The most common pitfall of students that I see is the fact that they underestimate the time it will take to complete their assignments.
Most of the time, they complete their discussions and exams, however, their lengthy assignments are either late or lack content.
One of ways I tackle this issues is to send a welcome email or make a welcome call and I choose three focus words : Pace (time management), projects (estimate & talk about their upcoming assignments), and participation (student lounge, class discussions, & other participation options).
This often opens their eyes to the reality of the online class expectations-
The number one pitfall I notice with online students is Procrastination!
Many students think that they have time since an assignment might be due at the end of the week so they leave their work for the 11th hour. Unfortunately, they do not give themselves enough time to submit quality work or something got in the way at the 11th hour and they do not submit any work.
When a student have the choice of when to complete an assignment or respond to a discussion board posting, etc., other things take precedence and school work is usually pushed aside for a later time. Before long, the work is piled up and they become overwhelm and discourage because they cannot catch up as well as they thought.
To help students get out of this "pitfall", I start off the course by setting goals for the students and have them also set goals for themselves to complete the course as scheduled. I try to let them understand the value of remaining on track with their work and what they could accomplish if they complete their work and graduate as scheduled. I do my best to focus on the positive and what they could achieve rather than what will happen if they do not submit their work. I send weekly reminders pertaining to the assignments and email them (especially the ones who are struggling)with a special note of how proud I am of them for their effort whenever they submit their work early. Positive reinforcement is working for the students and me.
While this does not help to save 100% of the students, it sure helps a significant number.
Edna Murugan
Students lack the support they need at home to keep them going in school. I try to point out the end goal so they can see the light at the end of the tunnel
I have noticed two pitfalls in some of my students. The first is assuming that they are team players when they are actually not. Another is pitfall is technology over confidence. Teach students that students should be aware of working in group projections online is more challenging. I normally encourage them to work on a goal for the team together, develop the schedule of activities, and work on how to measure their progress. To help students master the technology used in the classroom, I have a simple introductory video that I have posted in the classroom. Thanks, Tom
Students take on to much at once. I have students working 60 hours a week with a family trying to take two classes. This is unrealistic and at the end they end up overwhelmed and not learning much. Yes taking one class at a time may delay your degree a little bit but you have to be realistic about the time it takes to complete each course. You cannot expect to do two courses worth of material in a few hours over the weekend.
The other main problem is students do not read the course materials. They focus on the textbook as being the end all be all and skip over the course emails/announcements and documents. These are supplements created by me specifically to help with their assignments and 90% of students could raise their grade significantly if they would use these. You can really tell who spends time with the course material and who doesn't when you read their completed work.
I think the main thing is procrastination. Is there an online teacher on this planet who *doesn't* get inundated with phone calls and emails on Sunday nights and Monday mornings? Doesn't that pretty much say it all?
To get them out of this pit I like to see large projects spread over multiple weeks, with milestones that have to be met at various times. That way they aren't scrambling and producing half-baked work at the last minute.
Kelly, after 13 years I have seen that this one (• Believe they can "do it on their own" is my biggest issue in the online classroom with students. Although I emphasize collaboration, building on the topics together, working in teams to solve the assignment requirements, and interacting with daily to understand how to be effective each week, they go it alone and provide input that is not part of that overall effort.
I often see students who wait until the minute to complete assignments. They are often scrambling to complete assignments and do not take ownership for their laziness.
I also see students who make excuses for not turning in assignments. I often explain to the students they own their success as well. I send out weekly reminders of missing assignments. This has typically improved the pass rate of my students. While it takes more time on my part, I feel that it is necessary to nudge students at times because online can be very challenging.
I would like to add to the idea that students think that they are better writers than they are. As an English instructor, I find that students "take grades personally." Students have to learn that grades are not a reflection of effort, nor are they are reflection of ability. They are a measurable reflection of success on a particular assignment at a given time. One A doesn't mean an A in the class, and one low grade doesn't mean that the student should give up. Going over samples and rubrics tend to help students to have better expectations regarding what they need to do for a given assignment.
The main pitfall my students experience is getting behind because of work or family emergencies and then giving up. I send weekly email encouragement and never refuse to grade late assignments, but still lose student who decide they cannot catch up.
What pitfalls do you see your online students falling into and how do you help them "get out of the pit"?
Students many times need help with basic technical skills, and I refer them to the help desk as appropriate. In addition, students also need thelp with basic time management, so I try to guide them in making a checklist of critica tasks and due dates to help them get organized.
There are many pitfalls that students can fall into. Some of these pitfalls can be
1) Thinking that they have plenty of time to do the work
2) Working at the last minute and than running into technical problems
3) Not having the correct technology to do the work correctly
4) Thinking that online work is easy.
It is my job to help students understand these pitfalls and discuss them in order to prevent these things from happening.
Dr. Chuo
Stanley,
Great points! I now encourage students to use Outlook calendaring to begin to management their life. I have them plot their activities on it to help them identify times for school work.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Without a doubt the biggest problem is procrastination. Students seem to wait until the last minute and then request extensions. While I do understand that my nontraditional students all have busy lives with many responsibilities, I have to balance my extension policy between helping them to succeed and helping them to procrastinate. Our assignments are do every other week on Sunday nights. My policy is that if they ask before the deadline I will give them a 48 hour extension. However if they are already missing any assignment they are not eligible for an extension and there are no extension on assignments such as discussion boards and group projects as they interfere with the ability of their peers to complete their own work.
Lauree,
This is such a frustrating problem!. I think students are so used to doing homework in class (high school) or just used to tests that they don't know what to do when you put responsibility on them to do work on their own. It is very frustrating.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Edna,
Great post, I agree with you. This procrastination is so frustrating. I have started using soft dates for assignments to help them plan. I have just started using an app called remind101.com. It allows me to send text messages to my students. I will share with the group how it worked.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Charles,
Interesting, I use the idea that they need to think in smaller increments. One course finished, two courses finished. It does seem long at times. . .
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Tom,
Interesting about team players. I agree with you in they are not trained to work in a team. Procrastination plays a role in this.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Leah,
What is this about not reading!!!! I too find this so frustrating with online learning being a reading medium. Yet it is my fault when they don't have a good grade.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Pat,
I do this both in my online courses and face to face courses. I started a couple of years ago to create a Outlook calendar with soft dates to meet for a complex assignment. it goes in their phones and on their computers.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
