Is that image at the end of the post what comes to your mind when you think of a first-year GCU student?

Good morning, Brenda, and Happy Monday,

Your reply here made me smile :) I was wondering if someone might ask about this little guy.....

While I wouldn’t say that that Mike Wazowski is a definitive portrait of what I think of when I think of my First-Years, he is a good character to kick off our discussion with in many ways. Mike was a hard-working, book-smart student who had to explore his own strengths and learn from many challenges that he came up against. He found that as prepared as he thought he was for college, there were many things he did not even consider. What types of skills have you seen students enter programs with, and what might be some of their assumptions? I would love to hear about your experiences with First Year students- what programs do you teach for (at GCU or elsewhere), and do you have much experience with our First-Years, or primarily those who have progressed further into their programs of study? Thanks for helping to kick off our discussion!

Dr. L

Thank you for taking the time to answer my question. You're welcome for helping to kick off a discussion that I hope will be profitable and positive.

Knowing our learners and their current status in college is a HUGE deal for sure.  I have seen many students new to college or first in their family to attend college find themselves in worry mode.  However, some are too relaxed.  What is nice is guiding them to a balance, of sorts.  I look forward to reading through all the posts :-)

Michelle Rauch

I find that in so many situations 'context' is everything. As a parent, I talk a lot about that with my daughters. When they react to something, we evaluate how their reaction by trying to look at the whole situation rather than a single incident/behavior. This approach, I have found, is particularly helpful when working with first year students. Understanding who they are and what they are dealing with (they are not just dealing with a transition into your class, but a life transition into being a college student) helps when interacting with them. 

Hi Michelle and Jacob,

It is great to “see” you both here in our discussion! I have seen a lot of my own first year students get a bit lost in the context of their own endeavors and lose that important “balance” that Michelle mentioned, as well.  I was doing some research and found that, while the typical first-year student at a ground campus still fits the traditional “incoming freshman straight out of high school) (18-19 years old), we do see a small population who are even younger (as young as even 16-17). This population is made up of those in dual enrollment high school seniors or early graduates.

Then, in online programs we still do see a lot of what we consider “adult learners” who are above the age of 25 up through their 40’s and beyond.   Did you know, though, that we are now seeing an upward trend in the “fresh out of high school” crowd choosing online education??  I am a full time online faculty and I feel like I am seeing that trend. Is anyone else noticing these trends?

Wow! Our demographic sure is ever changing and constantly evolving….

Faculty out there in the forums-What types of conversations can we have to support encouraging a balance and time management for these groups of students? How does age as well as modality (ground campus vs. online) play a factor here? I see mode of communication also being a factor here in our bets-practices as well. What about you?

Dr. L

Hey Dr. L!

Great discussion! When I think of first year students the first thing that comes to mind is new online students in UV 103. As an online fulltime faculty member I think of new students at GCU taking UNV 103. From personal experience the biggest area I see for improvement in these students is confidence! I find being caring in my instruction style and creating a open culture where students feel comfortable asking questions makes a huge difference in their confidence as a new student. 

Andrea

On the topic of student confidence…..

Andrea- Agreed!  I post a little “Spot check” in the week discussion forums of my online classes, where I ask students blatantly how they are feeling about class. You might be surprised at some of the honesty I receive in return…. ;)

I get responses that range everywhere from “I’m terrified!!!” to “I have been waiting all year to take this class!” This is a good opportunity for me to pad their confidence and assure them that they will be okay. It also opens up a good forum for students to support one another, and I often see discussions on these threads where my excited/confident students really help support those who are scared.

For students in a face-to-face classroom, this type of Spot Check could even be done (anonymously) in class using Poll Everywhere https://www.polleverywhere.com/

This is a really valuable tool where you can post a question up for the class and then they text in their response.  The poll updates in live time, and can make for some really interesting discussions.

Giving practical resources to students….

From a time management perspective, to help them feel less overwhelmed I also encourage them to print out a calendar that I make specific to the class (I will attach it below in case anyone wants to take a look).  Taking these small steps can make a huge difference for our students, and really they take so little time and effort on our part.

On the topic of classroom culture…..

