When Failure is Imminent
When Failure is Imminent
A certain number of students fail classes every session. This is a hard fact. While we do everything in our power to help students succeed in the early weeks of class, some students will arrive at a point of no return where they no longer can pass a class. Our messages now need to shift. Confronting failure is a serious blow to a student’s ego, make no bones about it.
How can an instructor mitigate the circumstances and nurture a failing student's willingness to take the class again next session? And feel good about doing it?
If you teach a class with a typically high fail rate many repeats and three-peats will share their past experiences with you regarding their failures, while others you discover through TURNITIN when they resubmit her/ her own failing work.
A good number of these students can be successful in your class, but it’s often up to you and how you enable their success. A good way to start a dialogue is to ask the student to show you past work along with instructor's comments. This way you have a starting point to help with areas of non-mastery. The sooner you can get a student engaged in proactively learning, the more successful your collaboration.
Let me put this into perspective. If there are 30 sections of a course and each instructor saves one student who had previously failed and was at risk of dropping, you have populated an entire section in the next class session. One more instructor gets assigned a class. If all 30 students had dropped, that is a cancelled section and a teacher without a class.
What if you were the instructor who lost the section due to lack of enrollment?
Sabrina,
I agree with you. However, I had an experience (or two) of students being placed within a specific department because that is where their interest lies. I taught a basic software course within this particular class and had a student who failed twice. I worked with this student - held extra tutoring sessions for them - spoke on the phone constantly with this person and yet - for some reason - nothing was getting through. The third time around, the student posted some writing that was extraordinary within their discussion thread. In speaking with that student again, I was able to dig a little deeper as to why they chose the program they did and found out that they had the wrong idea about this particular degree path. Once everything was out in the open - the student changed departments and became very successful within their courses. So, I will tell you that it "does" happen where the student doesn't open up "enough" to place them within a degree program that fits them "better" than where they "thought" they'd like to be.
Monica,
We all like additional tools and resources. Giving students more to help them the next time they attempt is awesome.
Shelly Crider
When failure is imminent the best approach is to reassess the areas of improvement with the student. Explain that it is in the student’s best interest to retake the course only because there are some pertinent elements that the student was unable to initially grasp.
Provide the student with some additional tools and resources such as tutoring sessions and or supplemental reading material to enhance the students’ knowledge. Provide motivating comments to support the student coaching the student on to success.
Usually students perform well when positive; motivating comments of support from their instructor is provided in the student feedback.
Rebecca, great post! The students in my courses are allowed multiple submissions of their assignments. I tell them about this policy at the start of the term. When I grade their assignments I provide positive feedback and make suggestions for improvement. I remind them that they can resubmit to earn maximum points. It's amazing how many students take me up on that offer! This policy should ease the fears of students who weren't successful in the past.
Sabrina,
I completely agree with your thoughts. I typically send out an annoucement or email asking the students to let me know in advance if they are retaking a course so that I can do what I can to assist in them successfully passing the course this go round. I also give encouraging words when they send an email about being a repeat. Majority of the time students do pass my class the second time around and.
Simone Branham
Hi Sabrina,
I see your point, although I am more concerned about the student than my course load. This was a really good time to read this. I have a difficult section with a lot of plagiarism and I was going to evaluate on Monday how to handle it. You have me thinking...
Sabrina, you sound like a truly dedicated instructor. It's true that taking some extra time with a student can make the difference between a drop out and a succcess story.
I try to emphasize to students that failure is often more valuable than success. Many students are hesitant to even attempt an assignment they believe they will not be successful at because they fear failure. There is a huge difference in attempting an assignment and falling short and simply not attempting the assignment at all! If a student falls short, that is something we can work with. You cannot help someone who simply will not try. I have rarely had a student fail my course if he or she attempted all assignments and completed the required work. They may not get the A they want, but they will pass. Those who fail simply don't try.
Sabrina,
Nice post. You are right on getting the student active as soon as possible. The more time that lapses, the better chance of dropping the class.
Shelly Crider
