The human factor in my clasroom of adult learners is extremely important. In additonal to the area of cultural diversity that I have in my class, I have many students who want to share their experience and look for opportunities to bring them into the classroom. This is especially true when talking about law and ethics and medical terminology. This sharing adds to excitement in the classroom and promotes sharing among some students who otherwise may not participate if I call on them as an instructor.
The human factor is key to student retention because the will to continue attending class must be there for the student to continue showing up.
Also note that the more a student is re-enforced to feeling that they made a correct choice in coming to school the more effort they will put into proving this correct.
Dellene,
It is critical for them to feel this way. They need to know they are accepted and respected.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
With adult students, the human factor is key. They should always feel the a part of the class.
Students need to know that they are important and they are more than a number. Instructors need to be able to catch situations before they get to the point of no return. Students always see things before as hopeless when there is always other doors; they just need to be shown the way.
Travis,
I like your approach to working with your students. The key is to be supportive but as you mention they must want it for themselves. If they don't we can try to motivate them but they must put forth the effort and energy to be successful.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I have found that being "Fair and Caring" does help students to stay on track. I have tried to treat each student as the adult they are but still find myself having to work closely with some more than others. No matter how much you want them to succeed, they have to want it for themselves. I keep reminding them of their goals and how close they are to completing them. I feel that the students really respond to those little encouragements.
Elizabeth,
Thank you for these good comments about how to establish a supportive environment in the classroom. This is critical if the students are going to stay in the course for the duration.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
The human factor is extremely important to retain students because everyone has the need to feel they have a value. Students want to be a part of the education process and feel important.
The human factor is very important in student retention. If students do not feel that the instructor is fair and caring, no matter how much knowledge the instructor has on the subject, the instructor will not fully capture the students' attention. At the beginning of term, I ask each student to introduce themselves to me, stating 3 facts about themselves, their goals for the class and their goals for the future. I want them to know that their success is very important to me.
I agree with Ms. Fullington that assisting students to form their own self-help groups is very important.This is a life skill that they can transfer to their new work-place. I encourage my students to work on group home-work assignments and to set up tutoring groups based on common learning needs. I work with each group separately and then have them work together to solve a new set of problems. Creating the team atmosphere is a goal for me in each of my courses.
Hi, I agree that the human factor in critical since students are social beings who require a human connection with the people around them including their professors.
Michael,
Two excellent examples of how a student is impacted by the attitude and approach of the instructor. Your first experience gave you a level of dread that you carried so long. Glad to hear the second go at stats was such a positive experience leading you to your next career step. The experience of your girlfriend's sister is sad because many of the PhD's here at my university are like the one she encountered. The have the PhD in a subject area and not in people.
Thanks for sharing with us.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
People want to be valued. Now adays students can go anywhere for an education, so if they don't feel valued then they don't put value into you or your class. They will come and do as they please. They will dismiss addendence like is nothing- then you will lose students.
The human factor in retention more than important - it is critical. In my experience as a program chair viewing the student evaluation of the teachers under my charge, I have observed negative feedback indicating that the students' perception of a certain instructor is that he/she (that instructor) is only teaching class for a paycheck. That sort of negative student feedback is disheartening because the students are very perceptive in which instructors are there for the paycheck and which instructors are generally passionate about teaching others and about the subject that they teach.
I remember years ago as a student in England where I was born and raised, I was studying at a university where one of the subjects I had to take was statistics. I hate statistics - mainly because mathematical-based subjects are my academic weaknesses. The first thing that didn't help was the fact that there were over 100 students in the statistics class held in a giant lecture hall - not an positive atmosphere of encouragement for me!! Next, because of the large class size, there was little if any personal attention from the instructor for those students like me who found statistics a struggle. Third, the instructor forgot the human factor of his students. As a result, in the final exam, I failed the course completely gaining only 5 out of 100!
Fast forward 7 years later after I moved to the States and was settled down enough that I was ready to return back to school as an adult learner. One of the subjects I had to take in pursuing my Bacherlors in Criminal Justice was...you've guessed it! Statistics! All of a sudden, all the dread of the past when I first took that class in England came flooding back! I even left the statistics class as one of the last classes to complete in order to achieve my Bachelors degree! Not a smart move on my part, but you can understand the fear! When I bottled up enough courage to take the class, the factors that I faced then were totally opposite to the ones I faced 7 years before. This time, the class size was a lot smaller - about 15 students. Because of the small class size, there was the opportunity for personalized attention from the instructor. And although the instructor had a PhD in mathematics, he was a kind and caring gentleman who understood the difficulty students like me had with this subject. He made sure that every student understood a particular section before going on to the next one and although he wasn't available outside of class time due to his long commute between the school and his home, he never-the-less stayed later to help students like me on a one-on-one basis. He understood the human factor. As a result, I passed that statistics class with a B grade! Everytime I tell this story, I always credit my success in statistics to that teacher who understood the human factor and worked with me to understand and pass that course. I can honestly say that I would not have passed the statistics class if it wasn't for him!
In another contrasting story, my girlfriend told me the story of how her sister encountered a teacher in one of her classes that had a PhD in his subject, but did not understand or even care about the human factor. As a result, my girlfriend's sister walked out of that class on the second week of that term! Human factor is indeed critical to student retention.
James,
Good point and one we need to remember as we plan our instruction. Helping our students to see their future is very important in relation to their engagement and success.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I have found that the ability to see your students and employees as equals in the human race and treat everyone as such sets the tone for the class. I make it very clear that my main gaols for the class include their own personal success and how the class is not only relevent, but important in their development. This empathy can be seen and felt and they are much easier to get through to at this point.
We as instructors have to respect our students struggles and be able to be emphatic to their life circumstances
The human factor in student retention is imperative. Everyone likes to be recognized. Everyone also likes to be treated with respect. If a student is greeted by name and a smile when entering a classroom, it shows them that someone is actually noticing that they are present that day. This gives the student something to look forward to as well as helps to build the foundation for a good rapport with your students.
Without care and compassion, students don't respond as well as when an instructor does care about people and has a vested intrest in their success.
