Lindsey,
You are SOOOO right! Googling is not research. Students do not learn that in high school. We do have to teach that.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Oddly, many students get lost because they don't take time to read course announcements, lecture, or discussion post directions carefully, so they rush in to complete work without really understanding what to do or how.
David,
You are right. They don't understand the importance of all the content and how all of it works together. I can be very frustrating. That is why course design is so important.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
My students tend to procrastinate and then realize that the assignment required is more difficult than they expected. Typically, the students are attempting the work just hours before the deadline.
I continuously communicate to my students the need to attend the Learning Labs for guidance on the assignments or email me their assignment draft before the due date so that I can review it and provide tips for completion.
Once a student "tunes in" to these techniques, they usually put their old ways behind them and begin to utilize better time management skills.
Stacy,
Great strategies. I have also used calendaring and made students set "small" deadlines to help with completion of a complex task. What is a learning lab?
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
The main pitfall I see my students falling into is the "out of sight, out of mind" mentality. They will often tell me that they just had too much going on and they forgot to login. It is extremely easy to go home from work or school and just have no motivation to get back on the computer to do work.
In an orientation class I hold for them, I stress the importance of getting into a routine that will eventually lead them to logging in every day at 7pm, for example.
Kevin,
that can be such a frustration. You are so smart to have them work on a routine. You may want to work with them to create an electronic calendar to help them plan their weeks so they can work on their educational responsibility.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
One of the key pitfall I notice is that many students underestimate the level of effort to put in place to learn the weekly topic and complete the assignment. Some tend to cut corner to complete their work, ending often with disappointing results. I try to provide guidance in regards to the aspect to focus on, the time necessary to review the topic and how to translate the new knowledge into the complete of their assignment. Providing a step by step approach, not only helps deliver a better work but also saves them a lot of time as they better understand the approach and the expectations.
Robert,
You make a great point. They do underestimate time and effort regarding work. It is so frustrating. That is why I began to create project calendars to help them set their short term goals. I think adding that to what you already do would be a great combo.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
The number one pitfall I see my students fall into is poor planning. They often submit discussions and assignments at the very last minute and seem to have computer trouble when they wait until the last minute. The do not communicate with me until after the due date/time has passed.
I work with the students from the beginning of class to acknowledge work that is submitted early and on-time. I recognize their efforts and praise them for it. I send a reminder to those that don't submit work on time. I also try to remind them that a due date is approaching. This gives fewer opportunities to "forget".
Angela,
You may want to look at remind101.com. It provides you a way to text students reminders without using your own phone number. My students really like it.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
The three pitfalls that I typically see in many of the students that I work with are procrastination, lack of communication, and those who believe they can do it on their own.
Generally those who procrastinate, I try to remind them of the consequences of waiting until the last minute. I also try to engage the student in coming up with a strategy for studying such as breaking down the tasks into parts that they can complete on a daily basis. I also try to follow up with the student to see if they are remaining on track and if they require additional assistance. It also benefits the student if you help them develop a list of short term goals that they can achieve for a higher success rate. Those goals serve as a reminder of why they need to stay the course and have a plan of action.
For the latter, I find that simply following up with the student goes a long way and encouraging them to see me as a resource if they require any assistance with course concepts or finding information on a topic. I have a lot of students who wish to be left alone because they believe they are entirely self-sufficient. This is fine, but depending on the circumstance, I do send them a follow up email with my contact information and some training guides that can assist them when it becomes necessary.
I think some of my online students get caught up doing their homework at the last minute. Many of them have families and work during the week so they think the weekend is the best time for this. I try to encourage them to do a little work at a time during the week so they don't have much to complete once the weekend arrives. I try to bring up the fact that staff are not readily available on the weekend as they would be during the week so if they have questions or concerns it would be best that they address them early...especially if it's pertaining to technical issues.
The pitfalls I see and how I help are:
-Underestimate time: I see posts coming in just before the due date or just after so I have been posting due dates and reminders consistently
-Try to do too much: Students unfortunately are faced with work, family, and school responsibilities all at once and balancing it all can be a problem, I try to send reminders, be positive, and encouraging whenever possible
-Believe they "can do it on their own": Some students do not reach out until it is too late unfortunately and at this point all I can do is encourage them to stick with it and be better prepared for next time
-Lack communication skills: Again if they do no communicate with me I cannot help them so they need to learn to be proactive, I try and make myself available and let them know there are open lines of communication, prompt feedback is very important
-Lack initiative: Sometimes the course is not to their liking and the minimum is done, I try to remind them that everything they learn is important by providing real world examples
-Assume online learning is easy: Reality sets in quickly when due dates come up and grades are received, by setting expectations and guidelines I hope to help the students
-Procrastinate: See first comment...
The major pitfall I see among online students is that they believe that online courses are easier than ground courses and require little time and effort. Such beliefs lead to poor outcomes. I think the best way to help them change their way of thinking is by communicating with them often in order to show my commitment to the course and the time required for participation and communication (from my standpoint). I also think it is important to reach out to students who fall behind and help them develop a plan of action for completing course requirements. This can encourage students to devote more time to the course and foster higher engagement.
I observe many students falling into many different pitfalls, but I would like to highlight two:
(1) Defining their expectations of themselves based on the expectations that are defined by their financial aid program;
(2) Having no time management system or process, which results in a constant struggle to submit work on time and an ongoing investment of effort in communications with the instructor about late work that should be focused on course content.
Low Expectations
Relative to (1) what seems to happen in many cases is that whatever the employer, school, or government program requires of the student so that the student does not have to pay for the course himself or herself is what the student expects of himself or herself. So if the financial aid program rules specify that the student's aid will not apply and the student will have to pay for the course if a C is not earned, then the student focuses on how to earn a C, with no desire to learn how to earn greater than a C.
What I try to do when I see this happening is connect the course and the program to something larger than a financial aid check. So I explain how the course and the program can fit into a larger strategy for a fulfilling, long-term, profitable career.
Time Management
In terms of (2), time management, the problem here seems to be that many students have not been taught how to document a plan using some tool like Outlook, Excel, or even a paper calendar.
In this case, what I attempt to help students do is learn to create a day-by-day plan, using whatever tool or application they are comfortable with. So if the class is 5 weeks in duration, I will encourage students to create a plan at the outset for each of the 35 days of the class, documenting exactly what he or she will do on each of those days based on the requirements outlined in the syllabus.
Chezree,
Great strategies. I again am trying to use more calendaring to push to their technology. I can actually get that to their phones. This is such a challenge. Students need to see us as a resources not as an "enemy" to their success.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Kimberly,
I agree with you. Do you encourage them to have a "set" time to work they always use. I find students keep thinking they will get to it but it never happens.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Miriam,
Great strategies! We have to remember, when we say student centered it also means student responsible. As much as we try to provide reminders, calendars, and other types of communications to engage the learner, we can only do so much. They have to take the responsibility to work for success.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Jacinda,
I wish I new why students think online courses are easier! Students have to develop their learning style regarding online learning, we just have to guide them and provide them feedback.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
