How to Get Students to Complete Course Evaluations

The end of the semester is sneaking up on us just as quickly as those extra holiday calories, and students are getting emails and D2L prompts to complete course evaluations. Many times, students choose to ignore optional tasks such as evaluations, and in other cases, they do not fully grasp the significance of completing them. Sometimes, students are just so stressed and fatigued by the end of the semester that they focus only on academic priorities.

How do we get students to complete course evaluations and give us the feedback we need?

The new process for completing evaluations has made it easier to convince students to do them. They can use a QR code that you distribute to them to complete evaluations on their phones, you can email them a direct link to the evaluation, or they can access the evaluation through D2L, where it is easily located. Each of you should have received an email from Laura McGoldrick with more detailed information. Each evaluation typically takes under five minutes to complete.

Students also want to know why these evaluations are important. It may help to explain that evaluations give them a chance to express how they feel about the course and instructor, in a professional and truthful way, of course. Consider telling students how meaningful the evaluations can be to the faculty who teach the courses and how the feedback we get can help us improve our instruction. You may choose to let them know that evaluations are a place where they can express gratitude or concern. Students receive our feedback all semester long, so now is their time to return the effort.

On rare occasions, students worry that we will know what they have written about us. Students need reassurance that the evaluations are anonymous and that we do not see them until the semester has ended and grades have been submitted.

It is also essential that we are not present when the students complete the evaluations. Some instructors reserve a computer lab or offer students extra credit for completing the evaluations. These ideas are both valid ways to guarantee completion, but we must make sure not to be in the room or offer any guidance or suggestions about how the students should respond.

As an instructor, our new evaluation method will allow you quick and comprehensive access to the evaluations once the semester has ended. You will even be able to see statistics about your ratings compared to others in your department and the college overall.

We hope your students will be eager to complete course evaluations this semester and recognize the wonderful work you have done with them and for them.

Are Our Students Different from Us?

In a world filled with conversations regarding recognizing and appreciating differences yet aiming for equality, it may be tricky to determine where we should put our focus when striving to reach diverse audiences in our classrooms. 

Increasingly, educational philosophers and theorists are pondering the differences between professors and students, not only in what is expected but also in life experience and goals. Some of the ideas that have been discussed regarding expectations are as follows:

• We expect students to be intrinsically motivated and interested in the topics and subjects we teach.
• We expect students to come to college with the overarching goal of increased learning and understanding of the complex world in which we live.
• We expect students to purchase materials as part of college requirements.
• We expect students to take our word as experts in the field.
• We refer students elsewhere when they have personal problems or issues that do not pertain to our class.

Students, on the other hand, may have different expectations:

• They may be motivated by outside factors and immediate results. They may be interested only in topics that pertain directly to their career goal.
• They may come to college with the overarching goal to provide for their family. Learning may only be important as it pertains to making money.
• Many students are products of a bargaining, negotiating society in which costly goods and services are questioned and must be justified.
• Many students expect a customer service model of education in which the professor must prove his or her worth in a variety of ways. Titles, degrees, and social status are unimportant and often suspicious.
• Students often want to know that we care about them as people; therefore, they want us to listen to them, invest time in them, and know them personally. 

More information on what students expect from instructors can be found in this Faculty Focus article.

Life experience has often been vastly different between professors and college students, as well. Other than obvious contrasts, such as age differences, those of us in higher education have often led a life enriched by academia from a very young age. We were encouraged to excel and were surrounded by intellectualism. People in our lives had high expectations of us. Consequently, we have a few underlying assumptions about the way the world works:

• Education is important for its own sake. It is also the best route to success.
• Career goals should revolve around passion, interest, and talent.
• College should be treated like a full-time job and a top priority.
• Work ethic should be applied indiscriminately to all pursuits.

Students, on the other hand, may view the these ideas and roles differently:

• Education is important for skills. It may not be the optimal path to success.
• Career goals should revolve around the potential payoff and likelihood of economic stability. 
• College is secondary to earning money or family obligations. It can and will be sacrificed if proper balance is not established.
• Work ethic should be applied to those tasks deemed worthwhile for immediate payoff, and energy should be conserved in other areas. 

