I have found that not following up on student assignments, not only causes the students who have not completed the assignment to lose out on the information, but resentment builds up among the students who are producing. So really there is no winner in this situation. The teacher is given much more credibility is the assignments are followed up on in some way.
Deadlines are very important to students. I once had a class that I told the students that chapter definitions did not have a deadline, because I wanted the students to read the chapters throughly. The students insisted I priovide them deadlines for completion of the work!
I noticed when there were times that I did not take up an assignment (for whatever reason) the next time it caught everyone off guard and they were scrambling to complete it. I felt bad and realized then how necessary it is to keep up with this and check the assignments regularly.
I made a chart with each assignment, the due date and the students name so that I could check them off easily.
It really made a big difference!
Hi Patrick,
Following up is very important. The grading periods go by quickly, and we need to give our students meaningful work, therefore we need to follow up on assignments.
Patricia
Following up on assigments lets the student know your serious and it allows you to follow there improvements and you are able to see if they are falling behind.
It let the student know that you are preparing them for real life work assignments.
Students need to know that the facilitator is interested in their progress and successfully completing the knowledge sessions. Good feedback also provides students with how he/she is progression towards meeting the standards and requirements of the course.
Hi Lenore,
Students time is too valuable just to be assigning them "busy work." Each assignment should be relevant, therefore important.
Patricia
Students feel that if you do not acknowledge their work it is "busy work". A question such as "are you going to take a grade on this?" speaks to this as well. If it is not going to be graded many students do not understand that is is part of the learning process and reinforces required information. I try to use assigned work in some way in the class so that the students don't feel they wasted their time.
Hi Richard,
You are on point! As an instructor you need to ensure that your students are grasping the material. One way to make sure of this is to follow up on assignments. Every assignment should be beneficial to the student's career, therefore all assignments are important and should be followed up on.
Patricia
It is important to follow up with assignments given because students need to know that you are serious about assignments and not just giving them "busy" work. When I ask my students to read a chapter I am expecting them to do so, so that we may discuss in class; if class discussion is not good they can expect a quiz on that chapter!
I feel it is important to follow up on assignments. If you follow up it shows the student that you are making sure that they read the assigned material. If you don't follow up to me it shows the student that you don't care.
It helps to make sure students are engaged and learning when there is sconsistent followup and evaluation. It will give an instructor clues as to needed shifts in delivery methods of the course material. Students expect their work be evaluated and they deserve to have that feedback.
Hi Kristin,
I like your philosophy! I cannot help a student if I do not know that he/she does not understand. While my educational institution does not have a written policy about returning graded work, I encourage my instructors to return graded work the next day. Students and instructors need to know if one is grasping the material.
Patricia
While my school has a 7-day policy on returning graded work, I do my best to return graded work, typically in the form of comments in the gradebook since I collect assignments electronically, on the the assignment in 5-6 days. This timeframe is so that the students have an opportunity to review my comments PRIOR to the next class meeting when I give them time to ask questions about previous assignments.
My personal philosophy is "I can't fix what I don't know is broken". I treat students and their work the same way - if the student doesn't know he/she is not performing adequately, then he/she can't correct it or doesn't know to ask for assistance.
One very important aspect to my class is that the student prepare a production schedule for each production day. It is an fundamental part of what they will experience in the industry, and a critical key to success. It is required to be presented at the beginning of class, and they are reviewed and enhanced in order to help the student achieve success.
By following up on assignments I let the students know what my expectations are and that the work is of value in their studies and beneficial when they test on the material. I make assignments part of final grade for the class and use part of it as bonus , all to make completing the work to their advantage.
Hi Richard,
When you say discuss each and every topic that will be on the test or quiz are you meaning that once you teach the topic they should be ready for it, if it is on the test or are you leaving it up to the students to read and learn topics themselves? We should teach every topic a student will be responsible for on the test, that's fair.
Patricia
It's also important to follow-up the assignments so students understand that what follows (IE. quiz, test, classroom assignment) will be based on what they have been given outside of class. It's also important to let them know that you as an instructor will not be discussing each and every topic that will be on the test or quiz. It's the students' responsibility to read the assigned portions of chapter, preferably before class.
Hi Joseph,
As instructors we must lead by example. It should be important to the instructor to eagerly want to follow up on student assignments to determine the understanding or lack there of.
Patricia
