Employers and parents are always looking for ways to promote accountability. What about students? When individuals, in any capacity, have a sense of ownership and responsibility, the result is intrinsic motivation, a higher sense of ethics and esteem. Sometimes it is easiest to examine a concept through its antithesis. When ownership is lacking, there tends to be:

• Blame
• Lack of incentive
• Pettiness
• Lack of integrity
• Extrinsic motivation

How can we foster a sense of ownership for our students? Most courses, by design, have built in responsibilities for students, but as instructors, we can raise this awareness in many ways.

Clearly define the goals: When students know their responsibilities - be it checking their own grades, email, familiarizing themselves with the syllabus, they become in control. By posting instructor responsibilities, those roles become more easily identified.

Keep raising the bar: Even when an assignment is a pass/fail, offer constructive comments through meaningful feedback to keep students engaged and doing their best. Allowing specific parameters for making up assignments also puts the students in control. For example, if an assignment does not meet the requirements, a student can be offered another opportunity and given a deadline.

Share the big picture: Develop intrinsic motivation by showing the big picture of the course. Smaller assignments need to be appreciated as part of a larger assignment.  Use announcements or other communications to develop appreciation for the end outcome.

Frontload: Clarity and investment provided in the beginning of the course helps create a positive experience. Students whose initial experience is confusing or unclear may look for gaps as the course continues, detracting from a positive learning experience.

Hard working instructors put time into helping students through phone calls, emails and instructions.  Let's make sure we help them in ways that are empowering.