Understanding the students in our classes and their perspectives on life and learning can make us more aware of ways in which to reach them. Surveying students about attitudes, ideas, goals, and expectations can help us determine how to better match our beliefs with theirs.

Writing Teaching Philosophies

Each instructor must submit a teaching philosophy to the Coordinator or Department Chair this semester. Although communication has gone out about the teaching philosophy, we thought it may be a good idea to share some samples that can be useful in structuring your own response.

If you are interested in more information about composing a teaching philosophy, you may visit the Cornell University Graduate School to peruse their guidelines.

If you would like to see some samples, you may visit Yale University online samples.

Let us know if you have questions or need assistance.

D2L Reminders and Suggestions

As we have now moved into Week 7, many of you have settled into the routine of your classes. We hope that you are enjoying both your courses and students. While many of you have the ins and outs of classroom management and grading under control, you may still feel like your D2L pages could use a little work. Below, please find a little breakdown of what must be kept current and what might just be helpful to you and your students.

D2L Requirements

Content

These documents help the instructor in that they provide a record as to what is expected and what has been assigned in the course. They also help the students in that students always have access to the expectations and assignments. While some instructors like to give our paper copies of these documents, students may very well lose them within the first few days of the semester. They need to be able to access them at any point. Please make sure the following are up-to-date and visible to your students.

• Important Course Documents
• Course Syllabus
• Instructor Addendum
• Instructor Calendar/Schedule 
• Major Assignment Prompts
• Essays, portfolios, speeches, etc. 

Attendance/Grade Book

The attendance and the grade book are very important because they help the student understand where he or she is throughout the course of the semester. While we may verbally discuss a student's current standing, it's important that he or she can access those records in a timely manner. Many instructors prefer to take attendance and record grades straight into the D2L grade book, while others prefer to use an alternate grade book (like a paper grade book) and then transfer the attendance record and grades. Either method is fine; the most important part is that grades are up-to-date in the grade book and attendance register.

Also, please make sure you have a "Midterm" grade column in your grade book. You can do this just as you do to add any grade, except instead of "Numeric," select "Text." This will allow you to enter a letter grade into the D2L grade book without messing up any of the grade book calculations.

Lastly, grades should be made visible to students. You can check this by going to the "Enter Grades" page of the grade book. The "Calculated Grade" column should include a little eyeball. If there is a slash through the eyeball, that means students can't see their course averages. If you need help releasing that grade column and making it visible, your department chair or your program coordinator can help you.

Dropbox

All students are required to use the D2L Dropbox. This is part of our SACS accreditation, as we are mandated to keep copies of the students' major assignments for at least one year. Because we do not want to "squirrel away" graded copies of essays, we, as a department, utilize the Dropbox. Paper copies of major assignments are an instructor preference, but digital copies MUST be submitted to the Dropbox before an assignment is graded. 

In addition, please utilize the Turnitin feature of the Dropbox when applicable. This helps instructors ensure that students are submitting original work. If you need help understanding how to use Turnitin, please contact one of your program coordinators or Ryan.

D2L Suggestions

Newsfeed

As you can, try to utilize your D2L Newsfeed. Many instructors like to use this feature as a way to make announcements to the class, such as when you might be meeting in the computer lab or when you have a homework assignment due. At the very least, try putting your contact information in the Newsfeed so that if a student logs into the class page, he or she is not met with a blank page. An example of the Newsfeed can be found below.

D2L Trainings and Drop-in Assistance

The Center for Teaching Excellence maintains scheduled D2L trainings and drop-in hours. Please consider utilizing their services. The drop-in help is held on Mondays from 2:30 PM to 3:30 PM in ST-236. Appointments for other times can also be made by contacting Ginger Dewey (gdewey@yorketch.edu) or Denise Smith (dsmith@yorktech.edu).

A list of this year's scheduled trainings can be found here: D2L Professional Development Website

If you have any questions at all about D2L or any other aspects of your course, please contact your program coordinator or Ryan. Thank you again for all that you do. We absolutely couldn't do it without you!

