It is important for all parties to come together in a spirit of willing co-operation. All stake-holders are responsible for fostering an environment conducive to learning.
When students feel comfortable and like they are building relationships not only with other classmates but with their instructors as well it helps them stay engaged and stay consistent in their programs. It makes them feel supported and know they have a good support system to guide them when they are having a hard time. Which in turn helps with retention.
CTE classes are built for students to see pathways they could see themselves doing after high school. Vocational Ed for adults creates educational experiences for students that build your kinesthetic learning. With that being said, retention of these students is better for the most part. When teachers get enthusiastic about what you are learning and connecting it with the real world it helps students focus on their future. Campus climate and even culture to a certain degree gives a sense of belonging. How everyone interacts is key. When you have a good support system in place that trickles down to the students.
I have been a bit annoyed by students who want to complete an entire online course right away, without going through the allotted time slot for the course. They want to rush through the course on their own time. I think this is damaging for learning and there should be limitations on the students' ability to do this.
Creating working relationships with students empowers them to be more comfortable on campus and gives them more confidence to reach out when they need help. Building working alliances creates an enviroment everyone feels comfortable in.
In reflection, I feel we could do a better job at my institution of utilizing positive praise to keep people motivated. I think the staff and faculty gets caught up in supporting the students of need and those who are just doing the things can unintentionally get ignored. Those who need the most help don't always get the praise either, because people are so focused on just getting them the help.
We have a PDF postcard for staff that we use to show praise and gratitude when a co-worker does something noteworthy. I am going to make a few versions to deliver to online students that say things like "Great Job!" "Keep Going!" Etc. Expressing gratitude and taking a moment to focus on those who are doing well can also energize and replenish us as staff/educators. As we know, about 20% of the students take up 80% of our energy and any place we can find to pause and be positive is great. This will also help foster connection and community in the online environment.
Reiteration of the need to develop working alliances with students and the 2 ways in which you can effectively achieve this goal.
I have found the hardest part of online teaching is that if a student fall off the radar, and I try to engage them or set up a meeting to assist or find out more, I may not ever be able to help them because there is no face to face or set touch point built in by the institution.
Climate culture is important! Positive campus needs to be the same in online courses. I agree with someone who stated "what is needed for a student to "buy in" to their success is to make them feel like they are where they should be during that space of time". We should have policies and should hold students accountable but it is crucial that educators remember we all had to start somewhere. We cannot set expectations so black/white, depending on circumstances we need some gray area.
Comment on Scott Larson's post: I concur that currently most of my grad students are all over regarding their level of academic aptitude. It is tough when using a rubric where one student clearly meets all of the objectives while other students fall significantly short of academic expectations. I simply try to encourage the lower students that by the end of their journey, they can look forward to being at the level of expectations, but currently, I will look forward to their growth.
Adaptarse a una modalidad nueva y encima retener a los estudiantes para concretar los logros de aprendizaje es dificil mas no imposible ya que como seres humanos, la adaptación a cambios, es innata y hoy en día tenemos facilidades en el aprendizaje, capacitaciones constantes que permiten a los docentes tener mayores conocimientos y proyectarlos en la practica diaria, además esta generación es mas hábil y nace con la tecnología.
Mirroring is often the simplest metheo when respondingn when practicing active listening skills
Strong relationships between students, educators and school staff can dramatically enhance students level of motivation and therefore promote learning
To offer a welcoming learning environment is relevant to improve student retention. We as teachers can contribute by making ourselves available, according to a certain SLA, to help students achieve their academic goals.
Regular and substantive interaction (RSI) with timely feedback at all points of the students' learning experience is at the core of academic success. Instructors must ensure the student engages and remains engaged. Isolation leads to disengagement and feelings of insecurity which lead to drops and withdrawals. Establishing rapport is essential.
It was interesting to learn the difference between customer service and helping students when it comes to developing a working alliance. In the past, I had been told that to be in academic advisement, we needed strong customer service skills which does help, but as long as the endgoal of helping vs satisfying and serving is kept in mind. This will help in training future team members in interacting with learners.
The self reflections will be nice to look back at in the future.
How to work with a lack of interest from students as well as building relationships for retention.
Comment on Tim Pope's post: I agree. This is why, our challenge as educators is not just as a teacher but our role also has been evolving into mentor.
Our campus strives for good professional relationships with the students and having them know we are with them every step of the way through their education and beyond.
