One of my personal techniques that I use in the class room is what I call the "No Fear Rule" This rule is simply this, I tell the students on the first day "Do not be afraid to learn" What this means is that if there is anything in my presentations to the class that they do not understand, ASK! If I find out you did not know something and did not ask, I will remind you "Do not be afraid to learn" Of course through expierence I know what they don't know, and I will wait for a question from them after presenting them with some information. If I do not recieve any questions, I will anounce "Well if there are not any questions, I must assume you understand the subject completely" and then I will pick on a student at random and challenge them with a question they should have asked. This will immediatly put pressure on the student to answer, but I give them just as fast an immediate out, I will say, "and if you don't know, just say so" I will then pick on several more students until finally someones asks me the question. "AHH, I am glad you asked, let me explain" This now just turned into a game for them. I find that this technique places pressure on the student (challenges the student) with out stress and forces them to ask more questions to understand the material. Once they understand, when it comes to test time, they do well by their own merit and when the succed, their stress falls away.

I beleive that a instructor should keep close attenion on his students for as grades and attandance if a problem accures pull them to a side and ask them if ther is any thing you can do

The entire staff as a whole is a big part of retention, we as instructors see our students for the most time as they are going to school so as an instuctor we need to make the class an enjoyable learning enviornment so we keep the students excited about learning, if this does not happen we get the academic boredom that was discussed in module 1.

I had the occassion at one time when I was in early awaitng for my class to start,while I was walking around the lab I overheard a student telling another student he was going to quit because ther was no way he would be able to pass the practical exam he wasgoing to take in a couple of days.I question him as to why he felt this way and he simply said I know I cant do it. after going through the steps of what would be required I said you have nothing to loose if you attempt the exam if you feel that strongly about leaving. Probably not the best approach,but he did attemp the exam and did very well i the 80% range.He decided to continue his Education and graduated a year later.This student is working in his field of study today.

I believe that having fun in the class and explaining different topics in the course help then relax.

I have many students who get stressed out when they are preparing for there final and practical exams which occur every six weeks.Even some of our top students at times seem to panic with the stress and pressure that is self inflicted. By guiding the students repeatedly practicing there exam they seem much more at ease. there is still some pressure to do well because of the weight the exam has on there overall grade point average but the time alotted reduces the stress. Most of our students do very well and even those not at the top of the class do surprisingly well. This satisfaction knowing they can perform under pressure with an instructor watching over them becomes very satifying and encourages the student to continue.And builds self confidence, knowing they can do it under difficult circumstances.

I try to make my classroom inviorment as comfortable as possible while still having controp.The course i am teaching has many variables. alot of symbols are required so I give daily quizes. Each quiz is designed as a building block to learn by repitition.By doing this it does not overwhelm the students and cause them to panic and feel it is to much to grasp all at once.The students seem to really like this method, it keeps them involved and studying. By the end of a term all the symbols have been mastered and there is no pressure. I have found this non pressure repetativeness has worked well to keep students who may have otherwise droped without giving therselves a chance.Students are genually happy with this approach and my retention rate is the highest in the department.

I try and always think about what I am doing in the class room from their perspective. If I am boring myself with my own lecture; what must it be like to be them having to sit and listen to it? I always try and keep the lecture interesting and fun but above all informational. Thats the hard balance to keep. How do I give them the information they came for without being boring with the details?

The instructor has to be able to figure out the class in about the first two days. The instructor has to keep the students attention by talking to them about what they want to hear and learn about.

i feel that the instructors additude has a lot to do with retension. if you are grumpy your students dont want to be there. if the instructor is happy and intergetic the students will have more fun and stay in class. it also helps to do what you say you are going to do,as in take roll, keep class control and so on. Jerry Andrews

As with anything or anyone in life, 1st impressions are always critical to forming an opinion about a particular matter, subject, person, institution, etc. In the time I've been teaching, I've found the impressions made by reps, the most critical impression, often has led to much disappointment by our student body. In general, I have found and continue to find the students dissappointed with their experience in general, because of the expectations set up at their initial contact via the reps. I think a new methodology needs to be implemented to give the reps a more accurate explanation to the potential students of what they can expect. If they get the correct impression initially, we end up with the type of student we truly, ultimately, want...not just another "seat in a seat"...What have your institutions implemented to ensure accurate information is being portrayed by the people who make the initial contact with potential students?

If you catch the problem early enough you stand a chance of helping

It is dfficult to see problems with students if everyone else is not on the same page and all are not working together

Gen-x offer moderen problems to moderen people. To start to conect to the Generation first way must understand them. Thier attention span is shorter than ever, constanly needing there enviroment to change or they will grow board. Gen-x students comunicate on a whole new level, text, e-mail, im, facebook, myspace you name it. Gen-x are also masters of research, our generation beleved the teacher, they will double check. please share ways you have been sucessful dealing with Gen-x an failures too.

i work with a wide section of student abilitys. i seem to have hard time with the realy brite students. they will lose sight of the goal. how do i adress this in the class?

Mentoring between students is a very good idea if the right mentor is chosen. This process could effect the student's decision to continue or drop out.

Although I agree that the institute and instructors should be supportive to the success of the student, I also feel this is problematic because of lack of support from family or peers.

I agree that perceiving and understanding the students' stress levels and what triggers it is important to the levels of attrition.

I agree with most of the information in this module however, if institutions do not follow through with this information they can never expect to see results.

Most educators can tell the difference between an at risk student or someone who is not really interested. Neither student will ask for help but you can tell by their mannerisms if they are truly struggling. Our job is to get them to open up and help them without hurting their self esteem. Easier said then done.