Andrea mentioned above the importance of “creating an open culture where students feel comfortable asking questions”.   How are we to help our students who need the most help if they are too nervous to ask questions, or if they do not know how to ask questions? This can often be easier said than done, though.  Relaying that welcoming and helpful tone alone can set the stage for this. Part of my verbiage on that first day of class includes: “Ask questions early and often- I like to hear from you and I want to hear from you throughout class”.

Does anyone else have specific strategies, resources, or tools that they use to help…

Boost student confidence?

Support student time management?

Create a welcoming culture?

Here is that calendar that I mentioned above  :)

Wrapping up Week 1: Best Practices with first-year students

Last week we discussed the unique needs of our First-Year students here at GCU.  Some of the points that were brought up included the emotional needs of these students (confidence building in particular).   Confidence building is just as important as skills development for this group- while trying to get students on track with their writing quality and time management practices, we may often overlook the foundation of confidence that they have yet to develop.  Some best practices for this may include establishing a warm classroom culture, so that students are not hesitant to ask questions or reach out for support.  Encouraging peer-to-peer support among students can also make a big difference. Using positive language and helpful tone in communications with students is helpful. Even something as simple as “does that help” or “what else can I help with” offers an open-ended opportunity for additional guidance.

These students may also need support in learning how to look at their education in a “big picture” perspective. For example, encouraging them to consider the following will be beneficial; How will college fit into their lives? What other responsibilities or roles are they experiencing?  What will their day to day life look like now?

There is also a life transition that occurs at this point in an individual’s life, regardless of their demographic or age.   Some of our first-years are moving from high school to the more independent environment of higher education.  Others are adult-learners returning to school after establishing a family or career.   Regardless, each student will be experiencing some type of transition that is important to acknowledge and be aware of.

Thank you for reading along with me, and do not hesitate to add any “last thoughts” on this topic even as we move forward in our discussion!

Up next: First-Generation Students

Week 2: First-Generation Students

Hello and Happy Monday! Welcome to the second week of our discussion :)

This week’s topic will be centered around best-practices for working with our first-generation students. While as educators we all know that a “first-generation student” is one who is the first in their family to attend at the college level, there is so much more to these students than this simple fact.

These students are on an inspiring journey, and there are some important trends in this population that can be very valuable to acknowledge. For example, these students tend to be…

• Primarily non-Caucasian
• A majority identify as African-American or Latino
• Tend to be slightly older than their fellow students
• Often bilingual (English as a second language)
• Come from lower-income families

And most importantly….

They have amazing assets that you may not be aware of!

First-generation students tend to be very proactive in their classes- they want to be in college and have drive and purpose. They are not in college because it is an expected “next step”, but because they have clear goals for their future.   The know why they are in college, what they want out of it, and how their degree will help them achieve their long-term goals (Garrison & Garner, 2012). These are some seriously self-driven students!

Let’s think for a moment about the demographic trends and the strengths of these students.

How can we best harness, and encourage these strengths in the classroom?

How can cultural sensitivity and socio-economic awareness play a role here as well?

What have you seen help support this group of students in your own classroom?

Nurturing the strengths of our first-generation students

Earlier this week I mentioned that our first-generation students are driven and have very clear purpose for their educational goals. Why, then, does some literature find that they show lower grades when compared to their peers (Katrevich & Aruguete, 2017)? Writing skills and literacy tend to be a big challenge for this group of students, and many of them attribute their challenges in this area to being ESL learners. In our online classrooms, you may notice that, even though these students have a lot to say, they are less engaged in online discussion forums (Campbell, 2007).

So, what can we do to help promote their strengths in support of academic success? 

One strategy is to provide reflexive assignments- this is a great opportunity to engage students’ personal experience in class content and objectives. In turn, we create more meaning for the student within their own cultural experience, as well!

What types of reflexive assignments have you used in your classroom, or might be willing to try?

Using student identity as a tool for student success

This week I have been posting on the topic of supporting our first-generation students, and I thought this would be a great time to bring up identity and how nurturing this can help students succeed!

Folk (2018) did some very interesting research on this very topic! Did you know that often our First-Generation students sometimes report feeling alienated from their environment when they arrive at college?  They tend to feel like the world they are coming from is much different than their peers’- this may be true sometimes, and other times not so true. Folk (2018) discusses how some of this is due to the transition that they undergo where they must now incorporate their identity and their experiences into this new higher level academic environment.

