While this is not an exhaustive list, these are some of the most common, in no particular order –
Lack of adequate personal support system
Financial issues
Functional illiteracy
Lack of involvement
Low self-esteem
Work not being turned in
Low past academic performance
Attendance concerns (regularly late or absent)
Unprepared for class
Regular complaining
Josefer:
Please share your list with us and i will see if there is anything I can add.
Satrohan
As an instructor, I have my list of “warning signs” that a student is disengaged from the learning process. Do you have any suggestions of things to look for in an online environment that can help serve as an early warning system?
Julie:
Your suggestion for Instructors to monitor students to identify potential problems is well taken. This is however, a time consuming task; neverhteless, it adds to the satisfaction of being a top notch Instructor.
Satrohan
Patricia,
I agree with you. A downfall to on-line classes is the fact that questions are not usually answered right away. I think that it is immperative for the instructors to provide answers to student questions in a timely manner. At the same time, we have to try to get the students to understand that they should not what until the last minute to aks for help. It is important for the instructors to pay close attention to their students so they can catch any potential problems early.
Patricia:
Your observations are correct. In an online environment, both the Instructor and the students have to forfeit some of the benefits of a face-to-face learning environment. We pay a price for the convenience of learning in an online environment.
Satrohan