Strategies for Retaining Students

Information in this post comes primarily from the article "Retaining Students in Classes: Putting Theory into Everyday Practice," by Laura Saret.

Saret explores several reasons why students may not persist in college, including money, lack of goal alignment, isolation, and outside responsibilities, just to name a few. Although many reasons may be outside of our control, if we better understand our students and their needs, we stand a better chance of helping students see the value in staying in our class and attaining an education.

Some of the suggestions that Saret makes in the section titled "Classroom Practice: Strategies for Improving Retention," include the following listed ideas. These suggestions are paraphrased for this blog post. For full information on each bullet, please read the article in full.

• Show your passion for teaching and the subject matter.
• Get to know your students and help them get to know you as well as each other.
• Show students that you think they can be successful and are willing to help them accordingly.
• Encourage active engagement and participation in class.
• Facilitate activities to help the students read and understand the syllabus on their own terms.
• Show students the relationship between the course goals and their personal goals.
• Allow students to openly express their fears and anxieties.
• Clearly communicate expectations.
• Make sure students have plenty of notice for assignments and tests. Consider their other responsibilities.
• Emphasize the importance of grit, time management, dedication, and hard work.
• Keep students for the full class period on the first day to set expectations for the remainder of the semester. Continue making effective use of class time.
• Ask students who miss the first class to meet with you.
• Frequently refer to the syllabus throughout the semester.
• Practice flexibility when possible.
• Show your students that you care about them and their success.
• Provide frequent and low-stakes opportunities for success.
• Move around the room and be accessible to students.
• Help your students prepare and study for your class.
• Make attendance expectations clear.
• Make your classroom a community of invested learners.
• Request student feedback on your performance.
• Help students with advising needs.
• Share ideas with colleagues and do research on best practices.

Some of these suggestions seem to be obvious, but it is the combination of all of them that make the classroom more conducive to student learning.

Progress Meetings

The first major test or assignment can set the tone for the remainder of the semester.

For many students, their results on the first major test or assignment can serve to encourage or discourage them for the rest of the course.

For teachers, results from the first major test or assignment help us assess our students' comprehension, skill level, and overall preparedness.

But results of these assessments should also help us evaluate and adjust our plan of action for the upcoming assignments and assessments. Many times, we may not recognize flaws in our delivery system until we see grades that reflect comprehension issues. Of course, not all poor grades are a reflection of our mistakes. Sometimes, students simply are not prepared, interested, or ready (for whatever reasons) for our course.

Meeting with students directly after the first major grade can help us determine what we need to do as well as assist our students in developing a plan for what they need to do to successfully complete the course. Midterm success conferences are required here at our college for students who are not passing the course; however, if we can find the time to meet with these students sooner than midterm, we may provide necessary intervention before the second problematic grade rolls in. Some teachers even elect to meet with all students regarding the first major grade. During these meetings, students often reveal issues that may be delaying or jeopardizing their success. We can choose to review the grade with each student, or we can simply ask the student to elaborate on factors that may have contributed to the grade. Additionally, these individualized meetings encourage students to open up to us, ask questions, and seek our help moving forward.

In some cases, we may even find that the solution is simple, and the student may become immediately successful as a result. We also have the opportunity to refer students to helpful college resources for additional assistance or issues outside our area of expertise.

Overall, meeting one-on-one with students facilitates a deeper understanding of the students' needs and teacher's expectations. It also develops a relationship of trust and rapport between the teacher and students.

Keep Students in the Loop

In this age of competing technologies and short attention spans, it can be difficult to communicate effectively with our students in class, much less outside of class.

Have you ever left class and then realized that you forgot to tell your students something important? Well, when that happens, you probably turn to D2L News or Office 365 email as a means of passing on that information.The unfortunate part occurs when students do not check these services for updates or information, and only half of your class gets the message.

Many of you who teach part-time for us also work elsewhere. Sometimes, that means that you are rushing to get to class on time. Other times, you may get sick and need to cancel class. Students will get the information from signage or emails, but most of us have heard students complain: "I drove all the way here and I don't even have class" or "I never got that email."

