So that they can know the assignments are relevant and you are serious about your expectations of the requirements you set forth for them. If you do not follow up, the students will catch on, and will eventually not complete the assignemts. Furthermore, if you have a reputation as an instructor for not following up, even new students may take you seriously from the beginning.
I can tell you that I found a way that seems to work if your talking about projects or papers. Give them a rough draft day a week or two before the assignment day. Make it real simple its a 100 for having the rough draft ready or its a zero if it is not ready. Most people do not like to fail something as simple as that. I also found that when they start the rough draft they 98% of the time do the project and do well. You will always have those who wont but is that your fault. I do not think it is.
To keep the students on the guided pathway to success in the course. It also serves to make sure that they are aware of the various assignments and when they are due.
What would be some good ways to motivate students to get their assignments done in a timely fashion? I try to be liberal in my deadlines for assignments to be turned in, but it seems that there are always students that wait till the last minute to get their assignments completed and then turn in incomplete work.
Teaching students to be accountable is part of life and is expected of them in the work place. I have dates written on a calendar, I verbalize them, I have a student repeat to the class what I said and what the calendar says. I also may send e-mail reminders.
To make them accountable/responsible for meeting the deadlines.
I believe that I lead best by example. When I follow up on assignments and readings, it shows that the assignment was worth the students' time and energy, and that it had learning value. To not follow up on assignments/readings diminishes the value of those things and sets them up as busy work that can easily go uncompleted. If the students are expected to do the assignments, then I should be willing to do my part and explore what the students learned from their work.
Hi Laxmi,
Absolutely! As the instructor you should certainly want to know if your students or grasping the information or not. Caring is everything in education.
Patricia
Hi Sarah,
I concur! Each assignment should have a purpose that pertains to the learning objective to enhance the learning experience, thus making for a more quality student; therefore, following up is vital.
Patricia
Hi Jason,
I learned that some adults need to be held accountable and most adults like having structure. It is the role of the instructor to ensure structure is in your classroom so that the environment is conducive for learning.
Patricia
The short video included with this unit mentioned normative behavioral controls. Following up on assignments and expectations establishes these normative controls. It creates an culture of accountability among adult learners who need a structured classroom environment. Accountability becomes a habit and with this habit firmly established the class can move forward focused on the curriculum instead of mired in classroom management challenges.
If there isn't follow up, there is no motivation to do the assignments or reading and therefore no reason to participate in the course content. Also, I think if there's follow up, it appears to the students that you aren't doling out meaningless things for them to keep busy with.
Following up is good it helps to make sure that we are all on the same page.
The biggest is the student's comprehension of the material. Assignments should be geared toward enforceing the learned material. Exams should be developed to gauge the student's comprehension of the material. I also believe assignments will instill a certain amount of accountability in the student. Follow up with those students who didn't understand the material will also help me as the instructor know if I need to slow the lecture down on the material or if I can speed things up a bit.
following up with assignments...it's the first thing i do when class begins, sometimes homework is collected, sometimes i have students work problems (from the homework) on the board (i typically teach pharmacy math). students know they might be called on to work a problem for the class and always have their assignments done, they also know i am open to any questions if they had problems. students who "get it" are excited to present their solution to the class. i think it's a great morale and confidence booster, plus prepares them to merge with a larger class in the next module. speaking of confidence, i find many career college students have little confidence in themselves, so i show praise when they are correct, it helps them to stop listening to that little voice saying "i can't do this". nothing is better than a student telling me "no one has ever been able to get me to understand math before, i really feel i can do this"...of course it makes me feel good, but even better, the student now realizes that they CAN do it, and they ARE smart.
Hi Connie,
It is just that simple, students need to know that they are on the right path by us following up on assignments.
Patricia
I have found that if there is no follow up on reading and assignments that my class falls to the bottom of the stack and nothing gets done. My students are in 3 other General Educations classes that compete for their time. When I review homework I not only look for technical content (computer Science Course), but for a typed and professional presentation. One of my students was probably a little surprised when I attached the rules for capitalization to a homework assignment. The best way to encourage reading is to randomly call on students to answer questions on the next discussion topic before I put up the slide. It is not hard for the class to tell if a student has not read.
I agree with Tim Galbraith about the 3 main reasons to follow up on student assignments. If we don’t follow up how will they know if they are doing things right.
I agree with the comments. I also feel that it let the student know that their work is important and that the instructor took the time to look at it. The student then feel valued as a human being. What an instructor does reflect to the student their worth
I feel as an instructor its important to follow up with students simply because it keeps us involved with our students. It allows us to help if a student is struggling with the assignment and the due dates. It helps us prevent the student from performing poorly in class and ultimately may prevent the student from dropping out of frustration.
