Student outreach
One thing I find very powerful is to send outreach notes each week after I do grades. While it takes a little longer ( but only 5-10 minutes per class) I sent out individual ones that address them by their first name
Such as
Dear Joe,
.....
They seem to respond really well to this, if you take the time to respond to them by name they realize this is not just a form email (even if the body is) and you really do care. Many students respond positively to this small factor.
Renee,
Gentle reminders are an art. We have to find a fine line between telling them over and over again what to do (as they begin to expect that all the time) and simply providing a gentle push. Thanks for bringing that up.
I also do this right after I finish grades each week. I try to encourage the student to get completed and submit what they are missing so they are able to increase their overall grade. In addition, I gently remind them that each week we learn new material and if you get too far behind it becomes overwhelming in more ways than one and it becomes more and more challenging as time goes by to get current. R. Waters
Dara,
It's a part of that relationship and feeling like they belong to a community of learners. It is important. Nice job.
I agree. Students truly feel appreciated and start to get involved when you address them individually by name.
Paula,
Yes, students are human too. ;-) We have to get the point across that we do care about students and want to see them learn and improve.
Thanks!
This is absolutely true. By reaching out individually to students, they feel your interest in their learning and a concern for their success which in turn, often results in them performing better. Making individual contact with students appeals to the basic need that every human being has: to feel that someone cares.
Trang ,
The personal contact is so nice. It helps set the tone of the class and start developing the feeling of a community in an online environment.
I also like to send emails with each student name personally. This allows student to know that they are personally being address and acknowledge individually.
Leah,
Outreach notes - I like that term. It can be the small things that turn some students around. Thanks for sharing.
Ngozi-ka,
The students may start off slowly, but they do become more accustomed to some of our assignments/projects over time. Thanks for sharing.
Well said. I do this as well in my class. I must admit that it is required but I found it very benefiting to the student. I noticed that after I did this, by the second week, ethey felt comfortable enough to email me more often and ask more questions and by the 3rd or 4th week, they were calling me asking for extra credit or my opinion on a group project. Sending an individual email addressed by their first name was a way to draw them in with out embarrasing them.
