Dear Gaucho,

We are halfway through the semester and I am losing students! Some aren’t coming to class, and others aren’t turning in assignments. I am reaching out to students. I remind students about my office hours and share information about tutoring. What else can I do?

Thanks,

Professor Perplexed*

Hey there, Perplexed!

Mid-semester attrition is something that, unfortunately, most of us are battling right now. Your first instinct to reach out to students individually and to remind them about tutoring services is a great one.

I do, in fact, have a few more ideas that we all might try to combat the midterm slumps!

Person-first messages

First, when messaging students about missing work or absences, begin by asking how they are doing. Taking a line or two of a message to first ask after them as humans can go a long way toward building trust between you and your students.

Here’s an example of what such a message might look like:

“Hi, Jordan, We’ve missed you in class, so  I wanted to check in with you. How are things going? I’d like to help you get back on track. Would a quick chat this week work?”

Offer small steps for re-entry

• If the student responds, make the next step small. Students who are behind often feel overwhelmed. Offer a short list of the two to three missing assignments that would help them most, This works better than a broad invitation to catch up.
• A “back on track” plan, a short grace window, or a one-time late-work reset can keep a student from deciding “it’s too late.” It also signals that you want them to succeed.
• If lots of students are riding the struggle bus, you might try a “Behind? Start here” announcement or message through Canvas. On that page, list resources, a re-entry plan, and reiterate your contact information.

Cares Reports and Academic Support Requests

In addition to tutoring, we have other excellent resources on campus. Connect students with information about the monthly free Farmers Market and Resource Fair. Remind them of the new food pantry location in the O5 building. Students with technical difficulties may benefit from learning about tech help offered in HT1, or our student device checkout program.

We also have a great team of people ready to support students who may be struggling more than the average student. Every semester, I file academic support requests and Care Reports. It’s like sending up the Bat Signal to the Center for Learning and the GCC Cares Team. Someone will contact that student and connect with them with support resources to keep them afloat.

Shake it up!

Once you know that your students have the support they need, both academically and personally, you might consider shaking things up a bit in the classroom. Take some time to think about the module or learning unit that you are coming upon.

• Can you offer one more way to access learning materials, like adding a video or podcast (audio) option?
• Might you offer one more choice for the final assessment? Instead of a multiple choice test or written exam, could students demonstrate their learning another way? An oral exam, a poster project (supplies can be purchased with course fees), or slide deck?
• Change up your support (office) hours. Try a change of location. Students often feel more comfortable meeting in a student space such as the Student Union. A professor I follow online shared that she invites students to her office to work on a puzzle. Another idea is to have a theme for your support hours that week: choose a topic from class with which your students might need extra help. I’ve had success when offering an APA hour! Shifts like these signal to students that they don’t have to be in distress to visit support hours.

We may not be able to retain every student who has succumbed to the midterm slumps, but taking some of these actions is likely to welcome a few back into the classroom community.

If you try some of these strategies, let us know how it goes!

‘Til next time, Gauchos!

Lisa

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* This Dear Gaucho letter is a dramatization, distilled from conversations Lisa has had with other faculty recently.