Students Who Care... and some who don't

I've managed to irritate many students in my mass communication courses this semester. I do a little of that each semester. It seems more serious this semester.

I try to challenge students, to make them work hard, to make them feel accountable for the quality of their own work. I offer many hours a week to students who visit my office for help, advice, input on projects, etc.-- not just my advisees or those registered in my courses.

Last year, I was selected Professor of the Year at my university. I was honored and humbled, because the award was the result of a campus wide student election. We have dozens of excellent professors here at Winona State University, many of whom are deserving of the honor.

So, why are a few students irritated with me, more than in past years? It comes down to a couple things I say in the first week of classes and then hold firmly to those comments throughout the semester.

1.) In a journalistic article, if you spell a proper name wrong, the article receives an F.

It's simple. Check and double check names. Get them right. It's one of the biggest complaints people have about news media. It's lazy journalism. It's easy to check name spellings in a variety of ways. Perhaps the easiest and most credible way is to ask the person to spell their name slowly and clearly.

2.) Each assignment has a deadline. No extensions, no excuses, no late work accepted; Late equals F.

Mass Communication is a deadline business. When students graduate from our program, I want them to be prompt, professional, accountable. Try working in professional media, and miss a few deadlines. Better have some resumés printed, because the job search will be on.

3.) Show up for class. Miss more than two class periods in a semester, and the grade will suffer.

Students buy a product when they register for a course. They pay a fee and expect a quality product. You wouldn't buy a nice car then let it sit in the driveway. You bought a class-- drive it, every day.

In a 15-week semester, with a holiday or break day or two, a course that meets twice a week has about class 28 meetings. Miss three class periods and you miss more than 10 percent of the course information. It's not fair to expect the rest of the class to listen to material explained a second time for those who missed class. A professor shouldn't be expected to give lectures over and over for one or two people at a time.

My classes aren’t that difficult. They're challenging. There's a difference. I tell students I believe it is my job to make them uncomfortable several times each semester. It's in the uncomfortable spaces where learning occurs. If everything is easy and quick, they don't have to think, read, learn.

The recipe for success in my courses isn't difficult: show up, listen carefully, take notes, speak up occasionally, and apply what you hear in your assignments.

Since I instituted these class requirements, nearly every project is turned in on time, rarely is a name misspelled, and attendance is close to 98 percent. There's the occasional illness or family emergency, but those usually fall within the two classes per semester range. I consider this from the standpoint of expectations. I make my requirements clear in the first class meeting. Students can and do perform to clearly communicated expectations.

This semester, in the fifth week of the term one student had already racked up seven absences and turned in one assignment late. The project was poorly executed because the student hadn't heard most of the discussion of the theory behind creating an effective and memorable communication piece. I suggested the student drop the course because I saw little chance for a passing grade.

A colleague suggested that a college education is the one product some people purchase at full price hoping to get less than what they pay for.

Today, an email from a student who questioned my attendance policy contained this sentence: "I'm sorry my tardiness bothered you, if I was aware I would have put more effort into being on time." Yeeesh.

Thankfully, most students take their education seriously and challenge themselves to learn and grow and get the most value from their time in the classroom and the application of learning to their outside-of-class projects.

If my class expectations make me less popular with a few students-- but they help the majority learn and prepare themselves for careers or grad school-- I can live with that.

Lecture To Project Disconnect

The disconnect between lecture material and class projects:

In the mass communication program at Winona State University, there's a strong emphasis on both theory and practice. In my courses, a fair amount of time is spent on foundation concepts students need to know to be successful on active-learning projects they will complete as graded assignments.

During the first several weeks of class I lecture more, focused more on base-line information. As class proceeds less time is spent lecturing, and students spend more time working on projects, or peer-evaluating the work of classmates. My pedagogical plan is for students to hear and understand the concepts I share then apply those ideas in their own work. Further, when I get students into peer evaluation sessions, I expect them to apply class concepts as they proofread and constructively criticize the efforts of their classmates.

Unfortunately, there appears to be a real disconnect for many students between lecture and application of lecture materials. Most students listen carefully and take notes during lectures. I drop in pop culture references or humor (admittedly lame humor) to keep lectures interesting and fast-paced. It seems, however, when the lecture ends, students close their laptops and start on projects. They consider the two activities as separate and distinct.

It can be frustrating. In lecture I tell students what I believe to be hallmarks of good journalistic writing, or elements that must be considered in strategic publication design, or compositional elements that can and will make their photographs more appealing and effective. I'm often disappointed when I evaluate student assignments and find few, if any, elements discussed in lectures evident in their completed projects.

I make an effort to provide prompt feedback to students. I evaluate assignments as soon as I receive them and return projects to students with feedback at the next class meeting. I select a number of completed projects to show in class as I discuss their strengths and weaknesses.

Usually, by the fifth or sixth graded class project -- after hearing significant repetition from me about important class theoretical elements-- students begin to understand the value of incorporating these concepts in their own work. By then, there may only be a few weeks of the semester left and only one or two more projects in which they can show their mastery of the course material.

