Academic Recovery: Designing a Seminar to Support Students on Probation
1. Academic Recovery:
Designing a Seminar
to Support Students
on Probation
Mike Dial
University Advising Center
University of South Carolina
@mtdial
Scan below for
more resources
after the session!
2.
3. What is
Academic
Probation?
• An institutional policy (often
results in labeling)
• No common definition across
institutions
• A state in which student’s
grades have not met a
satisfactory threshold, but they
may remain enrolled while
working to improve their GPA.
Students who do not improve
may/will be dismissed from
their program (Arcand and
Leblanc, 2011)
• Usually below 2.00/4.00 scale
4. What leads college students to struggle
academically?
Inadequate academic strategies
Poor time management skills
Lack of motivation
Under-preparedness
Poor major alignment
Lack of awareness of academic requirements
Work demands
Mental and physical health concerns
Caregiving responsibilities
Low sense of belonging to campus
(Arcand & Leblanc, 2012; Barouch-Gilbert, 2015).
5. • Unexpected, negative
event
• Changed roles and
relationships
Academic Probation as a Transition
Unsatisfactory
Academic
Performance
Academic
Probation
Academic
Recovery
Dismissal
6. Student Experiences
“IT’S A WAKEUP CALL “I WISH I HAD KNOWN
BEFOREHAND”
“I AM A FAILURE, AND
IT’S EMBARASSING”
Barouch-Gilbert, A. (2015).
8. Students who complete first-year seminars…
Have higher first-year
GPA
Persist to their second
year at higher rates
Use campus resources
more frequently
Experience higher
satisfaction
Become more involved
beyond the classroom.
(Friedman and Foote, anticipated 2021)
9. Benefits of the Seminar for Students on Probation
For credit, graded
Provides a hook to keep students engaged
Creates community and enhances belonging
Provides validation that students are not alone
10. UofSC Overview • Public research institution
• First-Year Class (as of Fall
2020)
Enrolled: ~5,850
WCGPA midrange (high school
average): 3.78-4.50
SAT midrange of total scores:
1200-1350
ACT midrange of composite
scores: 25-30
• Enrollment
• Undergraduate: 26,733
• Out-of-State: 44%
• Minority: 20%
• Total: 34,795
11. University 101 Program
• 3 credit hour course
• Graded
• Full semester
• Team-taught
• Capped at 19 students
12. UNIV 101 Academic
Recovery Section
• Offered each spring
• Same Learning Outcomes as
U101
• Co-taught
• Added emphasis:
• Non-cognitive factors
including resilience and
the cultivation of growth
mindsets (Dweck, 2008)
• Theoretical Models
• Appreciative Advising
• Transtheoretical Model
(TTM) of Human Behavior
Change
• Motivational Interviewing
13. Eligible Students:
• Approximately 70 students
• Eligible for Grade Forgiveness
Failed UNIV 101 in the Fall
• Approximately 100 students
• Often using to improve skills and boost GPA
FYS on probation & did not enroll in UNIV101
14. Psychologically Attuned
Invitation
Waltenbury, M., Brady, S., Gallo, M., Redmond, N., Draper, S. & Fricker, T. (2018). Academic Probation: Evaluating the Impact of Academic Standing Notification Letters on Students.
Describe
• Describe probation as a
process of learning, not
a label
Acknowledge
• Acknowledge factors
that contribute to
academic difficulty
Communicate
• Communicate that is it
not uncommon to face
academic difficulty
Offer
• Offer hope and support
15.
16.
17. Transtheoretical Model (TTM) of Intentional
Human Behavior Change
• Behavior change occurs through
a progression of stages
• Includes specific and varied tasks
Miller, W. R., & Rollnick, S. (2012)
Pre-
contemplation
Contemplation
Preparation
Action
Maintenance
Relapse
18. Types of Pre-
Contemplators
• Reluctant
• Lack of knowledge/do not want to consider change
• Rebellious
• Aware of the problem
• Often invested in the problem/problem behavior
• Invested in making their own decisions – “don’t tell me
what to do”
• Resigned
• Lack of energy or investment
• Given up on the possibility of change
• Overwhelmed by the problem
• Rationalizing
• Appears to have all the answers
• Not considering change because of personal risk
• May believe their problems are someone else’s fault
19. What is shame?
• Shame is a complex
emotion.