As I mentioned above in relation to using reflexive assignments, consider how encouraging first-generation students to share their lived experiences as they relate to course topics can be valuable not just for academic success in the short term, but also for long-term student engagement and retention.

Where you a first-generation student? What was your experience, and how did your identity and experiences help support your success as a college level student?

In my own class, the diversity of my students constantly has me learning and considering new perspectives on my own teaching strategies, as well. What have you learned from your first-year students and how has it shaped your best practices? 

I was not a first-generation student.  In fact, my parents received masters and doctorate degrees respectively.  In the dance department, one of the biggest things I coach first-generation students about is self-advocacy. They're often used to handling everything themselves.  When they start to reveal signs of trouble, they don't tend to reach out.  They may put a lot of pressure on themselves too.  Identifying a peer mentor, as we do in the dance department, is also effective.  

Something else that helps is a first-year experience type of program at the departmental level.  We have a performance-based class that collaboratively creates and produces a dance concert that tours in the spring to local elementary schools.  It is a wonderful bonding experience for students and it really helps faculty get to know our learners' strengths and challenges.

I was a first generation student in my immediate family, although I did have a cousin who earned his Ph.D. after serving in the Marines and eventually became the head of the department at a university.  And, I had another cousin (2 years older than me) who earned her college degree and was a secondary school teacher.  The challenge for me was my family and community felt I could not succeed in college.  And, my first attempt, that is exactly what happened.  I failed.  I soon realized I had to remove myself from the negative influences.  There are challenges for first-generation students from negative feedback, to maybe the secondary (high school) education is not sound.  In my case, both were true.  In fact, most of the teens who graduated from my HS could not meet the entrance requirements and had to take remedial courses before they were accepted.  

As for knowing the backgrounds of our students, in the online modality we usually don't unless they share with us.  Even when we use the Wall or the discussion forum to probe, many are reluctant to share their background with the instructor (as I have witnessed for the last 9 years).  When I teach TO classes, the level of confidence, bonding and familiarity of the university structure does make them more open.

I am very interested in hearing other point-of-views and any strategies. 

I have found that first year college students sometimes have difficulty with online classes because there is not an expectation of in class participation and attendance. First year students often also find that collegiate expectations are much higher, and policies such as late policies, are much stricter than high school. Coupled with an online course, these expectations may present a challenge for those first year students, but it is one that they certainly can, and usually do, overcome. Anytime you start something new, there is going to be a period of adjustment. Thanks!

Hi Susannah,

Thank you so much for taking the time to write about your experiences with first-generation students.  I apologize it took me some time to write back-a mighty cold hit me this holiday weekend! You mentioned coaching students on self-advocacy, as they are used to having to handle challenges that arise alone without others’ support.  While I have seen the strengths that independence/autonomy can provide a student, it had not occurred to me with my own students that this might also pose a problem.  When we have a student who is used to handling challenges on their own, they may not even realize that they can and should ask for help.  I do welcome to class phone calls with all of my online students and I always tell them “I want to hear from you” and “I expect to hear from you”, so let me know each week as questions come up. I feel like that helps sets the tone and lets students know that this is a teacher-student relationship, and that I am not here just o grade papers and “facilitate” a class.

On the topic of self-advocacy, since these students are used to taking initiative to solve their own problems, do you feel like the peer-mentor program that you use in the dance program also helps these students take more initiative to seek out guidance from their teachers too? Or do they seem to stick with their peers when in need of support?   I am just curious, as I have seen both happen in my own classes. :)

Hi Swinton,

It is so great to hear from you on this topic, as someone who lived this experience first hand! If you are comfortable sharing more on how your journey went from your first attempt to the second and ultimately successful attempt at your degree, I would love to hear about it.  Particularly, how did you remove those negative influences, and do you think there is anything that we can do as faculty to help support students in identifying things that might be preventing their success (that might be occurring outside of the classroom)?

Let’s expand on some of the challenges Swinton mentioned above and see if we can brainstorm some strategies….

