I have a great deal of difficulty remembering students' names, especially within the first day or so. I find it helpful to review the roster in our campus system which posts a photo of the student. Therefore, it is easier for me to have a pretty good idea of who is who on the first day, and students are sometimes surprised to find that I already know who they are. Some students do not want to be photographed by the instructor, and it kind of makes me uncomfortable to ask them. This is a memory technique that doesn't make either of us uncomfortable.

I find and it really pays off to spend the time to in the begining of a class to not only get to know the students, but to have them get to know each other. Even though this take up time, I find that the class is more engaged and that students participate more.

We do get a lot of age diverse students in classes and I see the fear in the older students. I think it is a joy to work with such a range of personalities and ages. It makes the real life stories interesting for the younger students and the older students enjoy hearing stories from the younger ones. I feel that most of the time in working together, the older students fears are gone after a few hours of getting to know the class.

Using case studies in a veterinary technology class is a very appealing idea. Does anyone have more specifics on how much information is given to the students and at what rate? Has this worked best for intro level classes or those further along in the program?

I'm always willing to listen to my students. After all, I usually have many fears brought in by my students, followed by tears in my office on any given week. I've learned that if I set-up the expectations of an "appointment", that many of the concerns are handled in a professional manner and the student usually has time to reflect on the situation. They are also aware that I'm not certified to give advice, but have two ears and lots of resources and may be able to lead them to the correct person.

Many learn in a variety of ways, I have even used crayons and modeling clay in class.

As a gen ed instructor, I have to find ways of keeping the topics a bit more lively and I always think that competition is a good way to do this. I bring candy in for the students (raisins, too) and toss a piece across the room for a correct answer, a good try or even just because they haven't had a right answer yet! I also do a surprise "Bonus Point of the Day"--for anything from being the first student in class,helping out a classmate, being prepared or even making me laugh out loud. The students respond since they never know what it will be that day OR how many bonus points will be given out.

How do you manage achieving the objectives within the allotted time and maintain flexibility to ensure the entire class grasp the material?

I am a program chair here on our campus, and have the challenge of finding each particular student not only for their training requirements, but what externship sites will be the right "fit". I consider their technical skills, people skills, and do they have specific hours they can work their externship hours. It is easier to place the younger generation because of the flexibity of their scheudles, but I do have to deal more with "soft skills" being an issue. The attitude and eagerness to learn is better in my middle-aged students. They really "want" to be there learning and seem to take it more seriously when they are off campus.

I sometimes feel in a losing position when it comes to empathy in a student/faculty relationship. I certainly unerstand that we as individual and family participants have several demands on our time. However, I seem to have a hard time discerning what is the truth and what is a lame excuse. I try to set the ground work on day one when it comes to attendance policies and explain I understand there may be reasons for student absences and that I understand. However, I believe that this sets a dangereous precendence and gives them the ammunition for missing class. I also have the pleasure of teaching these students in their last class before their externship.

This module actually comes at a very good time for both myself and my students. I feel over the past two to three months I have seen the motivation of both myself and my students begin to decline. I hope I can use some of the tools provided here to jump start a very positive learning environment with great success.

I believe strongly that it is important to solicit student feed back at the end of a class. While i beleve most schools solicit instructor reviews and class reviews, I try to solicit student feed back on a more class content level. I ask them to evaluate what they have learned and what the may have wished to learn. I also ask them to offer suggestions so that, I may perhaps make the class more interesting, informative, and interactive. I know this feed back makes the student feel empowered. I bleive it also makes them feel like they are involved and at least that I care about their input.

Remind students what they hope to achieve.

When you are positive and upbeat the energy in the classroom will be similar.

Lay out a road map for students to succeed.

Try to remember what it was like when you were a student.

"All people need a support system." When I viewed the image in this topic, the arms clasped together, I experienced a sense of being tied to a larger force. This was a reminder that everyone at every level needs support to get to that next level. As an instructor, I find it is important to provide encouragement to a student on their efforts to give them validation that they can be successful. When I respond to students work, I like to begin discussing the parts of the assignment they did correct or the theory and approach that provided insight and direction. Even if their answer is wrong, (and I teach accounting which is objective) I can still find something positive to mention. This reminded me of a student who once told me "I really look forward to reading her comments each week they are so encouraging". Lately I have been try to grade as fast as possible because I have other work to get done. This was a good reminder of the impact I can have if I slow down and re-read my words and add just a little bit of encouragement.

As an instructor I know that it is important to provide feedback in a timely manner. However, I have never thought of feedback as a motivator for retention. I provide quick and informative feedback but now will focus on the additional benefits that help students succeed. Thank you for the information, I think this can only help.

Right now I am teaching a class where the age ranges from 20-62 years old. The older students are able to help bring in life experience to the class and really drive home the message to the younger students about what we are talking about. The younger students are able to help the older students with the technology that we are using in class. There are definitely some differences in how the students react in class because of their age. It does add a very nice dynamic to the class.

When I think of rapport, I can't help but think of the business world and how important this is to success. As an instructor, building rapport with students accomplishes the same things as in the business world. This helps build trust, respect, creadibility,and understanding. To be a sussessful instructor rapport must be established and maintained a positive relationship with instructor and student.