Beth Ellickson

Students are more likely to withdraw as the result of stress that they cannot successfully respond. Two common sources of stress for students related to school are academic erosion stress (feeling that they aren't important) and academic stagnation stress (feeling like they are at a dead-end and losing sight of purpose).

Working with students to change to a positive paradigm can help students cope with stress and remain in school. 

The 3 facts from ACT stood out for me, especially the statement that attrition can be predicted and prevented. In my classes, there is a pattern of the time in the semester when some students seem to give up. Something that I can do is to be more mindful of this period and help students find resources that can assist them. 

I found the information about semantic and episodic memory interesting. Something I will keep in mind is to form a connection between what is taught and student experience to help with long-term retention of what is learned. 

This section had a number of ideas to work with talkers and non-talkers that would be helpful in class discussions. The REFOCUS suggestions for dealing with mid-term slump were also helpful.

One point that stood out to me was offering a student advice on how to approach a missed assignment, not just remind them that it is missing.  

Setting up a "safe" community from online discussions for students requires setting expectations for them as well as modeling what participation should look like. The instructor needs to monitor the quality and direction of discussion boards, but not stifle student input. When grading online discussions, using a rubric can help ensure fair and more consistent grading. 

Students come from different backgrounds and considering their generation may improve communication with each individual. Guidelines for establishing an online community were described as well as the skills needed for both students and teachers to be successful. Online learning is not for everyone, so students need to be aware of what it takes to succeed before committing to a course. 

This portion offered guidelines for setting "netiquette" for classrooms. I found a number of policies for respectful communication when making responses for discussion boards that can be used going forward. 

The course examined many of the tools available to communicate more effectively with students at an individual level as well as for large groups. I came away with some ideas such as setting an email protocol with students at the start of class as well as using evaluation of the effectiveness of communication through the course. There is an option for a FAQ board available in my classes that I hadn't fully utilized and will consider making better use of this going forward.