Reluctance to share their background with the instructor (in online modality)

What might be some ways we can adapt our online discussions to help form that comradery and sense of community support that seems to help so much in the face-to-face classroom? Swinton mentioned that the community support in the classroom is so important because these students may not getting this support elsewhere.

Negative feedback on the students’ capacity to succeed

This is a really interesting one, as we certainly all would like to think we are supportive instructors… however, what we think we are communicating may not be what a student feels/hears on the receiving end.  This is where classroom culture and tone can come in!   I have heard some faculty complain about the amount of “handholding” they have to do especially with some of their students in the first year of their program, but I think we need to consider that not all students come to us feeling they can succeed.  That student that calls us every week looking for affirmation, or the one

Dr. Kendra Stewart recently did a CIRT discussion where she discusses self-efficacy- while it is closed for posting, check it out if you have a moment because self-efficacy is a great concept to look at in terms of helping off-set some of these negative messages our students may be receiving outside of our classrooms.

Does anyone else have thoughts on this or want to share any strategies they use to help boost student self-esteem and self-efficacy?

Hi Stacey,

I have found some similar themes with my own first year students, particularly with things like the “late policy”. Per GCU’s policy, faculty can take off up to 10% per day for a late assignment, however we are not required to do so.  That is pretty hefty!  It can be a very fine balance between holding students accountable and setting them up for success, while not discouraging them or “scaring” them off. I find that simply normalizing their experiences and challenges with this transition helps with my students.  I post a “Are you terrified or excited” spot check in week 1 of my online classes, and even opening up the forum for discussion on this topic seems to help quite a bit.   In GCU’s online classes the class may be as short as 7 weeks long, so it can be a quick and steep learning curve for some of these students.  Is there anything specific that you do that seems to help them get through that learning curve?

One of the things I do to help them get through that learning curve is to be very specific about policies concerning plagiarism. I do not immediately implement the harshest penalty, but I do coach them through it and let them know that this is the policy going forward. So, in week 1, I point out the mistakes and model how to correct it. I ask for acknowledgement of the issue and policy. I make it clear what the penalty will be moving forward. This gives them the opportunity to learn from their mistakes without getting a penalty from which they can't cover. Many of them say that they haven't been asked to cite sources before. Thanks!

Wrapping up week 2: Best practices with first-generation students

Last week the focus of our discussion was on helping first-generation students transition to higher education. There are some unique strengths as well as challenges that these students experience. These students are motivated and purposeful in their education, but they may be lacking the outside support and confidence in their lives that we tend to assume students benefit from.

Some of the valuable best-practices that were shared included:

• Supporting a sense of community and support in class by encouraging students to ask questions early and often
• Using a peer-mentorship program to foster self-advocacy
• Providing opportunities in class for collaboration to support student-student and instructor-student relationships
• Providing positive language and feedback to boost student confidence (students may be receiving discouraging messages about their ability to succeed in higher education elsewhere in their lives)
• Normalizing experiences through the use of spot-checks and acknowledging challenges (with the goal of helping students remove feelings of alienation from their peers)

Onward into week 3!

Week 3: Transfer students

We are at our halfway point in our discussion, and things are rolling right along :) Even though each week we are exploring a unique group of students, please do feel free to comment on any past posts or topics still!

This week’s topic is transfer student transition to higher education (that was a mouthful…).  When we talk about “Transfer” students at the higher education level, we are referring to students who have college credits and are now transferring into a GCU program of Study. These students can come in with anywhere from just a few college credits to as many as 60 credits.

Some things to consider and ask yourself about these students…

How long has the student been out of school?

How many other universities has the student attended?

Was their last university a 2-year or 4-year college?

Why is the student transferring to GCU?

Let’s roll our discussion out starting with a few simple questions…

Why and how does a student’s previous college level experience affect their success when they enter GCU?

How can we assess skill levels and areas of need with these students?

 How can we then address these deficits?

