classes.
Gary
Determining the extra boost can be the challenge.
Doug, this is a great point. I feel that staying in the know about the not only your students but the content as well is important. You must provide cutting edge up to date information or student retention will become more difficult. The onus is on the teacher and on their level of preparation!
I agree. Often the biggest obstacle or barrier between student and instructor is one of communication and I find that students will see more value in what the instructor is teaching if the students feel the instructor actively listens to their questions/comments etc.
This course is a great primer for thinking about it, and learning ideas. I have gained much from informal discussions with other, more experienced instructors here at our University. They have specific experience with the type of classes, courses, and students we deal with.
It is imperative that instructors listen to the needs and concerns of the students. Non-verbal indicators can at times be more informative than verbal feedback. If there are confused, frustrated faces it is important to take a new approach to the topic. Giving feedback on assignments will help give students guidance and help overcome obstacles that may be present. Once they feel respected, gain confidence on assignments/exam & feel accepted their confidence will improve and they will be successful in class and professionally.