• It is more intense than other
emotions.
• Shame may require an
audience, or at least a
perceived audience.
• Shame is debilitating.
20. Understanding and
Combatting Shame
“Shame is the intensely
powerful feeling or experience
of believing that we are flawed
and therefore unworthy of love
and belonging.”
-Brené Brown
21. Shame Resilience
• Recognize shame and
understand it’s triggers
• Practice critical awareness
• Reach out
• Speak shame
24. Principles of
Appreciative Inquiry
• The Constructionist Principle
• The Positive Principle
• The Simultaneity Principle
• The Poetic Principle
• The Anticipatory Principle
29. Days 1 & 2 • Name Tents
• Preferred Name
• Favorite Movie
• Favorite Food
• Dream Job
• Describe Yourself in
3 Words
• I Have a Link
• Best Class/Worst Class
• Mutual Expectations
• Go Over Syllabus
• Yarn Ball Activity
30. Topical Areas Throughout Semester
• Syllabus Mapping & Semester at a
Glance
• Time Management
• Goal Setting
• Study Skills
• Digital Identity
• Wellness
• Conflict Resolution/Difficult
Conversations
• Money Management (+GPAs &
Scholarship)
• UofSC History
• Values Clarification
• Diversity and Self Identity Exploration
• Finals Preparation
32. Assignments
• “My Story” Presentations
• Reflection Journals
• Pick Your Own Assignment
• Academic Coaching
Reflection
• Out-to-Lunch Reflection
• College Movie Reflection
• Beyond the Classroom
Experience Reflection
• Midterm Reflection Essays
• Article Synthesis Group
Presentations
• Final Project – Two Parts
• Personal User Manual
• Temperature Reading
33. Other Course Components
• Attendance
• Class GroupMe
• Student 1:1s
• Small Assignments
• Syllabus Mapping
• Semester at a Glance
• Goal Setting to the Now
• Who Has Expectations of Me?
• Dinner at Instructor’s Home
34. Students Enrolled
in Course Enrolled F18 Enrolled F19 Enrolled F20
Spring 2018 19 13 68% 11 58% 9 47%
Spring 2019 19 - - 15 79% 10 53%
Spring 2020 18 - - - - 15 83%
35. UNIV101 End-Of-Course Evals.
Spring 2018 Spring 2019 Spring 2020*
In this class, we learned a lot almost every day. 4.72 4.76 4.64
Class time was well spent. 4.78 4.82 4.73
Taking University 101 has been a valuable
experience.
4.89 4.71 -
I recommend that future USC students take
University 101.
4.94 4.65 4.27
Taking University 101 helped me adjust to
college life.
4.94 - -
This course helped me develop meaningful
friendships.
4.33 - -
The content and topics covered in this course
were relevant to my needs.
4.72 4.88 4.45
36. 1.35
1.29
2.5
1.77
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
Enrolled in Recovery Course Not Enrolled in Recovery Course
First-Year Student on Probation
Average GPA at End of Term
Fall 2019 Spring 2020
81.30%
46.20%
18.80%
53.80%
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
70.00%
80.00%
90.00%
Enrolled in Recovery Section Not Enrolled in Recovery Section
First-Year Student on Probation
Academic Standing at End of Term
>= 2.00 <2.00
38. References
• Arcand, I., & Leblanc, R. (2011). Academic probation and companioning: Three perspectives on experience and
support. Mevlana Intenational Journal of Education (MIJE).
• Adelman, C. (1999). Answers in the tool box. Academic intensity, attendance patterns, and bachelor's degree attainment. Washington, DC: U.S.
Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement. Retrieved September 1, 2018
from https://www2.ed.gov/pubs/Toolbox/toolbox.html
• Barouch-Gilbert, A. (2015). Academic Deficiency: Student Experiences of Institutional Labeling. Journal of the First-Year Experience & Students
in Transition, 27(2), 101-111.
• Bloom, J. L., Hutson, B. L., & He, D. Y. (2008). The appreciative advising revolution. Stipes Publishing.
• Brown Brené. Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead. Penguin Books Ltd, 2015.
• Dweck, C. S. (2008). Mindset: The new psychology of success. Random House Digital, Inc..
• Duckworth, A., & Duckworth, A. (2016). Grit: The power of passion and perseverance (Vol. 124). New York, NY: Scribner.
