Accountability is more than outcome
I enjoyed this discussion of accountability. It really does encompass much more than just a students final grade - timeliness of completing assignments, openness to feedback, etc.
Andrea,
Thanks for this post. What are one or two things you do to teach "soft skills?"
Jeffrey Schillinger
Accountability is a topic that I discuss quite often with my students. Many students that are used to doing well in most areas of their lives really struggle when a project falls short of their expectations.
Making mistakes is part of the process and after I share my many mistakes along the way, the student often relaxes and can move on.
The other time I discuss accountability most often is in the area of soft skills.
Suzanne,
This issue comes up from time to time. If there are many students who block or ignore calls from instructors, there may be a systemic issue that the college needs to address. It may be that the calls to students are interpreted as punitive by either the student, the faculty member or both. The most effective systems focus the calls on how the college can help the student to keep on track or to get back to class. I gree that more than just the faculty member needs to be involved.
Jeffrey Schillinger
I agree with this discussion about accountability. I believe it isn't just the Instructors job to contact the at risk students. Many times the students will ignore or even block calls from an Instructor and won't respond to contact until they feel as if they are in trouble. We go over the rules and expectation at the beginning of each new class and reiterate them continually.
Betty,
I am a big believer in consistency, but I am not a big believer in absolutes. Adult students can be pretty fragile. Sometimes we hae to be flexible.
Taking points off for tardiness seems to me to be a bit too "high school." If an adult student is rushing to school from her job and gets caught in traffic or stopped by a train, I am not sure adversely impacting her grade really sends the right message.
I give my students instructions at the start of the term regarding rules, going over the syllabi, when papers are due and what late policy is in effect. They know by my being consistent with each student, and by being on time myself (work turned back to them timely, showing up early for class so I'm there before they are) they are accountable for the grade they earn. They also know tardiness is not acceptable in my class. I dock points for tardiness and late work. Since they know the boundaries and are treated equally regardless of situation, they learn to adjust to conflicts in life. I use comparisons like traffic jams, wheather conditions and the like do not stop companies from opening and running. I feel by following rules and doing work on time helps them be accountable; and I feel they will be better employees in their career choice because of the boundaries set and followed.
Betty,
Thanks for this post. How to you teach your students to accept accountability?
I agree, accountability is more than just a final grade. We hold ourselves accountable each day and need to model that to our students by holding them to a high level of accountability, as well.
