I learned that I am 90% on the right track after 20 years of teaching in higher ed. There's still some room for improvement and I recognize the need to address some of the needs of students to retain them. I am just not sure how much addressing of their needs I should be responsible for because this was not the behavior of professors when I was coming through undergrad of graduate school. So, times have changed dramatically evidently. I always get the students to introduce themselves at the beginning of the semester whether in-person or on-line. I feel this is an important soft skill for any college educated person to know and master before getting to the workforce.
Our semester just got underway within the last 10 days and so I asked myself this time around, "If I was a college student in 2020 what would I need to be successful?" I feel as though I now have turned a corner for my classes so students have a thorough review of the various software and processes they will need to know or think about at the beginning of the class instead of gradually throughout the class. And, I have decided to ask each student, "What's the one big understanding you received from this chapter or unit?" I have been pleasantly surprised for the last 10 days that students desire to flex their intellectual muscle at the beginning of the semester and discuss what stood out for them. Then, the very next question I ask is, "What was the one thing that confused you in this chapter or unit?" Knowing this helps me to add more relevant content to answer those questions for the next student or the next class. I am thinking since this has been so successful for students it may give them a sense of belonging or responsibility with the class. Who knows? I hope I will have more positive results after the semester ends in December 2020.