• Haber, R. Virginia Satir’s Family Camp Experiment: An Intentional Growth Community Still in Process. Contemp Fam Ther 33, 71–84 (2011).
• Miller, W. R., & Rollnick, S. (2012). Motivational interviewing: Helping people change. Guilford press.
• Seidman, A. (2012). College student retention formula for student success. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield.
• Stearns, Peter N. Shame: a Brief History. University of Illinois Press, 2017.
• Tinto, V. (1993). Leaving college: Rethinking the causes and cures of student attrition. (2nd ed.) University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL 60637.
39. Thank You!
Mike Dial
• mdial@sc.edu
• Twitter: @mtdial
• miketdial.weebly.com
Pl Please remember to
submit your evaluation
on Guidebook! ease
remember to submit
your evaluation on
Guidebook!
Mikaela Greene
mrea@mailbox.sc.edu
803-777-4761
Assistant Director for First-Year Advising at the University of South Carolina
Prior to that I worked for our first-year seminar, University 101 programs
Designed and taught an online course on supporting students on probation back in August.
Working on a book on supporting students on probation which should be released at the Students in Transition Conference this October.
MD
No common definition across institutions
Often 2.00 because this is a benchmark gpa for federal financial aid and the minimum GPA to graduate from instutions
Arcand and Leblanc warn that overemphasis of these or any other factor deprives the probationary student of being seen as and interacted with as a unique individual. As is the case with other student subpopulations, students on probation “do not form a homogenous group”
It is important to note, that while at-risk and probationary students may share a number of similarities, the two identifiers are obviously not interchangeable. Many at-risk students lead productive academic lives and complete the requirements of their degree program. On the other hand, some students admitted as high achievers face struggles and find themselves on academic probation. Interestingly enough, high achieving first-year students including those in honors programs may be at greater risk than other students due to the fact that they are not well equipped to handle failure as they have not previously experienced academic disappointment. Facing academic challenges, honors students may hide warning indicators particularly well by remaining calm and positive to external audiences. Their portrayed self-assurance may make their struggles harder to identify for faculty, staff, and peers. They may also may be less likely to seek help as they have not needed to in the past (Robinson, 2015).
“academic probation can be seen as a transition between unsatisfactory performance to either acceptable academic standing or to dismissal” (Arcand and Leblanc, 2011, p. 3). While not explicitly stated in the literature it goes without saying that students are on the proverbial clock in terms of achieving good academic standing as most, if not all, institutions give students a limited number of terms to improve grades.
In the last few years, a number of noted scholars have begun to explore the lived experience of students on academic probation.
In one qualitative study, the researcher found that students expressed three reactions to their, as he described it “institutional labeling” because that’s really what were doing. The terminology he uses for the student labela associated with the institutional policy of probation is “academically deficient”
Wake-up call, slap in the face, and reality check
Confusion & distress.
Focus on things they did wrong.
Thoughts about improvement
Question whether or not you want to be here and if you belong.
Feelings of underpreparedness
I wish I had known beforehand
Students may have been unclear of the policies – minimum standards
Wished their institution had given them a warning that things were not looking good. This is a call for high quality early intervention programs. Mid-term grades reporting – but that’s the focus of a future class I think.
I am a failure
Emotionally detrimental period of young adulthood.
Students felt like failures, it was stigmatizing, and embarrassing.
“One semester and I’m already done” one student thought.
Being placed on probation is obviously stressful and emotionally draining.
In an effort to provide a typology of programs designed to support students on probation we continue to turn to Arcand and Leblanc (2011) who suggest that programs are either delivered in the form of group classes, often seminars, and workshops (Lipsky & Ender, 1990, McGrath & Burd, 2012) or in individual academic advising or coaching settings (Robinson & Gahagan, 2010) Many institutions provide an intentional combination of both group and individual interventions.
Today, we’re focused on seminars for students on probation.
MD
MG
MD
Course design and individual meetings with students were guided by the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) of Human Behavior Change (Prochaska and DiClemente, 1983) which recognizes that behavior change occurs through a series of stages with unique milestones along the way. Further, motivational interviewing (Miller and Rollnick, 2002) and the Appreciative Education Theory-to-Practice Framework (Bloom, Hutson, and He, 2008) guided instructor interactions with students. Through the use of motivational interviewing, instructors facilitated opportunities for students to observe for themselves the ways in which their current behavior was inconsistent with their ideal future states. On the other hand, the appreciative education framework is an intentional, collaborative framework aimed at helping students optimize their educational endeavors and set and achieve goals.
