Review the pedagogical and technical information below to inform your progress in Week Ten. Have questions about what you learned here or ideas for future tips? Join Coffee & Answers (open support Zoom sessions with the Academic Technology Team) or email the Office of Teaching and Learning.
Pedagogical
How can I help my students navigate the post-midterm slump and build better study habits?
In the timeline of a semester, midterm grades are an important inflection point. Based on midterm grades, some students gain confidence and persevere, while others become discouraged and disengage. The two weeks after midterm are often a crucial time to help students develop persistence through the remainder of the term.
Thankfully, there are steps faculty can take to help students – even those who are struggling – to stay engaged. First, consider explicitly addressing the fact that midterm grades offer the opportunity for reflection and, if needed, course correction. This statement alone might help to normalize their feelings.
If students did particularly poorly on a midterm, consider an exam wrapper or structured reflection that asks them to consider how long they studied, as well as the study methods they used. Their answers can guide targeted suggestions.
If students indicate they didn’t comprehend the material, encourage them to review their notes shortly after each lecture and assess gaps in their comprehension. Encourage them to close those gaps using the many resources available – their book, peers, office hours, academic support, etc. – so their confusion doesn’t compound. If they weren’t able to apply the information, they may need to practice at a deeper level, trading in their term/definition Quizlet flashcards for scenario-based on higher-level practice questions. If they struggled with recall, you can suggest shorter, more frequent study sessions (chunking) or using memory techniques like mnemonics to help them better encode what they have learned.
Students who are “on the bubble” grade-wise might benefit from additional structure as well. For major projects, consider building in checkpoints along the way (e.g. submission of a thesis statement or project outline). Posting exemplars of past students’ work can also help students understand the intended end product. A direct invitation to office hours might help a student rise above embarrassment and seek the help they need.
Above all else, when students start to disengage, communicate your belief that they can improve. Of course, you should maintain your high standards. But by pairing them with some clear direction forward, you can help students overcome discouragement and finish strong.
Dr. Kris Goldberg
Senior Director, Office of Learning Resources
Technical
What tools might I use to support struggling students and encourage persistence?
Recording personalized messages for students to give them advice when running into challenges or encouragement and kudos when they are succeeding can be powerful. Panopto is the University’s multimedia platform that will allow you to record right from your desktop and post directly to Canvas.
Starfish is a tool instructors can utilize to track student progression in your course and assist them when they run into challenges in the course of a semester. For a reminder on how Starfish can be used for effective student feedback refer to our previous tip of the week here.
We discussed in previous tips how Canvas supports multiple forms of feedback, including written comments, inline annotations, and audio or video responses. Many instructors find that brief recorded feedback feels more personal to students and takes less time than extensive written notes. If you find you are repeating the same text comment, experiment with the Comment Library in SpeedGrader. Because feedback appears in several locations, it’s helpful to show students early on where and how to review it.
Are these tips helpful? Do you have a topic we should include in future weeks? Please let us know by emailing otl@sju.edu!
Additional Resources