Remind.com is an excellent way to prevent miscommunication and keep students in the loop. Remind uses texting, through assigned numbers, to directly send messages to students' phones when an instructor needs to relay a message. The students may respond to the instructor immediately or text the instructor to initiate conversation. No real phone numbers are provided to students or teachers, and teachers can even opt out of receiving replies or texts if they so choose.

As an example, this semester in an 8 AM class, an instructor set up a class on Remind and pulled up the registration instructions in class on the projector. The students all signed up, and the before the next class period, the instructor had received 6 texts from students, ranging from "I'm running a few minutes late" to "I can't find the homework assignment." If this same instructor gets behind a car accident on the way to work, she can text her entire class and tell them to wait or even give them an assignment. If the instructor needs to tell one student something, she can text that individual immediately. The same applies if the instructor needs to miss class due to illness.

Students are much more likely to respond to and use text messaging than they are email. Consider the number of hours they look at their phones over the course of one day. They could be using some of that time to find out more about your class!

Other technologies exist that work in similar ways to Remind. As long as you are getting the message to your students in a timely and effective fashion, that is what matters.

Help Our Students Get Off to a Good Start

Help our students get off to a great start this fall! Some studies suggest that students make up their minds about a class and instructor within the first few minutes of class. If this is the case, then we must be sure to make an excellent first impression. Students want reassurance that their instructors will be knowledgeable, approachable, caring, effective, organized, and prepared. Before the first day of class, you should have a few key materials.

WebAdvisor Class Rosters: Print your rosters from WebAdvisor repeatedly over the first week of classes. Rosters change frequently, and correct rosters ensure that you are recording attendance and processing never attended and withdrawn students promptly.

Course Syllabi and Addenda: Students deserve to know what is expected of them from day one. Make sure they have access to the college-mandated course syllabus and your instructor addendum no later than the first day. Remember that the college has a mandated template for the addendum, as well.

Course Schedule: Students also deserve an idea of how the course will be organized. Give students access to a course schedule (as detailed as you see fit) no later than the first day of class. It is okay to make revisions to the schedule as the semester progresses.

D2L: Students will see their courses in D2L at midnight the day classes start. A good first impression includes what they see when they click on your course. Is it ADA accessible? Is it well-organized? Are the materials uploaded? Have you set up the grade book and attendance roster?

Icebreakers and Introductions: Students want to know that you are a real person who cares about them. One way to establish early connections is through an icebreaker activity. The bottom of this post lists some links to fun icebreakers. Not only do they want to know other students, but they also want to know you. Decide on what information you are comfortable sharing and establish clear channels of access and communication. Icebreakers and introductions also help you learn names faster, and we all know how important knowing their names can be to student success and engagement.

If you need any assistance setting up your course or class materials, the coordinators and department chair are always available. If you would like to utilize the D2L ADA Accessible course shells for your course, please email one of us, and we will import the shell into your course. Additionally, never be ashamed to ask for help, resources, or materials from any of the faculty in the department. We could not reach our students without your help, so you are an invaluable part of our team.

Icebreaker Resources:

Lancing Community College Icebreakers

Faculty Focus College Icebreakers

Ohio State Icebreakers

Cengage Icebreakers

Be Part of the Family

Image from Vermont Autism Task Force

We want to welcome you to our little family here in the ENG/FL department at York Tech!

This site is intended to be a place where we can share ideas, ask questions, post concerns, and provide helpful information.

We know how hard it is to stay in the loop as an adjunct faculty member. Everyone seems to know what is going on except for you, right? You rely on often generalized emails to find out what you need to know, what has changed, or what you should expect. You wave at people as you pass them in the hall but never get a chance to talk. Besides, most of you are very busy working other jobs. We would like to make communication more open, friendly, and informal.

We intend to share some videos on this site, possibly even video clips of teaching from participating faculty members. We also plan to share ideas for activities, engagement, organization, and lessons. We look forward to you sharing, as well. Of course, we will also post timely updates that will be valuable.

Please become a part of our family by following this blog, replying to posts, and making your own posts.