MD
MD
Add information on Psychologically attuned letters.
MD – intro that we’re going to spend some time talking about the theory behind the way I design this course.
MD
Stages of Change
Behavior change involves a process that occurs in increments and that involves specific and varied tasks is at the heart of the transtheoretical model of intentional human behavior change.
Stages
Precontemplation
The earliest stage of change. Students in precontemplation are either unaware of problem behavior or are unwilling or discouraged when it comes to changing it
Many first-year students enter the university in the precontemplative stage of change. They are unaware of their own need to make changes or seek help.
Contemplation
A person acknowledges that he or she has a problem and begins to think seriously about solving it. Contemplators struggle to understand their problem, to see its causes, and to think about possible solutions.
The individual knows where he or she wants to be and maybe even how to get there, but he or she is not quite ready to make a commitment.
Many of our offices in the Division of Student Affairs are set up for students in this stage of change
Preparation
The person is ready to change in the near future
Individuals in this stage of change need to develop a plan that will work for them
Commitment to change does not necessarily mean that change is automatic, that change methods used will be efficient, or that the attempt will be success in the long term
Action
In this stage of change, students most overtly modify their behavior
They make the move and implement the plan for which they have been preparing
Maintenance
Final stage in the process of change
The person works to consolidate the gains attained during the action stage and struggles to prevent relapse
Students may “recycle” through the stages many different times before reaching success; thus, a “slip” should not be considered an utter failure but, rather, a step back
Reluctant
Lack of knowledge/do not want to consider change
Motivating them is going to take time. Use careful listening and provide feedback in a sensitive and empathic manner.
Rebellious
Aware of the problem
Often invested in the problem/problem behavior
Invested in making their own decisions – “don’t tell me what to do”
They may argue and verbally and non-verbally let you know they do not want to be in your program.
The key to working with rebellious precontemplators may be providing options and allowing them to choose for themselves.
Try to help the rebellious precontemplator turn their rebellious energy into positive energy focused on change.
Resigned
Lack of energy or investment
Given up on the possibility of change
Overwhelmed by the problem
Instill hope and help them explore and identify the barriers to their change.
Accentuate their positive steps – acknowledging their successes will help build self-efficacy.
Rationalizing
Appears to have all the answers
Not considering change because of personal risk
May believe their problems are someone else’s fault
Empathy and reflective listening are key to helping these students.
Do not argue with the rationalizing pre-contemplator.
Other literature has suggested that students may feel ashamed and concerned about stigmatization. This shame may cause students to withdraw from using support resources on campus.
According to Stearns, shame is one of the more complex emotions – namely because it must be learned. It’s based in societal/family unit expectations. Some psychologists believe that shame emerges when the child feels that parental love may be threatened or withdrawn.
Shame seems to last, where other emotions – like embarrassment for example are more quickly forgotten. Shame can linger for days and be can be revived through community pressure.
In shame – it is the self that is wrong, not an act
Shame may require an audience – in our perspective, the university. They may feel devalued and as if they do not belong. The shamed person tends to shrink, characteristically seeks to hide, because of the emotional dilemma involved. students on academic probation experience many emotions, and among those emotions is shame. In his book, Peter Stearns defines shame as an emotional experience that depends on group standards and group enforcement. Shame also requires an audience, or at the least an imagined audience.
Shamed people dislike themselves and want to change, hide, or get rid of their self.”
Explain that my peer leader introduced me to Brown’s work on shame as I was starting to formulate this idea that there’s something to this.
Shame is a universal human emotion, experienced by everyone (except true sociopaths)… It is a fear of disconnection.
Read definition
We tend to use the definitions of guilt and shame interchangeably. This is problematic and they are actually quite different
Guilt = I did something bad.
Shame = I am bad.
Considering students on probation, who might they feel disconnected from?
The university that said they belonged when they accepted them.
