Dr. Aron,
Very good. Positive reinforcement, when sincere and appropriate, can be powerful. Individualized discussion for a specific student is very helpful.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
I would use positive reinforcement. I will also inform the student that we can meet during my office to discuss any concerns s/he may have.
Dr. Aron
James,
Being supportive and encouraging to the student is a key component. Additionally, the time-constrained environment does ad limitations to quality solutions. I sometimes spend time on the phone with student who do not Skype. These audible conversations seem to really help some the students.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
I would point them to online and other resources that they can use to assist in their understanding of the subject matter. Unfortunately the classes i teach are to short to make some of the long term changes necessary with a student in these types of cases. These are probably long held opinions the student holds of themselves, about the only thing you can really do is be supportive.
George,
Very well addressed. Thank you for sharing your comprehensive perspective and approach.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
For a self-doubting student, I would want to get at the reason for that doubt. This module presented some – alienation, an excessive workload, conflicting requirements and technical issues among others. The student feels that there are those who “get it†so that may reinforce feelings of anxiety. The truth is that many students have these issues but do not make it public in the form of a post on a discussion board. (Many do not contact the instructor about such issues, either.) I think it is important for the instructor to be accessible. I also think that some of the reasons that students give for their poor performance may be something entirely different. “My kids have been sick†or “I have had no connectivity†might be the student reaching out for help by starting with having more time to do an assignment. The problem is the multiplying affect. I would not address the issue publicly but would e-mail the student with my concerns as I have read the comments that were posted. I would encourage the student to come to a live forum or, even better, to call so that we could assess the issue and come up with some solutions. Granted, students should have planned for unforeseen events when they signed up for the two or three course that they are taking, but that does not mean that they have to be overcome by those events. The problem could be a time management issue or there may be a need to cut down on the workload by informing the supervisor and getting time off from work to complete assignments. I have been asked for more time to do assignments but have found that it carries over to the next assignment and the one after that. It only delays the impact of events and leads to some average to below work on assignments. Discussing how priorities might be more effectively juggled works better as well as the understanding and support.
Gershom,
Many teachers express the preference to a real-time, person to person session. This can be especially effective when the instructors talents are evident in this arena.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Eric,
Many students respond very well to a real-time audio (or audiovisual) session with the instructor, especially when the instructor's talents are highlighted in that medium. Very good.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Alan,
The time management discussion is an insightful approach. This is often the case with many of our career college students. Very good.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
ANN,
Very well stated. Thank you for sharing your expert approach with multiple options for the student.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Samantha,
Excellent outreach effort. An open positive attitude can have an immediate positive effect on the situation.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
The key here is definitely positive reinforcement. Let the learner know they are doing a great job and you are there to help out in any way possible. However, opposed to replying to the post, I would personally call this individual and talk to them. During the conversation, I would also be sure to provide some time management, stress and study techniques
Greetings!
I would contact this learner via email and arrange to set up a time to meet by phone. During the phone meeting I would try to identify why the learner is struggling. I would then offer the learner a positive recommendations to help the learner to succeed.
I might even (depending on how the meeting goes) notify the learner's advisor for assistance.
Best, Eric Freeman
Learner 1 is at risk.
It would be important to discuss time management with the student to resolve the issue of being over whelmed. In regards to the course is difficult, the school may offer tutorial services which may be of help. These would have to be suggested in pribvate emials. The first comment would also fit in this last approach.
First,encouragement and praise will motivates and reinforcess self worth that he/she can reach the dream and complete the program.
I would send him/her a private e-mail and try to find out why he/she feels overwhelmed. Maybe recommend a toutoring session @ brick & mortor if at all possible and not to give up.
He/She seems to be inspired by Learner 3, and intimidated by learner 4.Critical thinking skills are difficult for many students so, maybe a group assignment to include learner 1 & 3 would be encouraging to learner 1.
many students. Encouragement as they never d
I agree that reinforcement is important here. I think talking to this student on the phone is very important as well. Sometimes they need to hear a friendly voice.
I would definitely reach out to this learner through the discussion board and privately in email. I would let them know that I am there for them if they want to discuss their progress in the class and the program they are in.
Mahmoud,
Yes providing guidance for the student to pursue learning from other members of the cohort and providing additional reference material are helpful. Additionally, since the learner looks to you as the instructor, you may want to provide specific feedback for improvement. Very good. Thank you.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Andrew,
This is a very good response to the learner. Easing their frustration and assuring a path to success. Excellent.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
In a personal email, a good strategy here would be to let learner 1 that you shared a similar experience in your learning and that no body is born knowing this information. Also, most students that do not succeed defeat themselves. I would encourage the student to pace their learning and to accept time, effort and persistence will be the elements needed to succeed in the class. Have them ask questions to the class in an effort to have a collaborative learning environment that everyone knows they are a stake holder in.
