Greatest Problem for On line students
Students are no different then any other and they will rise to level of expectations you provide. about 20% of a class will do excellent work without much intervention from the instructor. About 60% will do what you expect them to do and will (like water in physics) go to the lowest energy point and due the minimum to get by if not encouraged by the instructor. About 20% will do the minimum or below the minimum no matter how much encouragement is provided. This means that effort to reach those who are willing to engage is critical. Off course each class has its own academic culture and the percentages are not fixed.
David
I have observed that too. I find that I spend very large amounts of time on the lower 20% of the class. One trap as in instructor is to lose sight of the higher achieving students who really deserve the most time.
David,
I would agree with much of what you say for many classes including traditional courses. However, I would argue that the online classroom is a different creature. Many students take online classes because it is the only way for them to get the education they need or want. They may not be natively prepared to be successful through online delivered classes. Those students need a little extra help from us so they have the chance to succeed. Those students need to be reached and provided a little extra assistance and guidance to properly adjust to the learning format. If provided early on, then after the first couple of semesters they will likely not need that help any more.
Herbert Brown III
Michael,
I believe all of our students deserve our attention not just the ones that are performing on task or above expectations. A number of those lower 20% as suggested might have some issues that an instructor can help with to ensure they will not only be successful in your course, but in their entire online learning experience. I strongly believe we need to be careful thinking that some groups might deserve our attention more or less based on their effort in the course.
Herbert Brown III
I think this is particularly true of non-traditional students, Herbert. While many traditional students (defined as those who attend college right out of high school) are full-time students, many non-traditional students have full-time jobs, families, and other responsibilities. This was my experience as an online student and has been my experience as an online instructors. These non-traditional students are trying to jungle a lot of responsibilities and sometimes we as instructors need to understand this and be able to provide the flexibility these students need in order to be successful.
Chris
Christopher,
I find that I offer a lot more flexibility than I once did; however, I have to be careful to balance it all out since I do occasionally have a student that abuses that flexibility...but overall it is not a problem
Herbert Brown III
One of the greatest problems with online student's is structure. I find that student's who have the most trouble lack planning and organizational skills.
Catina,
Those attributes can be problematic for online students, I would agree. So is it our responsibility to teach those skills or do we assume they come to class with them and if they don't it is not our problem? Have you experienced this in your work? Have you found any strategies to address these deficiencies?
Herbert Brown III
Hi,
Procrastination is the biggest issue with online students. Some of them will wait for the last minute to complete the work and before you know it, they run out of time.
Elizabeth
Elizabeth,
That is a good time to establish very clear expectations on this. I have even told students I will not help them on big projects 24-hours before they are due specifically to get students NOT to procrastinate on their big project and if they do, the likelihood that they will do a quality report within that minimal time frame is unlikely.
Herbert Brown III
I agree that the expectations drive the student's motivation. It is really important for the instructor to challenge the student beyond the student's level of comfort. This will build a sense of confidence and perhaps can encourage the 60% to step outside of their comfort zone and apply more critical thinking to their coursework. I also believe that as instructors, we have to reward those who are doing well...even if it is just a note of congratulations. I also agree that there is no one size fits all technique...but, there are some universal strategies of engaging students that work. Thanks
Merle,
I agree that there is no one size fits all strategy - all students are different. I also try to motivate my students and take them out of their comfort zone. They do not appreciate it at first, and some get very frustrated, but in the end, they are all appreciative for what they learned and the depth at which they learned the material.
Herbert Brown III
Personal interaction is key to empowering lower-performing students to rise above they difficulties they are facing. In my experience I've found one of the primary challenges in online education is establishing that personal connection between instructor and student– showing them that you care. By going out of your way to provide additional help, you are demonstrating that you are invested in their success.
Brian,
I also struggled with this problem early on in my online teaching. I found that helping the students develop personal connections between themselves through introduction forums and group activities the students can build bonds that help them rely on each other instead of the instructor all the time. Certainly I have to keep in regular contact with them too so they feel my presence in the course and in their learning, but some of that is relieved through the strong bonds of student to student interactions.
Herbert Brown III
