Reviews: Retention
Min Pan
RE: Retention_Draver_Final
You have given us a good list of suggestions for retention and student engagement. You are absolutely right that engagement is a key factor. To engage students and to keep them engaged throughout the course in an online environment is indeed a challenging task. It requires a devoted, caring and experienced online instructor, and a course that’s rich in content with a variety of purposeful learning activates – what you mention as integration, I think.
In #3 you talked about how faculty responsiveness affects student satisfaction therefore affects retention. Responses to our student surveys have been consistent in that students praise teachers and their learning experience because of instructors’ timely and quality responses. Lack of, delayed or absence of instructor response/engagement is the #1 cause for negative student learning experience.
In #4, you talked about how students need structure in their course work. This is a good point. Online courses used to have fewer deadlines or were more like an independent study course. Now with online discussions and more interactive activities, most courses have a tighter structure with more frequent deadlines. Instructors reported that more frequent deadlines had improved course completion rate.
Cathryn Wilkinson
RE: Retention_Draver_Final
These ten points are an excellent list of ways to increase student retention. Just observing, as you did, that retention in on-line classes is more of a challenge than in the physical environment is a step toward resolving the problem. A Learner-centered course design as opposed to content-centered is a good suggestion.
You point out that clear assignments are essential, and I agree. Showing the purpose for each assignment is an incentive for the student. “After you complete this assignment, you will be able to _____.”
Relying on support staff (coordinators and mentors) frees up the teacher to focus on content over method, and reinforces the institution’s commitment to the student. Connecting with support staff provides a broader, team-structured context for the student. This will prevent a student from feeling that there is nowhere to turn for help, or worse, that no one cares whether or not they succeed.
Self-evaluation on the part of the instructor, for example strategically tracking student activity and analyzing the effects of teaching techniques within each class, can help refine and improve instruction in the future.
Your tie-in with the national controversy over teacher tenure is right on. Just as teachers need to work to make sure that students have everything they need to be successful in a class, institutions need to work to be sure that teachers have everything they need to be successful. Your suggestions for professional development lead to this goal, as well as creating environments where teachers can collaborate and mentor one another.
I look forward to continuing the dialogue in the future!
RE: Retention_Draver_Final
You have given us a good list of suggestions for retention and student engagement. You are absolutely right that engagement is a key factor. To engage students and to keep them engaged throughout the course in an online environment is indeed a challenging task. It requires a devoted, caring and experienced online instructor, and a course that’s rich in content with a variety of purposeful learning activates – what you mention as integration, I think.
In #3 you talked about how faculty responsiveness affects student satisfaction therefore affects retention. Responses to our student surveys have been consistent in that students praise teachers and their learning experience because of instructors’ timely and quality responses. Lack of, delayed or absence of instructor response/engagement is the #1 cause for negative student learning experience.
In #4, you talked about how students need structure in their course work. This is a good point. Online courses used to have fewer deadlines or were more like an independent study course. Now with online discussions and more interactive activities, most courses have a tighter structure with more frequent deadlines. Instructors reported that more frequent deadlines had improved course completion rate.
Cathryn Wilkinson
RE: Retention_Draver_Final
These ten points are an excellent list of ways to increase student retention. Just observing, as you did, that retention in on-line classes is more of a challenge than in the physical environment is a step toward resolving the problem. A Learner-centered course design as opposed to content-centered is a good suggestion.
You point out that clear assignments are essential, and I agree. Showing the purpose for each assignment is an incentive for the student. “After you complete this assignment, you will be able to _____.”
Relying on support staff (coordinators and mentors) frees up the teacher to focus on content over method, and reinforces the institution’s commitment to the student. Connecting with support staff provides a broader, team-structured context for the student. This will prevent a student from feeling that there is nowhere to turn for help, or worse, that no one cares whether or not they succeed.
Self-evaluation on the part of the instructor, for example strategically tracking student activity and analyzing the effects of teaching techniques within each class, can help refine and improve instruction in the future.
Your tie-in with the national controversy over teacher tenure is right on. Just as teachers need to work to make sure that students have everything they need to be successful in a class, institutions need to work to be sure that teachers have everything they need to be successful. Your suggestions for professional development lead to this goal, as well as creating environments where teachers can collaborate and mentor one another.
I look forward to continuing the dialogue in the future!