Overwhelmed... without reason.
I've been teaching online courses for the last 5 years, but I've taught a great variety of subject matters over the last few decades. One thing I've noticed and have yet to find a truly effective way to overcome, is the overwhelmed feeling some students get right out of the gate. They'll look at the projects, look at the complexity (I teach in areas involving design as well as scripting and coding) and they just shut down.
The material isn't a skip through the tulip fields, but it IS broken down into small manageable bites, and I am very active in working with students and covering each aspect. However, I find that a significant number of students, who can do the work if I can get them to focus on one aspect, completely shut down seemingly out of nowhere. I start getting e-mails that make it sound like they've been tasked with outlining a plan for world peace.
Surprisingly, a serious lecture with a bit of humor has helped quite a bit, but I find I spend half an hour of a scheduled hour long chat talking them off a ledge. When I finally get through to them, they carry on through, often achieving an A. My wife did this in a class a friend was teaching, failed it twice. I finally stepped in and isolated each step and didn't let her think about any other, she got an A. This isn't a practical solution for a class of 30.
Any ideas, anything you've done that would help?
Trip Bauer
I teach Algebra online as well as first term and have had this challenge on a regular basis Kurt. It is especially an issue in the Algebra class as many students come in with comments such as "I can never pass this class, because math was always my worst subject" or "I hate math and know this is not going to go well" or "I have never taken Algebra so I do not know what to do".
I spend a good deal of time in my first few weeks using a great deal of motivational talk, as well as reminding students that they are in the class for a "learning experience" and not a "Lets see how much I can remember" one. This puts many at ease, as does my question "When did your dislike of math begin, was it a teacher? Other student?" This allows the students to face their personal challenge and move forward from that. Finally, I share everyday uses of algebra that they do not even realize they are using, to build confidence.
I also inject humor in some of my motivational posts and by week 3 or 4 (of a 9 week course) have most a bit more comfortable with why they had an issue with the subject, how they actually use it on a regular basis and realize the class is like any other - they are there to learn and do their best.
I know this is similar to what you have done, but the subject of math has its own special challenges. I hope this shared how [after 20 years of teaching math] I have helped students past the "what am I doing here" fear. :-)
Karen "kam" Maiorano
Kurt,
You may already do this, but I would be upfront on the syllabus and course expectations and explain just this phenomenon to the students. Explain in detail at the beginnning of the semester how elements are broken in to small pieces and that they need to focus on those, and at the end of the course it WILL all come together. Put in CAPS and bold on your syllabus and learning system to set up a video conference if they get to the point of being overwhelmed and to do it early BEFORE they are past the point of no return. I had this during a methods course as well, and the students that I could get to connect with me, even for just 20 minutes or so, were very successful. Sometimes a simple misunderstanding can cause a great deal of stress.
Herbert Brown III
Way to go Trip. This sounds like what most students who struggle with and that is lacking "knowing how to study". I task the students on day one by providing them a listing of what they need to do to succeed (stuff I use to do when I was studying) such as outlining the chapters they've read. When a student send an email that they don't understand the material. I ask them for a copy of their chapter outlines so that I can see what they've been writing. I do inform them that the more senses they can use such as reading, writing, memorizing, speaking, the better off they will be when it comes to retaining the material.
I've had it where students respond and say "I don't know where to start". I teach finance so I ask them to let me know what page and math formula they are using for that problem. If they don't have any I let them know what page number of example in the text they should be following. Then I ask them for their chapter outlines.
Thanks Karen, the insight from areas other than where I teach is indeed helpful, also nice to know I'm not alone :)
One thing I didn't mention, other than 2012, I've been an online student myself since 2002, some degrees, but quite a bit just because I love the learning process in all forms and one should never stop learning. I bring this up and try to relate to my students in that aspect, but it's a slippery slope and one has to maintain that even though I'm also a student and can understand, in THIS case, I am the instructor.
Funny related item, my friend's girlfriend is working on a degree, constant comments on Facebook and just about anytime words are coming out of her mouth about how she has algebra homework and how she hates it and will fail. I've offered her help at least a hundred times, she always passes on the offer and continues to complain. Perhaps more than just a feeling of overwhelmed, perhaps some of our students believe that's how they're supposed to feel?
Kurt "Trip" Bauer
Just reviewing presentations for the upcoming term, one of my first items, before anything else, in the first live session of the term I lay out who I am, what I've done, who my students have been (generic demographics) and then what they can expect of me. I also lay out what I expect of them. I don't talk about normal course things, those are posted, what I DO talk about are my basic expectations:
1. Review everything early in the week, make notes of things you may see as obstacles.
2. TRY to do it. "you'll be surprised how often a task seems insurmountable, then you try it and start with step 1 and before you know it, you're done"
3. IF you've tried, and run into something, REACH OUT, early and often. I tell them "I'd rather hear from you 20 times throughout the week than once on Monday telling me you had issues and couldn't do it"
I tell them that by them starting and trying, then reaching out, if they have run into an issue, we're at a point to move forward and we don't spend an hour working on "oh, yeah, I can do that part, oh, yeah, I can do this part to...etc."
Kurt "Trip" Bauer
I do similar things, but to be honest, I don't bother with the syllabi or other prepared areas. I incorporate them into discussion posts, announcements, live sessions.
9-5 I run an IT support team for a college, one thing I've learned in the last 10 years, you could put "e-mail me and I'll send you $100" in every syllabus at a school and still only be out a couple hundred bucks at the end of the term. Sad, but true in my experience.
Related, but OT, EULAs are the same. I put a line similar to above in a EULA for some software I did a number of years back. Never got a single response.
Kurt "Trip" Bauer
Kurt,
You are right many students do not read the syllabus or other coures expectations, so instructors require students to take a quiz on the syllabus and expectations as their first assignment or a reflection or discussion of the content so you at least know the students had to read the content to pass the assignment.
Herbert Brown III
Kurt,
I hope they don't think that is how they are supposed to feel, but it is certainly possible some might feel that way. The example of your friend's girlfriend complaining but not getting help even though you offer it is pretty common in online classes. How do you get the students that need help the help they need when everytime you offer they ignore your offers?
Herbert Brown III
