instructions
Commenting on one of the other student's thoughts about instructions, I'll add my own. I've had several experiences of students who just struggle endlessly with reading and understanding instructions in the course I teach. Most students seem to do just fine, but each term it seems there is one who is just very "needy." That is, the student requires every instruction to be explained over and over. I am not sure if the student wants me to basically write the paper or whether it is genuine confusion. So, naturally, I want to be helpful...but not to be an enabler for poor study habits. Any ideas on this?
Traci,
Great. Hope Jing is as helpful to you as it was to me. Sometimes students just need a little extra attention. I guess we all do sometimes. ;-0
I usually have a few students who are "needy" like this. Sometimes explaining the instructions takes the entire class time. So I definitely can relate. I am going to be checking out Jing as stated above.
Rodney,
Yes, I tell students when my office hours are, when I will be checking email, when I will check discussion boards, etc. This also helps me be consistent in checking different items and providing feedback in a timely fashion. Thanks for sharing.
I also find Office Hours helpful; however, I often find myself talking to students outside of office hours. With many schools now mandating published office hours, do you find yourself putting in more hours?
Rodney C.
Detra,
Do not think it is over the top. I think it would answer many questions students may have and it works for you and your students.
Thanks.
Dr. Tena B. Crews
This may be a little over the top but I will usually make one phone call to explain the details of an assignment in order to make it more personal for the student. Not only does this alleviate the confusion, but it also shows that you are making an effort to truly help the student understand the specifics of the assignment. I also make it clear that the phone call is not common/typical, but just to ensure that everything has been clarified and understood.
Katherine,
Jing and Adobe Connect have saved my life when it comes to online learning and developing content, review sessions and troubleshooting guides. Glad you are doing great things as well.
Giuseppe,
We can provide many resources and much information to students. There are times when others can provide better support than we can. Thanks for your input.
I also find that Jing is very helpful. The other thing that I've discovered is that it can help to be willing to talk to students over the phone, hold office hours (especially if you have a "chat" option in the classroom, as in Blackboard), or even create PowerPoints and put them up in a folder for students to access. Sometimes it takes a little extra push for students. And in the online environment, it can be hard to differentiate students who want to learn and are uncomfortable in the online environment (don't know how to ask questions, etc.) and those who are just trying to avoid doing work.
I think this also brings up the concept of readiness for online learning; students who aren't self-directed will definitely have this struggle and need more outreach than more self-directed students.
There are many cases where helping a student is warranted and needed. But if the student is simply looking for you to do the work for them then I would quickly recommend them to Student Outreach.
James,
When you come across someone like this, use Jing or some other software to record the information and the students can listen to it over and over again. Saves you major time!
