Patricia Smith

Carol,

Good point. Some of the "irate" students do not have a clear list of the things that can be fixed.

Patricia Smith

This is a tough question and one that occurs from time to time. Here is part of my response. I try to identify the specific academic issue the learner has noted:

You make some very good points. It is important to get into the "academic habit" in our BUSN 105 class. As this is an introduction class, most of the material consists of topics that many people can make statements about.

In my class you may make some statements about business topics and have at least a few references from your sources.

It is important to remember that this is the part of the way academics work.

AIU has no exams for the classes, and stresses VERY strongly the need to cite your sources. Having a list of references will be a requirement for all your work at AIU and at EVERY reputable college or university.

Many other types of writing require the author to be careful about sources. Journalism is an example. I can think of only fiction writing where the author is NOT required to have references available.

Take a look at my announcements and notes in the DB. I also use in-text citation and a list of References.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Herbert Brown III

Linda,

Good ideas. I like how you mention your open-mindedness, this I believe is critical for us as instructors to be reflective practicioners and willing to realize we might need to change something. We do on the other hand have to ensure though that students still conduct themselves in a professional and respectful way.

Herbert Brown III

Linda Corliss

I would privately email and try to get more specific details regarding the complaints. Open-mindedness may help to improve future course content. As for abusive attitudes, I am grateful for the response time delay to collect my thoughts and draw a deep breath! Reminding the student of their desire to advance their employable skills and how thie course fits in with their plan would help see the big picture. Aslo, identifying the student personality and learning type through previous or dditional communications may suggest an underlying issue that can be addressed.

Herbert Brown III

Tony,

Great. I wanted to make sure that others reading this forum understood your process for engaging students. I use this as well and believe it is very effective. The main focus is engaging students and getting them to develop their critical thinking skills....one of the most mentioned skills that businesses want in their employees today.

Herbert Brown III

Tony Tymkow

OK I went back and saw what you were referring to re: my comments on Socratic method of engaging students...it is akin to your question....it's a way I have used , particularly in teaching criminal justice, to help develop active, independent learning by getting students to clarify their thinking, and especially being in the CRJS field to probe issues in a deeper way, and stimulate critical thinking.
Some examples of questions these questions are:
‘Why do you say that?’,
‘Could you explain that further?’
‘Is this always the case?’,
‘Why do you believe this assumption is correct?’
‘Why do you say that?’,
‘Is there reason to doubt this evidence?’
‘What is the counter argument forthis point?’,
‘Can/did anyone see this another way?’
‘But if this happened, what else would result?’
‘Why do you think that I asked that question?’,
‘Why was that important?’,
‘Which of your questions was most useful?’

Herbert Brown III

Onyema,

Good, so you would get some more information and specifics about the student's arguments with the assignments. More detailed information from the student might provide a different angle to the argument that you did not realize existed. If the student just has extensive prior knowledge of the subject, what would you do next? Would you consider alternative assignments? Why?

Herbert Brown III

Onyema Anene

I would explain to him the reasoning behind the assigned activities and explain how it relates to the assignment. Then, I would ask him for a detailed response on why he believes the questions are irrelevant and ask him to provide some suggestions and feedback on what types of activities he believes would be more beneficial moving forward.

Onyema Anene

Tina Means

Hi Joseph,
You made mention of a good point that I was also going to put in my main response. There is also the need for the students to understand how the learning material does have a life in real-world applications that supports its relevance. Real world applications can also serve as a learn tool and base that could also ease the student of possibly being frustrated from not understanding the assignment. Also, this could serve as a way that he could possibly approach the other assignments in the course by trying to understand its real-world applications. Professional experiences can also serve as a way to demonstrate relevance.

Tina Means

Tina Means

I would handle the situation by advising how the activities align with and point out the learning objectives for that particular learning week. I would also perceive the behavior that he does not understand the assignment and is frustrated. I would then proceed to provide some suggestions on how to approach the assignment and some further references to help him compose the final draft. I would also ask that if the student wanted me to review the rough draft before submitting for feedback, I would solicit such assistance.

Tina Means

Herbert Brown III

Tony,

Good start...can you provide some specific details on what you mean and how it applies to this scenario?

Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Michael,

I like your approach of using their objective and based on some feedback from them, they might get a richer experience if the assignment is tweaked slightly. It fundamentally is the identical assignment, but maybe in a direction of their interest. I believe assignments in general should be designed in such a way to address student diversity.

Herbert Brown III

Tony Tymkow

It's a Socratic teaching moment... by asking and answering questions to stimulate critical thinking and to illuminate ideas.

Michael Lane

My response to this kind of student response to an assignment is typically a recap of the learning objectives and to some extent an overview of the course material. Also, I think that the underlying reason for the student objecting to the assignment is a lack of interest or enthusiasm for the course, or simply an unwillingness to learn something new. Perhaps, there might be a fear on their part to be in a place where they know absolutely nothing about a subject, and so it's easier to say that the assignment is worthless. Therefore, I try to steer them to a particular aspect of the assignment that they might find interesting, or ask them what they already know about the topic and to expand on their existing knowledge? I try to take a direction which gets them off the assignment itself and over to the content.

LaBoore Terrell

Yes I would. In fact, when we have faculty meetings or training such as this, I compare what I am doing with other faculty and make adjustments.

Herbert Brown III

Carol,

Students will often provide valuable insight if we let them. However, we do need to ensure that the students do so with respect and in a professional manner. It is important to articulate to our students that appropriate communication behaviors look like and to ensure they follow those procedures. As you mention though, the students still need to feel valued.

Herbert Brown III

Carol Hannon

I would definitely want to make sure I understood why the student felt that way. A good opening would be to ask the student for more specifics, especially due to the fact that this immediately makes the student feel valued. When you demonstrate an interest in what they have to say, even when being critical, this will usually calm the student and can lead to a productive interaction. Of course, this doesn’t mean things will change, but there have been occasions where student input was meaningful. If only we could control how they come across!