Looking forward to your thoughts! :)

Hi Amanda and everyone! To answer your probing questions (which I do not mind sharing my personal experience), the key is personal perseverance.  As I stated I had to separate myself from the negative influences.  However, what one must realize that sometimes it takes years to see the results of one's endeavors.  Negative influences, telling people they cannot succeed is not the answer.  The positive influences and support is needed. But, also pointing people in the right direction with access of and knowledge of where supporting resources are.  As with most people, even when we provide the resources they tend to want YOU to make it easy for them.  As my dad always stated, that which is worth seeking is worth working for.  My initial failure and subsequent failures were a 50/50 contributing factors.  Outside influence (negative comments) and my own failure to put forth 100% effort.  I see this today in students, especially in first generation students, whereas they do not have the family and community support and they do not have the "can do, will do" attitude.  As instructors we must be available to assist the students, provide resources and provide positive support.  Believe me, at times it can be frustrating when students will not "help themselves".  And, this may be due to the fact they do not know what to ask, how to ask and where to look.  Thus, we must probe and become mind readers.  I have found that a personal telephone call at times opens the dialogue and we can ascertain what the student needs.  As I tell my students, when you become frustrated or stressed, please call me.  A 15 minute conversation with may can relieve both.

Hi all, as with transfer students, most are very successful at GCU.  Although, there are some who have had difficulties at another university and are experiencing the same issues at GCU.  Usually, it is because of bad habits and unrealistic expectations.  But, all in all, most do quite well because they do have a foundation.  As for determining their skill levels, by the end of the first week of discussion and first written assignment I can usually tell where they have deficiencies.  The feedback and personal messages to the student can be conveyed to the student, your expectations and a strategy to improve upon deficiencies and skills.  

Amanda, I am a bit late to the conversation and I appreciate all that has been said... this is my 3rd year with GCU as an adjunct online instructor. Since you said it was OK to comment on past posts (smile), I thought I would offer my thoughts on both first generation and transfer students. To me there are a couple of priorities with both of these groups. First is to set them up for success through constant encouragement and second, do everything possible to give them a "win" on their first assignment. 

In many of our professional development sessions we're given tips and methods to use such as refraining from using terms like "you failed to do..." rather we should use terms like "you're presentation could have been strengthened if..." These are good, more important I have found is to offer words of encouragement like, "Katie, you have an exceptional command of the English language", or "John, what you wrote with regard to corporate social responsibility speaks to your Godly character...", etc. I believe we need to recognize people in a more personal way and build into their confidence. 

With regard to the "first win", I do everything possible to help... I provide study guides and  more detailed instructions on what's to come in an exam, exercise, or project. I also provide templates and whatever else I can think of that will help the student achieve that "first victory". That first victory, in turn, builds confidence and that confidence along with sincere encouragement provides the motivation to keep going and successfully complete the course. Regards to all, Tom.

Hi Amanda,

This is my 3rd year also as a GCU Faculty. I would like to bring to you a perspective of military transfer students.

I am a USAF retiree and was one of the "blessed" to transfer from only one school when I was earning my Associate degree to another where I earned my Bachelors degree. I used my lower-level credits to transfer to another University to earn my bachelor degree. Military students move around much, so, many times it is hard to earn the required residency requirements to graduate from that particular college or university. This poses problems in terms of cost and sometimes discouragement to move forward. However, I think there is some uniqueness from students who transfer from one school to another because of the perspective experienced between each educational arenas. One school primary focus area might be on the arts and business whereas, another school might be focused on STEM. In my time at GCU, I have experienced military students in my classes who have transferred in to GCU as very focused, motivated and willing to share ideas from past experiences. They also motivate others to stay strong and help others to succeed when in group settings.

It is my belief that we as adjunct faculty should help mentor these students and help give them the resources and tools to succeed. If they are discouraged in any way that GCU is "just another school," we should present ourselves as caring, encouraging and "loving" throughout their experience at our university.

Very Respectfully,

Donald Leaver, DBA, PhD

Acidently pushed button twice. :-D

When I think of a first year students they are apprehensive about what to expect, but yet eager to have new experiences. From what I teach, my students are all online. I believe their biggest worry is management of time. Their goals are probably pretty much not set in stone yet, as this is their first year, and I think they are highly motivated by the new experiences/friendships they are getting. My students come in with pretty high technology skills for taking classes online. I believe the students who are more apt to seek guidance through course will be more successful than those who do not ask or want clarification.  The biggest challenge that I have with the students who take the classes online are those who fall behind in the early weeks and then cannot seem to make up the missing assignments.

