Get Your Students Hired
It is important to provide all of the tools that the student will need to be successful in the beginning. They will feel more a part of the classroom if they know what it is expected of them early on.
Peter--
I agree, we should make the content and expectations of the class clear in the beginning. Reminding them that they are in the class to learn the material can also help when they begin to feel overwhelmed.
Susan
The more the student knows about the class up front the better. Some may feel over welmed but will be able to put it all together as the class progresses.
I think this is the correct way of thinking in regards to what the campus can provide to a student. I don't think they should recieve all of the academic tools up front as some of these tools can be scary and lead to an early withdrawal. You need to be very careful and understand that their brain is a muscle and if you give them 150 lbs to hold and they are accustom to only holding 50 lbs, you are giving them too much and they will break.