Emails and texts with catchy taglines. Caring, concerned emails and texts. Since many procrastinators are Blue, they respond quickly when they feel that they are not being judged, and that they are cared for by their instructor. They respond quickly to this type of messaging, and 9 times out of 10, they submit the work within a few days. They begin to open up as well when they feel cared for, and they will begin to share their life stories and vent to their instructor.

Hi, Lauree.

This is a GREAT question - one that has had me thinking intensely tonight. I think that since Golds are goal-oriented, maybe we could tie in their future careers with the weekly discussions. That will create very interesting discussions for them. Also, maybe there could be a weekly classroom blog that covers topics such as organization, proactive communication in future healthcare careers, professionalism, and so on. Your thoughts?

~ Stacie 

Hi, Nadeem. :-)

I personally believe that welcome calls are the best way to combat this! Antidote "on fleek", as my teenager would say! Giggles. :-)  But seriously, I can attest to it from my very own personal experience. Sometimes when I reach out in the middle of the course, they aren't so responsive. But when I reach out during Week One and connect with them right away, find out a little about them, and get to know them BEFORE any issues arise, they are more receptive to hearing from me throughout the course. When I only reach out once… >>>

No, you should not call a student who is on the DNC list. However, I must speak on my own personal experience. I was once enrolled at an institution that called me quite often. If I missed a log in day, if I was late in submitting an assignment, it seemed as though I got a barrage of emails and phone calls. At first, I appreciated the concern and support; but after a while it became overbearing. I didn't need 12 phone calls and 8 emails to advise that I was late on an assignment. One simple message would suffice.… >>>

Reply to Michael Pry's post:

Great point, Michael! The quality of the assignment definitely indicates the level of engagement. Also, discussion participation tells a lot about a student. The one-liners are a quick and easy way to identify those who lack the desire to fully immerse themselves in the course. 

I'm probably a bit unconventional...but then again, that's the person that I am. I believe in excitement, color, audio, video in the courseroom. Each day, I send motivational images with quotes to my students. Some days, I may send a funny meme (of course, they are appropriate communication). I also use a lot of games in my weekly discussions. I have YouTube videos posted in my course. Some videos are inspirational. I use others for scavenger hunts. Some are for pure entertainment...of course, related to the material. And then there are days where I just might feel like a virtual… >>>

Michael, it is funny that you mention this. I took one of the courses here last year, and decided upon a different one for this year. It was amazing how similar the two were. I wonder who decides upon the content; and how they can differentiate it in the future to give each course its own identity. Great catch!  :-)

Stacie Chambers