Sorry for the bold type- did not realize it until I pressed post reply.

Shelly

The graduate students I teach have similar concerns, Shelly - they worry about time management, academic writing, and citation skills. I include, as someone above said, a template for assignments or "My Take" which the best students read. I include alternate ways to get in those substantive posts using technologies. I post weekly wrapups which few read. I post assignment feedback posts, which few read. My frustration is that the best students read everything, respond to much, and I can set the bar higher for them. But how do I get those students who do just enough to get by, who always have an excuse, that just don't provide any evidence of learning, to actually participate? 

Hi Swinton,

I love hearing that you take the time to give your students  a quick phone call just to let them know that you are there to help and to open those lines of communication.  I give each of mine little “welcome to class” calls, too, and I was really surprised to hear from a student the other day via email tell me that they really appreciated the voicemail and that because of how helpful I sounded on the message, they would absolutely reach out for help. I can see how, even if we do not immediately reach a student, the intention is still received by the students.  Does anyone else do welcome phone calls, or for our ground faculty are there specific ice breakers in class you like to use?

I know that many of our adjunct online faculty also have full time jobs elsewhere, thus making it difficult.  I have also used websites like Loom.com to send out a 2 minute video where I welcome the students to class and just introduce myself in lieu of a phone call.   Has anyone else used Loom.com or other similar Web2.0 tools to establish those lines of communication to support students?

Celebrating that “first-win”

Hi there, Tom!

It is great to have you join in, and thanks so much for sharing on the topics of both first-generation and transfer students.  If anyone missed Tom’s post earlier in this thread, definitely scroll on up because he offered some really good specific verbiage to use with students to help them build confidence as well as “achieve that first win”.   I liked that language you used regarding the “first win”- acknowledging this success in any of our students who lack confidence can make a huge difference in how they also then perceive the constructive feedback they receive on areas in need of improvement.  On this same note, I tend to thank students for their hard work or let them know “wow, I can really tell you put forth time and effort into this”. If I see a student slowly improving over a course, even if it is just from D level work to C level work I give them kudos and let them know that their hard work shows! :)

When students come with poor time management skills and fall behind…

Hi Shelly,

I can commiserate with the time management issues that those first-years come to us with, and honestly many of our transfer students seem to struggle with this as well. I offer students a calendar that they can print out (I posted it earlier in this forum if you are interested), to help with time management.  When you have a student fall behind in class, how do you help them get “caught up”? My colleagues are all very varied on their approaches- some use pressure to try to motivate the student into action, others apply a full 10% penalty of credit per day for the assignment to try to teach the student not to let things go to the last minute next time.

My philosophy tends to be that if the student contacts me and wanted to get caught up, I tell them to focus on our current week’s work so they stay engaged.  I am a Psychology teacher, so I don’t find stressing my students out helps much with productivity ;)

Military transfer students…

Hello Donald!

Thank you so much for your service, and for taking the time to post into our discussion.  I have to say that my active duty military students are some of my favorites!  As you mentioned, they are motivated, driven, and honestly most of them are proactive in their studies because they have to plan for unpredictable schedule changes at a moment’s notice.  You brought something up that I had also not considered, when you said that these students move around a lot and thus run into challenges with residency for earning their 4-year degrees.  This got me thinking… our military transfer students might be used to feeling a bit tossed around if they have had to attend multiple colleges. They might be more at-risk of feeling like “just another number”, especially in the online modality.  Since these are also generally really good students, they may fly under our radar sometimes and not get quite as much attention. Has anyone considered sending out quick “you’re doing great in class- keep up the hard work” type notes via email or the individual forum at that halfway point in class to keep these types of students engaged and motivated?

More on transfer students…. 

Hi everyone,

Wow! I have been so excited to see all the action and discussion on this forum this week- thanks everyone for taking the time to post your thoughts so far. Swinton mentioned that after the first week of class (those first DQs and that first written assignment) he tends to know where the skills deficits might be. While there is built in curriculum into all GCU courses weekly, are there any additional posts or optional assignments (or quizzes?) that you all add that first week to start assessing for skill levels? My students in PSY 102 always struggle with APA citations and formatting, so in week 1 post a check-in with them and ask them where they feel they are at with citations. Then, I respond with resources specific to their post.

