Allen,
Your emphasis on the quality of the activity, not just going through the motions, is the key to what you're saying. The approach you identify as many strengths. Thank you for sharing your insights.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
As the question is worded, I would have to disagree. It is good to offer assistance, but more can be done. First, I have to present my offer of help in a way that is sincere and specific to the student and not just generic in nature. I have to be sure I took time to get to know the student's strengths and weaknesses, and also offer some specific strategies in addition to offering assistance.
If the student still does not take me up on the offer for help, I would make contact with an academic advisor, a supervisor, dean, or whoever the appropriate contact person would be for university protocol. I especially like working with the academic advisors because they typically have worked with the student in the past and may have more insights that I would as the instructor. By working as a team and seeking the assistance of others is important to ensure that I do all that I can to assist my students.
Susan,
Helping the adult learner take responsibility for their participation in their learning is exactly the right approach. You brought up an excellent point about the blended classroom. The intervention you described is one of the strengths of blended/hybrid that provides indication it is "the best of both worlds." Some research even indicates that a well implemented blended class can be superior to that same class provided in either delivery method (face-to-face or online) exclusively. Thank you for your insights.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Dr. Vaillancourt,
I think that it would depend on the type of school where you teach. At a traditional online setting you may have the student come in-house so you may be able to help them. You may also, with advanced permission of another student, have another student help them or offer suggestions especially if there is a language issue. The student enrolling in the class is aware or should be aware that their nonparticipation will have a derogatory effect on their grade.
Where I work, I get to see the students for other classes beside the online class. I have a team of students that I am responsable for. If a student on my team is not participating online I meet with them to find out what the problem is and if there is anything I can do to help. I have suggested to set an alarm on their cell phone to remind them when a discussion board opens and closes and for a quiz or test date. I have found that this may also help them to remember.
The bottom line is, it is their choice to participate or not. When they get their grade, it will reflect what they earned.
Crystal,
"Leading the horse to water…" Continues to be the same story. I have seen herculean efforts of the part of the instructor (in some cases) that did not result in a successful student. However, for some students, this can be the one component that gives them what they need to succeed. Often we don't know which student is a horse. ;-]
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
As with a traditional student who does not show for class or do their work (after you have reached out to them many times), there is little you can do to force them to learn. As long as you try to contact them and try to reach out, as well as encourage them, the fact is you cannot force them to do the work.
Joel,
Many agree with you. Working with additional people for outside assistance is a strategy many institutions use.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
I don't believe that there is nothing else you can do. I think it would be time elicit outside assistance.
Natalie,
Your students' access to online advocates is a tremendous advantage for them. Yet, you are absolutely correct, the learner must take responsibility for the learning. If the commitment to the class is not there, teachers and advocates cannot make it happen. However, working as a team to encourage students over rough spots and keep them committed to their original goals can be a powerful assistance. Thank you for sharing.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Actually no, I think it depends on the student and his or her seriousness in the class. I do have students who never respond to my offers for help, but will email me continually and complain about their grades. So i go with option 3-letting them know that these are the consequences of their refusing help.
Actually, my Online Advocates have been a huge help in the past, at least in letting me know if there are extenuating circumstances with some of the students, patterns of behavior, etc.
Natalie,
These are good suggestions. Do you find any of these producing better results than any of the others, in your experience?
Thank you for sharing.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Luckily most, if not all, of these programs, have on site advocates who could help as well. I will typically copy this advocate on my emails, and he or she will help out when they see the student on campus.
If you have the student's phone number, not a bad idea to call and/or leave a message, as your concern can be sensed in your tone of voice better than in an email, which may get the student to respond.
Finally, I would articulate the consequences of the student's continual behavior or pattern of poor grades if they don't respond to your offer to help. If they understand what the outcome could be, they may be more apt to respond.
Matt,
You make an excellent point. As others have indicated on this thread, involving the school team can have many benefits when re-engaging a student. Thank you for your insight.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Tina,
In today's online learning environment there are many deficiencies for addressing all learning styles. While technologies exist to address most of these, many have not yet been implemented in the virtual classroom. So it seems, in our current situation there are some students who need the face-to-face classroom.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
I think I agree, if a student does not want help they will not take it, we as faculty can only reach out so many times. But, I am not saying that if the student does re-engage later that we should ignore them. Our job to is assist when and where we can.
Also as you get to points in the conversation with the students that are not responding, ensure to copy the advising teams in the discussion, they can also reach out and try to assist as well.
-- Matt
I have met with an online student only once after multiple online requests by her. She was not good at providing me with a clear description of what she needed via email. We were able to meet at the coffee shop of the bricks-and-mortar school. Unfortunately, she was also unable to prior a clear indication of what I could do to help her face-to-face. I would put her in the dependent learning style.
Adam,
The team approach to assist online learners has proven valuable at many institutions. Your indications sound like they come from first-hand experience. Very good points. Thank you for your insights and contribution.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
There is actually a lot that an online instructor can do. Working in concert with academic advisors and our supervisors, we can figure out how to reach the student best. Also, a phone call or a social media contact may be a good way to reach students. The phone works for those students who are less tech-savvy; social media tends to engage a younger audience. Also, we should use links and external resources in order to help students, and include those in the emails we send them. If we express sincere concern and do our best to reach students, then we have succeeded.
Sandra,
My experience is similar with the availability of student assigned advisors and electronic forms/e-mails to request assistance and provide information on out reach efforts to date. I too look forward to the audiovisual e-mail which will allow concern, urgency and affective components of the outreach to be greatly enhanced. You are absolutely right that knowing your resources, and using them, is key.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Kimberly,
Those are all good follow-ups, and in many cases do the trick. Thank you for your contribution.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
