We start the process by calling the students 2-3 weeks before class starts to verify they still will come and answer all questions about the class, school, housing etc. During the classes we use student surveys to gauge how the class is doing from the student's point of view.
I have always maintained that attendance is a very reliable indicator of how well an instructor is doing in the classroom. Students don't want to miss classes that are intellectually stimulating and presented in positive, creative ways. In contrast, it's easy to decide to cut a class that is usually dull and presented by an instructor who is not engaged with the students.
What percentage of students return to class?
"Having the material understandable to all students makes them satisfied and we know that by the amount of students that return to class."
I only ask becase the last statement can be taken as seeming ambiguous in it's wording.
Is it a statement of confidence based on high retention rates (ex.- we know that by the high percentage of students that return to our institution's classes)or simply a statement of fact that by knowing how many students return to class is a good indicator of students having had their expectations met?
Just curious.
Talk to the student to find that answer.
In some unfortunate circumstances it is not beyond the instructors ability to deliver, but beyond their desire to deliver.
We as instructors need to constantly modify even our expectations of ourselves.
A student with higher expectations of us than we have of ourselves might be a perfect opportunity for us to expand our own self-perception.
"Kobayashi Maru is the name of a spaceship in a training exercise in the Star Trek fictional universe. In the exercise, the "Kobayashi Maru" is the precipitating element in a simulated no-win scenario. The ship's name is occasionally used among Star Trek fans or those familiar with the series to describe such situations." - Wikipedia.
There is no such thing as a "Kobayashi Maru,"
change our expectations of ourselves and the results can be surprising.
Every three weeks we have a student eval. that the students participate in and give feedback good or bad. We review the statements and make changes accordingly to better the students experience while their here.
It does not happen so often any more. But, at the beginning, there were times when we did not perceive the same expectations.
From observation, this appears to be a larger problem at the time when a "new" instructor is taking over a program from a long time instructor. They dont have the ... mmm... depth of ... I hesitate to say "understanding", but that is the only word that seems to fit. Not so much of the SUBJECT so much as of how it fits into the larger picture. What it is they are covering that no one else is... what they WANT to cover that would be redundant. Etc.
As the person with more "face time" with the student it fell to me to come to the director for clarification when there was a discrepency. Over time, either I or they have modified to fit closer.
These days, many expectation differentials occur because orientation to the SCHOOL is of necessity more general than the specific expectations of a class and it is up to me as the "oddball" class to explain the differences and why they are important, and necessary, distinctions. Of which there are not many.
Great point about the need to modify expectations! It's a massive dissatisfier when students think they will develop skills that aren't within the purview of the course.
How often do you have to get students to make these type of modifications, Kevin? Do you communicate this with Admissions where they create expectations?
Shouldn't you be shaping expectations within the capabilities of the program/institution? What do you do if the students' expectations exceed your ability to deliver?
Our institution assures students expectation by having all instructors ready for class and knowing the material presented. Having the material understandable to all students makes them satisfied and we know that by the amount of students that return to class.
My personal thought is that it is up to me as the instructor of the course to insure that expectations are met... or do not survive the first class meeting unmodified.
As such, I do take the entire first two hour class session "getting acquainted". I have often been criticized for taking so long. However, this gives me ample opportunity for the student to sample; my personality as an instructor, the course criteria for succesful completion, and begin creating a "mock" assignment which demonstrates how the class will operate on a daily basis.
Following this pattern, while I may have had OTHER complaints... I have never had a student claim I have not met and exceeded every expectation I allowed them to keep after our first hour together.
Main thing is constant discussion with students about precisely what their expectations are... Expectations change like the weather, so the topic must be directly approached often.
There are several times a student can be pulled from class (and usually an eduction manager/school counselor does the interrogation/questioning):
1) If a student evaluation points out an area of concern, they will locate the student, pull them from class and discuss it with them.
2) If a student falls asleep in class, and an education manager / school counselor sees this, they will pull the student and ask him/her if there was a specific reason for sleeping that is related to the class.
3) If a comment is made to another staff member or is overhead by a staff member, this information is forwarded to the eduction department for further review and if necessary, pull the student out of class and discuss the issues with them.
Depending on the reason for being pulled from class, some might view it as punishment (if caught sleeping) while if pulled out and find that the education department is truly concerned about what they think, then it is considered an honor.
The idea of pulling students out of class to spot check their concerns is intriguing. How do you select the students? Who do the "interrogation"? Do the students consider this an honor or punishment?
We have several methods of checking student satisfaction:
1) End of course student evaluations
2) Periodically pulling students from class to spot check student concerns
3) Instructional staff requesting daily feedback from students to see if expectations are being met
4) Hiring practices that help find and hire those who are truly concerned about the student's welfare, as well as their education
Yes we do. Several times a year we have various opportunities on campus such as employment fairs,MSAT presentations and car shows. Usually some of these employers reps visit classrooms and reinforce what students learn in school by giving examples of exactly what the industry is looking for...ie;core training at the very least,importance of electrical,etc. Then the reps give examples of graduates the reps have hired from us and those grads being successful because of what they learned here.
When students hear it from the people who will be paying them the message seems to get driven home and when the students tellpass this information on to other students or prospective students the "word" gets spread quickly.
Good point, Guy. Do you ever have any of your industry advisers come into the classroom to tell the students about this practice and highlight the benefits to them?
In relation to student expections I feel the best answer comes from the industry. We ask our industry partners what they feel will best suit them then add or modify classes/curiculm to give the student what he/she needs to be successful in the field. This approach has caused us to exceed the students best expections of us.
To track this we use evaluations per course & at exit. This allows us to modify or adjust certain aspects of courses as needed.
Great practice, Alex. How long have you been doing this? What sort of feedback do your reps get and has it led to any changes in practice/procedure?
Our students are contacted by their Admissions Representative after the first day of school, first week and then after the first three weeks. We inform them of our process and let them know this is the time to express anything. Good, Bad or Indifferent, we want to hear about it.
When we review the surveys, the timing of the survey has major impact on our follow through. If the survey reveals something physical (room too cold) we correct it immediately. If the revelation pertains to academic housekeeping (syllabus unclear, rubrics confusing, etc.) we move immediately to clean up the problem. If the issue pertains to teaching style or something directly to do with the instructor, we share the information with the instructor. This does not usually create an immediate reaction but it helps the instructor to know how things are or were viewed.
We survey every course and require that instructors "sign off" that htey have seen the reviews.
