There are some problems that are better to know about right away:
- Slow leak in your tire? Better to know right away rather than right before your morning commute.
- Bad fit with an employer? Figure that out during the interview, not six months in.
- Terrible show that is not worth watching? Save time by walking away in season 1, not season 4.
- Online student that is not self-motivated? Early identification makes things way easier in the long run.
We all love students like On-My-Own Ollie. On-My-Own Ollie takes the initiative to reach out and have an initial conversation. She asks great questions and creates her own self-pacing schedule. She follows her schedule, checks the rubrics before she submits anything, asks polite questions whenever she is confused (which is rare), shows improvement based on teacher feedback, and demonstrates an impressive trajectory of growth. If all students were like Own-My-Own Ollie, online teaching would be a breeze.
However, we all know On-My-Own Ollie is not most online students.
As online teachers, how can we detect when students are likely to struggle and intervene early on? Then, if we do intervene early on, can we increase the likelihood of success? Here are four types of students to watch for and some strategies that might help them be more likely to succeed.
Twice-Trying Taylor
I strongly recommend an initial video-call meeting with every student before they can start their course. I set up my course in my LMS so students cannot even see the course content until they have had that meeting with me. One of the questions I usually ask during this meeting is, “What made you decide to take this course online?”
Someone like Twice-Trying Taylor will respond, “I failed it the first time, so I’m trying again.”
A response like this is your cue to go, “Hey, that takes a lot of courage. Failing a class can be really discouraging, but I’m committed to supporting you and helping you get through it successfully this time.” Then, start probing as to the reasons why things did not go well for them the first time:
- Did they have an unfair teacher? (Or someone they perceived as unfair?)
- Did something happen in their life that got in the way of their school work, such as a health concern or a death in the family?
- Do they have a diagnosis that you should know about?
- Do they just really hate the subject?
Do not create your own narrative about Twice-Trying Taylor, assuming that he is just lazy or unintelligent or defiant. His story will be unique, so your approach to helping him will need to be unique too.
Depending on the reasons why Twice-Trying Taylor is trying again, you may want to consider:
- Reducing the workload of the course
- Setting up tutoring sessions prior to major assignments
- Providing more anecdotal feedback than you normally would, coaching him in places where you see gaps in his knowledge or skills
With support, encouragement, and a sprinkle of grace, Twice-Trying Taylor will be able to get through.
Needs-a-Nudge Nicky
Every online teacher has students who will go radio silent for long periods of time. I have had a few who are like Needs-a-Nudge Nicky, who will not get anything done unless they get an email reminder to log in and get going. Sometimes cc-ing a students’ parent or guardian on the email can provide extra motivation.
As I am writing this, I am thinking of a student in one of my courses who is exactly like Needs-a-Nudge Nicky. Whenever I email him, I get a bunch of assignments on the same day, followed by another period of silence. Now, he is one assignment away from finishing the course, so I just took a moment to send him another email. I am pretty sure he will be finished before this blog has even been published.
If you have someone like Needs-a-Nudge Nicky in your course, keep them on a list and make a habit of sending “nudge” emails to them on a regular basis. If you are using a StudyForge course, set up the “activity” widget on your dashboard and check it once a week to see if your students flatline for a period of time. Hopefully, with regular encouragement, they will learn to take responsibility for their own work schedule, but in the meantime, if a quick, “How’s it going?” will get them moving again, send it.
Dishonest Devon
A guiding principle of my life when dealing with other people is, “Presume goodwill.” This means that my default posture is to assume that most people are decent folks who are trying to do their best. When I meet someone new, I try not to be fearful or assume that this person is out to destroy me or the world. Most people aren’t.
Sometimes, though, students will show you that this presumption of goodwill was misplaced.
- Maybe you have frequent suspicions that they are using AI or plagiarizing work.
- Maybe you are getting emails from parents saying that the student is telling them they have completed work that is actually not completed.
- Maybe you have an experience-based assignment and their reflection on it seems suspicious, as if they have not really done the task that you set for them.
When you start to have suspicions about someone like Dishonest Devon, you want to tread carefully. Falsely accusing a student can damage your relationship with them. Here are a few suggestions, though, about how to move forward:
- If you are concerned about AI use or academic integrity, check out this blog for specific hints.
- Ideally, you should be getting parents and school counselors involved. If students are only taking one online course with you and are enrolled somewhere else, their main school may have insights into their behavior that can help you respond appropriately.
- If concerns are escalating, rather than sending messages or emails, have a video-call or face-to-face conversation. This will help preserve your relationship with the student and hopefully lead to a constructive solution.
- Give them a chance to try again. If you suspect that they did not complete an assignment honestly, you are within your rights to say, “I’m not sure that this is entirely your own work. Can you please resubmit it, make sure that it is your own work, and be sure to cite any sources you have used?”
If they refuse to admit wrongdoing but you are still pretty sure they are not completing work honestly, you could try something like this:
- Ask one of their in-person teachers to invigilate a test or exam.
- Have them complete an assignment while on a video call with you, sharing their screen. You can keep working or marking on the side, but keep an eye on their progress.
Thankfully, I have not had too many students like Dishonest Devon, but I have had enough that I have needed to set some systems up for myself to detect them early. If they know I am onto them early on, maybe they will say to themselves, “Well, I won’t be able to get away with it with this teacher.”
Seriously-Struggling Sam
More often than dishonest students, I have students like Seriously-Struggling Sam who really have a tough time with online academic work. It usually does not take long for me to identify students like this.
- They might answer one part of an assignment but completely miss something else.
- They have 20-word answers for questions that ask for 200 words.
- They are doing work completely out of order or skipping more difficult assignments.
- They are getting many objective answers wrong.
- They are asking way more questions than you usually get from students, showing that they are having trouble with basic instructions.
In my experience, about 10% of my students will take about 50% of my support time. Students like On-My-Own Ollie can power through a well-designed course with little intervention on your part; students like Seriously-Struggling Sam, though, will need more of your time and attention to be successful.
- If your school has a student-support center, get them connected to it early on in the course.
- Tailor your anecdotal feedback to help them with the basics without discouraging them about all the things they do not yet know.
- When you can, pass them; when you can’t, give them another try with clear instructions of what they need to do to get that passing grade.
- Encourage their parents or guardian to find a tutor for them; if they can’t, have them schedule occasional tutoring sessions with you.
- If you are using a StudyForge course, make use of the analytics tools to identify areas that they are struggling or that they may have skipped, leading to gaps in their knowledge.
- Look for and celebrate growth, not expecting perfection.
If Seriously-Struggling Sam is in your online course, there is a good chance they already feel discouraged about school and learning. What if the way you supported Sam is to allow them to gain confidence, love learning a little bit more, and make some incremental steps towards academic success? Identify her struggles early, find ways to provide additional support, and cheer her on every time she takes a small step forward.
Sure, teaching students like On-My-Own Ollie can be rewarding, but these students will probably be fine no matter who their teacher is. Be the teacher that helps Twice-Trying Taylor to be successful this time around, that empowers Needs-a-Nudge Nicky to work independently, that introduces Dishonest Devon to her conscience, and supports Seriously-Struggling Sam so she starts to love learning just a little bit more.
The rewards of that kind of success are worth all the challenges that teaching these students involve.
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