David,

I agree that phone or face to face is best, however I find it very difficult to contact students by any means when they are off campus. Most students are texting or posting on social media sites and rarely even check e-mail any more. I emphasize the importance of staying in contact with instructors and students give all of their contact information (cell phone, e-mail, home phone). I spend so much time trying to contact students when they are off campus I pull my hair out! And when they return and I ask why they didn't return my call,… >>>

There are subjects that we teach in our Veterinary Technology course that are difficult to translate into a lab for hands on learning at our campus. One example is the subject "Large Animal Medicine". It is physically impossible to bring cows to the campus for students to work on. In these cases we have a contract with an outside facility where the students are able to interact with the animals. They are each given specific tasks that they must complete in order be signed off for the field trip.

I have found that those people that want to be the center of attention do well as mentors. They are eager to help and willing to take on additional tasks for the extra attention it gives them. First make sure they are doing well in the class themselves so that they are qualified to help their fellow classmates.

It is just as important to allow students to fail in a safe environment as is it to help them succeed. They need to learn that it is okay to make mistakes. It isn't the error that counts, but the effort made to correct that error.