Their friends and peers who were more successful in their first semester (in my experience students on probation think it only happened to them and their experience is abnormal) Family and loved ones at home who had high expectations of them. (remember, many students on probation receive their letter of notification while home with family for the winter holidays break)
Brene Brown says, “If we can share our story with someone who responds with empathy and understanding, shame can't survive." I make it my mission in this course to create an environment where shame wouldn’t survive and where our students are free to be vulnerable and become the very best versions of themselves.
We do that by helping students build shame resilience
My peer leader who introduced me to Brene Brown said that she wanted to make sure our students knew that shame thrives in secrecy and vulnerability does not equal weakness.
On the very first day, we spent time talking about and acknowledging our student's feelings. We talked about what they may have been feeling after receiving a letter at home from the University informing them that they were on academic probation and we talked about the vulnerability it was going to take to be a successful member of this class. They had each faced different struggles to get them to this point, but now that we were all here together, we encouraged them to own it, not be afraid to talk about it and work with us to figure out what they needed to be successful moving forward.
Brene Brown says, “If we can share our story with someone who responds with empathy and understanding, shame can't survive." My peer leaders and I make it our mission to create an environment where shame wouldn’t survive and where our students were free to be vulnerable and become the very best versions of themselves.
Appreciative Advising is a social constructivist advising philosophy that provides an advising framework for advisors to use in optimizing their interactions with students in both individual and group settings. It is based on David Cooperrider’s organizational development theory of Appreciative Inquiry . Grounded in positive psychology and reality therapy.
Six phases:
Disarm
Recognizes power differentials exist between students and helpers.
Work to break down barriers (small talk, safe spaces, advisor personality comes through in their space)
All members feel their voice is valued
Discover
Use positive, open-ended questions to uncover student perceptions and personal strengths
Lead students to empowering perspective.
Affirms a sense of the possible – tell me about a class you enjoyed learning and did well in.
Beginning the journey toward a positive future
Dream
This is about vision not goals. Goals are concrete and objective. We want to think bigger here.
You are supporting your students in articulating meaningful, positive pictures of their future.
In David Cooperrider’s initial conception of appreciative inquiry he expressed that human systems have natural heliotropic tendencies – or they evolve toward positive anticipatory images of the future.
Anticipating the future – may very well guide students toward that future – positive or negative. That’s where you come in.
Design
Action plans where student strengths are alainged to achieve individual dreams
Doesn’t have to be concrete – don’t want students to miss opportunities that cross their path because they are not “in the design”
Deliver
Thoughtful actions taken to carry out plans.
Teach mindfulness – mindful choice must precede action. Deciders first, doers second. Keeps actions thoughtful and part of the bigger picture.
Don’t Settle
Encapsulates “positive restlessness”
The idea that students can revisit their perceptions, rediscover strengths and passisons, and create more audacious dreams.
The Constructionist Principle
Knowing and becoming are interwoven.
Knowing who a student is and how they became themselves is a strong predictor of what they can become.
The Positive Principle
Positive attitudes, actions, and connections with others influence long term change. The more positive these remain the longer change may last.
Highlights positive connection between helper and students. Both must maintain to positive attitudes and actions to prompt positive change.
The Simultaneity Principle
A beautiful concept that inquiry and change happen in the same moment. The kinds of questions you ask students sets change in motion in a particular direction. The questions themselves are incredibly powerful. Negative or punitive questions – may cause students to defend themselves. Questions set the foundation of discovery and what we discover with students sets the foundation for what we can dream together.
The Poetic Principle
Life stories can be rewritten and reframed to fit how the student sees them self know and in the future.
Reinterpretation of one’s life story can create an abundance of new possible future realties.
Stories can be reframed to incite hope
The Anticipatory Principle
Dreams of the future can guide current behavior in the direction of that future.
MD
Highlight Philosophy -Get to wanting them to feel comfortable to talk with us about anything so we need to be willing to hear everything
MD
MD
For the first couple days of class, we wanted to get to know our students and help our students get to know us. In U101 we love a name tent, and we asked our students to give us a little more than just their preferred name; we also asked them to put their favorite movie, favorite food, dream job and three words they would use to describe themselves. After everyone had the chance to create their name tent, we went around the room and had each person share out their name and any two corners of their name tent.
To continue getting to know one another and start to build community in our classroom, we did an activity called I Have a Link where students share about themselves and when someone has something in common, or "a link" they hook arms and now that student begins to share about themselves until another student has a link. In the end of the activity, we all had found links to one another. This demonstrated to our students that even though we were all very different and unique individuals, there were many things that connected us all together.