It was also mentioned that sometimes students come to us with bad habits (unintentional plagiarism, poor time management, and poor writing mechanics is what comes to my mind here for some reason….).  I wonder how we could prompt students to start self-reflecting even in week 1 of class on which of their own habits helps them succeed and which habits prevent their success? Feel free to share any ideas you have!

Hi Amanda, I have heard of Loom, but I have never used it.  I guess this is something I should research.

Hi Lisa, I feel your pain.  Your experiences based on observations and conversations are quite common.  You have students who read everything and those who read nothing.  It is evident in the results and the same errors made week after week.  Not only do quite a few of the students do not read the weekly overviews, weekly wrap up or feedback on the discussion posts and participation, as well as assignments, they don't read the directions of assignments.  There are techniques (which I have used) and share with the students on how to meet every element of any assignment.  We have presented those who read everything and those who read nothing.  Then using the bell curve, the majority will scan feedback and instructions, but miss major points.  Understanding human nature we have students who want to learn as much as possible and then there are those who wish to only be conferred a degree with the minimum amount of work.  This also patterns what I have witnessed (and had to manage) in private corporations and public organizations.  I pride myself in providing many resources and very good feedback. But, I can't make them read or adhere to the comments.  It is their choice. Yes, it frustrates me, but other than continuing to provide good feedback, availing myself to the students by being open, visible and approachable, I am not quite sure what else to do.  Anyone have an suggestions? 

Thank you, Swinton, for commiserating with me.

Wrapping up week 3: Best practices with transfer students

To wrap up last week’s top points, we talked about the skills deficits that our transfer students more often come to GCU with.  Some of these included poor time management skills, academic writing skills, and unintentional plagiarism. Sometimes these students fall behind and then become too discouraged to try to catch up in class.

We also identified military students as part of this population, and the strengths they can bring not only to the their own studies but also in motivating (and setting high expectations) for their peers.

Celebrating the first “big win” can be a great way to boost confidence and confirm that the student is on the right track. Another strategy included being very specific and personalized with feedback and additional resources.

Off into week 4!

Our final week: Re-Entry Students

What?! It’s our last week together?

Sad, but true, fellow faculty! This is our final week of discussions on this thread, although I do hope to be back facilitating discussions with you all again in the future :)

If you are just now joining us, please do feel free to comment on any of our topics even from earlier in this discussion. I’d love to hear from you!

This week we will be focusing our discussion on best practices for helping our re-entry students succeed. When we talk about “re-entry” students we are describing students who attended GCU classes for some period of time and then stopped. For our ground students they may have been out for a semester or year. For our online students they may have been out of class anywhere from 2 weeks to a full year (or even more).

Many of my re-entry students share with me that they are coming back to class after an extended break. We can also get insight into our re-entry students by thinking about the students who end up dropping out of our own classes (many of these students go missing from class, and often end up as re-entries later on).

Here are some of the more common ones I hear from students in my online classes:

Computer issues or loss of internet

Personal illness or injury

Work schedule change

Living situation instability or homelessness

Loss (death of a loved one)

They fell too far behind and gave up

When a student shares that they have been out of classes at GCU for an amount of time, do you ask why? Do you ask why they are back now?

What value does this information have for not only us as teachers, but also for the student to reflect upon themselves?

What obstacles do we have with this group, and how can we be proactive as well as problem-solve as these issues arise?

Whether undergrad or grad, offline or online, we all have students with their own challenges and barrier. One way to extend grace to students was shared by a COE faculty member in a Lunch n' Learn I watched - probably from last fall? Sorry, I do not know her name, but she uses a "Grace Note" with her students. Like a "Get out of jail card" in Monopoly, the student can use the grace note anytime they need to for any assignment but hand in the assignment by the end of the course. Does anyone use this or a similar method?