I consider it one of my greatest responsibilities to help students learn class content and develop confidence in their own skills and abilities. I also place a high premium on helping students create and perfect a body of work that can serve as examples of their newly developed skills and abilities. These class assignment projects should result in finished pieces appropriate for a portfolio to help students gain meaningful and rewarding employment in a mass communication related career position, or admission to a graduate school program of their choosing.

It works. I emphasize class theoretical concepts and eventually those ideas show up in student work. What's the problem?

I wish I could be more successful at getting the students to connect the class lecture material with their own projects earlier in the semester. I try to find new ways of helping students understand what I'm looking for in their work, so they can apply the concepts sooner.

I don't want to reduce class projects to mere imitation or replication of my thoughts and class examples. I want students to understand concepts, internalize theory and own and use class terminology in their own words. Most of all, I hope to have foundation concepts of each class show up in student work for the right reasons: to communicate effectively with a target audience.

This semester, I'm experimenting with an idea that came from several student evaluation comments following last semester's classes. At the same time I introduce and explain a new assignment, I show samples of the project that were submitted by students in the same class a semester or two earlier. I show some exemplary pieces and explain how and why they succeed. I also show examples that are lacking and describe how they might have been improved.

Already, after only two or three graded assignments in each of my classes, the work is better than previous classes at the same point in the semester.

I'm certain there are other ways of being more effective at engaging students to synthesize class concepts in their projects. I'm always seeking ways to improve my classes and help students to succeed and produce to their greatest potential.

Faculty Ignite Learning

A faculty member's responsibility: Ignite student learning

I've been teaching Mass Communication classes for more than a decade; the last three years full time. Faculty colleagues often talk about how hard it is to ignite a love or desire of learning in students. Journal articles and speakers describe similarities and differences in the classroom between Baby Boomers, Generation X, Generation Y, Millenials, etc.

I'm not sure generalizations can be applied to college students by age or generation. In my experience, it comes down to: a level of maturity (not necessarily age in years), the drive to succeed, self-confidence, and positive encouragement from a faculty member.

In nearly every class I have taught, a small percentage of students lead the class in quality of work, attention to detail, meeting deadlines, etc. These students speak up in class frequently, visit with me after class and show me their work in progress seeking input and constructive criticism. These students also help others in class if they are asked, providing peer evaluation with honesty and tact.

There's also nearly always a small percentage of students in each class that just go through the motions, filling a transcript requirement. These students skip class frequently, perform poorly on projects and exams, and do just enough to earn a passing grade. They almost never speak up in class, rarely participate in peer evaluation, and are likely to be either dozing during a lecture or laughing at their laptop computer screens (reading email or facebook).

In the middle are the students who don't have a lot of confidence, but who want to succeed and maybe are too shy or insecure to ask for help. They turn assignments in on time, but often don't apply text and lecture concepts in projects. This group has some absenteeism, but usually for understandable reasons: family emergencies, illness, car problems, etc.

To be fair, all students probably have the same kinds of difficulties. They get sick, have family crises or automobile break-downs. I just don't hear about them.

The top students don't make excuses. When difficulties arise in their lives, they find ways to deal with them and still excel in class. The bottom students miss class and deadlines and don't bother to explain themselves.

The professor's temptation is to spend more time and attention on students who excel, give limited attention to those in the middle and avoid or neglect those that lag behind. With a little rearranging of my effort, I find I can improve classroom performance overall. After the second or third week of a semester, I have a pretty good idea of where my students fit in my arbitrary three categories.

It may be unfair to label students and categorize them. Sometimes students surprise me and move from category to category. Nonetheless, it helps me to try to identify the students who need and deserve more of my time and attention.

I spend a little more time with bottom-dwellers, to see if I can find a way to ignite their desire to succeed. Once in awhile I make a connection and help a student move to a more active, productive role. More often than not, though, it is only the student who can realize their situation and make a decision to be more serious about their education.

The top students will usually forge ahead with or without extra attention from the professor. A few moments before or after class is enough to keep them moving.

It took awhile to realize this: spend more time with the students in the middle and help them realize their potential and move them to truly want to do good work. Sometimes I arrange an office meeting, and just listen to what they are thinking. I may ask about their career plans, and devise a plan to help move them toward their goals. Once they know someone cares about the quality of their work, they try harder. A well-timed kind word of encouragement can make a lot of difference to most students. It seems an oversimplification, but I cannot overestimate the power of sentences like, "I believe in you," or "I have high expectations for you," or "I know you will go far."

Maybe this idea has been studied and written about in education-pedagogy-curriculum journals. As a relatively new member of the faculty, I came from professional practice. I hold a doctorate degree but have never taken a course in classroom management or student motivation. I received help from my colleagues on text choices, syllabi, testing procedures, and the like, but had to find my own way developing my approach to building supportive, productive relationships with students.

A good portion of a faculty member's job is delivering class content and ensuring students receive that information. Perhaps as important is the faculty member's responsibility to manage the classroom environment, and help students to achieve at the highest level they can, or care to.

Many colleges and universities have a flame or light as part of their logo. This element refers to the perpetual flame of enlightenment or knowledge. Appropriately, the responsibility to ignite this flame and to keep it burning is a shared responsibility between the student and the faculty member. Both should take it seriously.