We also spent time talking about what makes a college course great, and what makes courses not so great. When we talk about the best and worst classes, we talk about what the instructor did to make a class the best or worst and we also talk about what the students in the class did to make a class the best or worst class. From there we were able to set mutual expectations for the semester—what did we as instructors expect from our students and what did our students expect from us to make this class a successful learning experience.
As with all courses, it was important for us to go over our course syllabus and assignment packet. By having the assignment packet and syllabus on the first day of class, they knew what we expected of them moving forward through the semester.
And lastly, the yarn ball activity is another chance for us to build community within our class where they make connections with one another and with us as their instructors.
MG
This is an overview of topics we covered throughout the semester. With every new semester teaching, there is always the challenge to stay relevant, fun and meaningful when it comes to designing your course. There is an added challenge in designing a course for student’s who’ve already taken a U101 course in the fall but failed.
As an example of being willing to talk about everything so our students know they can come to us with anything, when talking about money management, we talk about how to not blow all your money at the bars by sharing tips like taking only a set amount of cash rather than your credit card. With that day we incorporated GPA calculations based on what grades they are hoping to receive in their current classes and how their GPAs will affect their scholarships and for some, how this may impact their ability to remain students at Carolina.
We devoted an entire class period to talk about study skills. This day was completely peer leader led. The year prior, I created a lesson plan for my U101 students to get out of the classroom and walking around campus while incorporating different study skills. I took my students to my three favorite study spots on campus. At each study spot I talked about a different way to study for exams. The lesson ended at the Student Success Center in the library where students were not only able to find out where the student success center is located but also what services they provide to support students.
MD
Johari Window
MG
On the first day of class, along with their syllabus, students received assignment packets that detailed the requirements of these assignments.
The five reflection journals and the passport to success were assignment woven throughout the semester.
The midterm reflection essays were a more formal way for Mike and I to check-in on our students by asking them to articulate their needs, struggles, successes and goals.
The Article Synthesis Group Presentation gives our students the opportunity to work as part of a team and not only learn more about topics relating to study skills and the science of learning, but to also teach that information to their classmates.
The final project was two parts and had an incentive... if a student had no or one absence, they only had to complete part one of final. Most students did end up having to complete both parts of the final project.
For the first part of the final, students created a personal user manual based upon what they had learned and discovered about themselves throughout the semester. Required components included their name, purpose statement and self-identified strengths and weaknesses. Students were encouraged to get creative and have fun with the other components to complete the assignment by including information such as warnings like "finds uncertainty frustrating," or sharing their motivators, values and personal inventory results.
For part two of the final, students were asked to complete a temperature reading. The temperature reading idea also came from my psychology of marriage course where I learned about Virginia Satir, a leader in the world of family therapy, and her family camp experiment. At family camp, the participants started each day with temperature readings that included four components (appreciations, bug/possible solutions, new information & hopes and wishes). We adapted these four categories to fit our students to help them reflect on our class and their time thus far at Carolina:
1. Appreciations: what did this experience teach you? What did you learn from this whole year?
2. Bugs/Possible Solutions: What hurdles do you still need to overcome? How will you do so? Who can help you? What do you need to improve or learn to get there?
3. New Information: What do you know about yourself now that you didn’t know in August? What brought you to these conclusions?
4. Hopes and Wishes: What's next and how are you going to get there?
MG
After the semester had already begun, Mike and I realized we had made, what my elementary art school teacher calls, a happy accident- we had forgotten to include an attendance policy in our syllabus. So, we asked our students to design the attendance policy with what they thought would be the most fair. This turned out to be really great because it led to a discussion on the importance of accountability.
Class GroupMe that Mike and I were both in – share reminders, things happening around campus like a basketball game or organization fair
Our students were required to meet 1:1 with either Mike or myself around the midpoint of the semester. 1:1 meetings are one of my favorite parts of teaching because it gives me a chance to get to know them better. In my 1:1 meetings, some students needed more personalized attention on how to prepare for exams, how to balance their schedule, or just talk to me about how their life is going in their second semester.
Detail some small assignments
The Goal Setting Action Plan is an example I talked about earlier is an example of a smaller assignment incorporated into our class. Students think about the small steps necessary in order to achieve larger goals.
