13 0 Ways to Promote Student Success

130 Ways to Promote Student Success Focus On Learning August 2013

Don’t make a new plan, Stan – Create Solid Curriculum

1. The course outline is a legal contract and cannot be changed. Ensure your students understand clearly their obligations to the course.

2. Work with other faculty in your program to ensure evaluation is spread out so that students don’t become overwhelmed. Blackboard calendar is a great tool for this.

3. Create a syllabus that clearly outlines all work that needs to be completed, highlighting the dates and stick to it.

4. Refer to it often – multi-tasking leads to inability to concentrate – reminders help.

5. Ensure your evaluation matches the outcomes.

6. Discuss curriculum day 1 and periodically after.

7. Encourage questions.

8. Use a variety of ways to evaluate.

9. Relate curriculum to real world.

10. Make opportunities within curriculum to celebrate successes.

11. Encourage student community building to increase awareness of class assignments. Don’t need to be coy, Roy – See the potential in all students

12. Be open regarding all contact with students – especially evaluation.

13. Treat all students fairly – the perception of fairness goes a long way toward earning the trust of your learners.

14. Be generous in dissemination of information – the more the better.

15. Be generous and work closely with your colleagues – be a role model for how to behave in a professional environment.

16. Recognize and reward success.

17. Identify strengths.

18. Positive reinforcement.

19. Allow for practice of learning.

20. Value individual experience that they bring to the classroom.

21. Be aware of learning styles and learning needs.

22. Be approachable and transparent.

23. Have genuine concern for students: team meetings/sharing with colleagues.

24. Recognize we can learn from our students.

25. Build relationships to understand students (goals, career aspirations).

26. Flexibility. Don’t slip out the back, Jack – Make Connections

27. Keep a daily active presence – especially in online courses and in courses where you only see the students face to face once a week.

28. On the first day let students know when they can expect communication with you and stick to it.

29. Identify early your “at risk” students and let them know you are here to help. Give early formative assessment.

30. Collaborate with Student Support Services (Counseling, Tutoring, Centre for Students with Disabilities, Financial aid, Student Success Specialists, etc.).

31. Collaborate with other faculty to find “cross-curriculum” projects.

32. Learn names.

33. Find common ground.

34. Create peer connections through music.

35. Breakdown barriers: games and activities.

36. Provide early success: simple test of skills.

37. Show interest individuals.

38. Show that you care. Don’t just listen to me…..Put it in writing....make it available

39. Put it in writing

40. Say it aloud.

41. Repeat it.

42. Reinforce it (Pair/Share, help set up study groups.

43. Remind again.

44. Calendar: visual 15 week snap shot.

45. Video introductions to meet needs of variety of learners.

46. FAQ space on LMS. Updated regularly by students.

47. Manage and organize content: respect student’s capacity to absorb clear labels and instructions.

48. Multiple means of communication.

49. Office hours, open invitation and virtual chat.

50. Set expectations on day 1.

51. Encourage students to share resources.

52. Sustainability: less paper and post on-line. Just hop on the bus, Gus – Get out of the class virtually or otherwise!

53. Take your students on a field trip.

54. Take them on a virtual tour.

55. Bring in industry professionals.

56. Create ways to have students work with industry professionals.

57. Connect first year students with students in work placement.

58. Encourage students to work with students from other areas of the college.

59. Promote college engagement.

60. Connect in to professional conferences via live feeds/webinars.

61. Find apps for topic on internet or smartphone.

62. Peer mentoring.

63. Team building activities, fundraisers, outside of class gathering.

64. Competitions.

65. Showcases.

66. Visiting an agency.

67. Build models.

68. Pinterest.

69. Role play/acting out facts.

70. Case studies. Don’t need to discuss much – Use Active Learning and Collaborative Learning Techniques

71. Student engagement is the key

72. Use Active Learning Techniques.

73. Collaborative Learning Techniques

74. Use Discussion boards on your Learning Management System

75. Get the students talking to one another – it helps them learn.

76. Let your students come up with the questions.

77. Brainstorming.

78. Think, pair, share.

79. Role playing.

80. Field trips.

81. Self-reflection.

82. Modeling: guest speaker. 83. Small group work.

84. Field placement.

85. Jigsaw. Just drop off the key, (to success) Lee = Evaluation is the key to success!

86. Create authentic evaluation that is transparent.

87. Create a rubric or something similar that allows the students to see how they can improve.

88. Vary your methods of evaluation so that all students can be successful.

89. Take your tests before you give them and add on time for the students.

90. Don’t test what you have not yet taught.

91. Make turnaround time your priority – students can’t add to learning if they don’t know what they’ve done wrong.

92. Discuss results in class as well as on line.

93. Review areas of difficulty and reinforce learning.

94. Establish a 24 hour rule.

95. Establish communication with students that were not successful and create a plan for success.

96. Provide a choice of evaluation process.

97. Self evaluation.

98. Break down the evaluation in to milestone or frequent evaluations providing more feedback.

99. Rubric with critical elements and cautions.

100. Provide testing opportunities.

And get yourself free – Upfront work pays off!

101. Set standards for what you want for the students.

102. Discuss what plagiarism is and set up assignments that prevent the practice.

103. Teach group work before you expect students to work well within a group.

104. Set a code of professional behaviour based on your industry standards and encourage your students to follow it.

105. Deal with conflicts early before any escalation.

106. Incorporate industry codes in to every unit.

107. Multidisciplinary approach to conflict resolution.

108. Student contract.

109. Student input.

110. Develop rubric with students.

111. Integrate workplace expectations in classroom standards.

112. Attach semester assignments/rubrics to LMS at beginning of semester.

113. Post video explanations online for clarity and reference.

114. Inform students all work will be checked using plagiarism website. I wish there was something I could do to make you smile again – Create a joyful learning environment!

115. Studies show a positive link between and strong orientation program and student success. An effective orientation can span a couple of weeks to avoid information overload.

116. Let students know first day they will be successful and you want them to be.

117. Create an environment that promotes respect and the joy of learning.

118. Make a connection with each student. Knowing someone cares can have a powerful effect.

119. Use humour appropriate to the classroom and don’t be afraid of having fun.

120. See the positive in each and every student - you don't choose your students but you can choose your attitude toward your students - not all students are there for the reason you want them to be there.

121. Take good care of yourself – students can’t be successful if you’re not there!

122. Use video clips.

123. Add music and humour.

124. Respect them.

125. Share your work related experiences.

126. Model a positive attitude and model healthy behaviours.

127. Use ice breakers.

128. Allow for student input.

129. Make it interactive.

130. Use chat rooms.