“Grace note” or “get out of jail free card”

Hi Lisa,

I love the idea of a “Grace note” for students who might need a little extra time on an assignment free of any late penalty! One of the benefits of this is also that the student has it to use for any reason at any time. While I find most of my students “overshare” if anything, some may not want to discuss personal circumstances with their faculty and may thus hesitate to communicate their need for extra support.   I like that this is offered at the start of class for that reason specifically, as then students do not feel that they have to “make their case” for an extension at the judgement of their faculty. I wonder if this also helps students with their time management, since they will have to make the call themselves if they need to hustle and get their assignment in on time or if they want to choose to use their get out of jail free card.

This is also such a complimentary practice to the Fruits of the Spirit and our University’s Christian mission!

Does anyone else find success with this, and if so how do you present it to students? Does it keep students from falling behind or aid in time management skills at all? 

If anyone has example posts/letters, etc. that they want to attach here and share please always feel free to do so!

Amanda, I agree with everything you stated.  Students rarely wish to discuss their personal issues with faculty (for whatever the reason).  Those that do ask, never state the reason.  Such as they only state I had family issues or personal issues.  Generally the majority of requests for extensions without a reduction in points are based on "broke i finger nail and can't type", "my dog is sick", "a friend of mine I haven't seen in 20 years died", "I didn't feel like doing any work today", "I have a cold and need three days off" to name a few (by the way there were actual excuses presented to me).  I am lenient in week 1, but any student who does have a legitimate excuse, I usually tell them another issue in the class may not automatically extend them a non-penalized extension.   Benevolence is a great Christian asset and needs to be practiced....with caution. There are people out there who will push the limits of benevolence.  Being a servant leader is necessary and should be practiced, but even servant leaders practice caution.

Hi Swinton,

Agreed! There is a fine line between what I would call enabling poor habits, and providing a reasonable safety net for a student in these cases.  This actually brings me to another important population which typically needs additional support, which I will post on shortly below :)

Student return after Illness- chronic and acute

I mentioned earlier this week that sometimes students are re-entering their courses after an extended break because of an illness. In such cases, the students have either fallen out of attendance, dropped their previous course(s), or unfortunately failed their previous course(s). Sometimes the issues was acute and has since been resolved, but more often I hear from students that they are still recovering from an injury, illness, or that they have chronic medical issues (this can be both physical, but also a mental health illness). In any case, it is really important to let students know that GCU does offer support through the disability office in many cases.  I have referred students to this resource who have gotten into car accidents, reported having migraines, or something as basic as an acute back issue that makes it difficult for them to sit at the computer for long periods of time.

We must, of course, be careful when asking for information, so when a student mentions a health issue I let them share whatever information they choose to share with me and then I encourage them to contact the disability office, as many of them assume this resource is only for those with chronic medical conditions, physical disabilities, or learning disabilities. I use very neutral language such as:

“The Disability Office is one of the many resources that GCU offers, and they have been very helpful to many of my students in the past”

Then, I include the office’s information:

Email: [email protected]

Phone number: 602-639-6342
 800-800-9776 ext. 6396342

Fax number: 602-589-2652

How often do you all find illness/injury a challenge for re-entry students (or any of your students)? Do you ever refer them to the disability office, and if you do does it help?

I have had a student who mentioned they were struggling due to a medical condition and other students wanting to help. I had another student private message me wanting to know the address and phone number of the student having medical issues, so they can be very supportive. Of course, I could not share that information due to FERPA and had asked that student to directly contact the student with medical issues for this information.

Hi Donald,

How sweet to hear that you had a student so willing to help and support their peer :) I always love seeing this type of peer-peer support in my classes, even when we can’t necessarily get them into direct contact with one other with the FERPA laws.   Do you ever do a “prayer forum” or “Hang out” forum in the main forum for student to connect with one another?   The class wall is technically the place where this is supposed to happen, but I never see students use the wall after that first week of class when they post their biography. Some of my colleagues have used the main forum and created a group for students to connect with one another.

Hi Amanda!

Yes, I do start a prayer forum for every class that I teach (3-years) now. However, I add my prayer forum in the main forum (in the old Loudcloud system as a separate forum), and now in the announcement forum. I also provide my email, phone and of course any private prayer a student would like to share with me in the "private forum," I am sure to pray for them. I make sure that frequent communication and interaction between my students and me as the instructor is employed in my classroom!

Thank you for asking!

Don