LSS Faculty and Staff Resources

Edgewood College
Edgewood College
	Faculty/Staff Resources

Faculty/Staff Resources

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I have a student who...Spring 2005

Did you accidentally delete a message you wished you would have saved?
Scroll down to read the Spring 2005 series.

I have a student who...
01-19-05...beginning of semester note
01-25-05...is very talkative in class.
02-02-05...could benefit from the LSS website.
02-09-05...is involved in Student Activities.
02-16-05...needs feedback regarding classroom performance.
03-02-05...is an Edgewood Student Athlete.
03-16-05...won't be receiving midterm grades.
03-30-05...is a Non-native English speaker.
04-13-05...wants to list me as a reference.
04-27-05...is taking my final.

Greetings!

Learning Support Services and the Early Alert Committee are gearing up for another semester of “I have a student who…” messages. In a continuing effort to increase retention, we will continue to send our weekly messages with information to help your students succeed throughout the semester. Last semester, we dealt with plagiarism in the classroom, supporting students through the crisis in the Middle East, and a variety of other issues (for the entire list, go to http://edgenet.edgewood.edu/LSS/Faculty_Resources/student_who_F2004.htm).

Do you have any topics you would like to see in one of these weekly messages? Are you doing something in your classes that works well and you would like to showcase to your peers? If so, please contact Sara Anderson. You can suggest any topic in or out of the classroom.

Thank you, and Happy Reading!

Congratulations! It can be very difficult to get students to speak out in class. Unfortunately, students who are overly chatty can make it more difficult for you to interact with others in the classroom, and can become troublesome.

Talk with the student. The student may not realize that he or she is being disruptive. Let the student know, the sooner the better. Explain that you want to allow other students to have a chance to respond. Thank the student for the interest in your course--you don't want to disillusion him or her!

What is your classroom format?

Do you allow open discussion, or ask for comments? The student may be trying to participate within the structure of your classroom, and may not realize that he or she is monopolizing instruction time.
Did you set up classroom discussion rules? How about a class discussion related to open dialogue and what that involves? Some students may not be familiar with classroom discussion formats. Clearer expectations related to topic discussions and comments may be in order. If initially speaking with the student does not work, sit down together to come up with a plan. Together, construct a number of times participation is appropriate, or ask the student to raise his or her hand before speaking. Allow the student to voice his or her concerns here as well (is the student worried about not participating enough, as participation is graded?).

Write a behavioral contract. If these behaviors continue and speaking with the student does not help, write a behavioral contract with him or her. List specific things that are, and are not allowed, and list consequences for deviating from your mutual agreement. Make sure the student is a part of this discussion. If you would like assistance with this, contact the SRC.

Go to the pros. Ask other faculty or staff members what they would do in this situation. The greatest teaching skills come with experience.

Is the student talking when you are? Remind the student that this is inappropriate behavior, and will not be tolerated. Do so as soon as possible, to prevent the behavior from continuing or making it more difficult to stop in the future. When in doubt, ask your colleagues what they do, or contact the Academic Dean’s office.

Visit the LSS website!
http://edgenet.edgewood.edu/lss/default.htm

The Learning Support Services website is your resource for helping students AND yourself. From the home page, click on “Faculty Resources.” This web page is specifically designed to assist you in dealing with students in and out of the classroom.

Academic Alert Notices
As you recall, you can submit an Academic Alert Notice (AAN) for a variety of reasons. The LSS website will give you an overview of Academic Alert Notices, and also links to the on-line form. By going through the LSS website, you can inform students what concerns you have about their academic progress and the steps you believe they need to take to remedy their less than satisfactory performance--wherever you have an internet connection.

Early Alert
Do you have questions about Early Alert? The Early Alert page gives answers to frequently asked questions. It also has links to all publications distributed by the committee; if you are unable to find the Early Alert booklet given to you at the beginning of the semester, you can print a copy here.

I have a student who…
All “student who” messages are saved to the LSS site. You can browse all messages sent from Fall 2002 to present.

Disability Services
Do you have a question about students with disabilities in your classroom? “Disability Services Explained” gives you an overview of Edgewood policy, as well as classroom tips for different types of disabilities.

Tutoring Services
Would you like to recommend a student to become a peer tutor? Click “Recommend a tutor” and your recommendation will be immediately forwarded to Sara Anderson.

Student Assistance
Are you meeting with students who are confused about resources available to them? Direct them to the LSS website.

Students are able to access all LSS handouts on study skills or visit the vast number of internet resources for study skills, mathematics, or science. If you know of great internet resources you would like to add, contact Sara Anderson
LSS services explained; direct students to “Tutoring Services,” or “Disability Services”
By going to “on-line forms,” students are able to request tutoring or schedule accommodations through disabilities services without needing to visit the Student Resource Center
Math Lab and Writing Center hours are listed under “Tutoring Services.” Pictures of Writing Center and Math Lab staff are also available
The current edition of the Writing Center Newsletter is also available on-line (paper copies are available outside of the Writing Center)
Math placement test information, PPST preparation, LSS staff information (with pictures) is all available from the home page

What are you waiting for? Take a tour today!
http://edgenet.edgewood.edu/lss/default.htm

Research shows that students who can find a connection to the college or a faculty/staff member are less apt to transfer or drop out of college. There are a variety of things you can do to support a student’s relationship with the college and have fun at the same time.

Go to athletic events, concerts, theatre performances, campus activities board (CAB) activities, etc. You can share most of these events with your family members. When in doubt, contact the student activities desk and ask if the event would be appropriate for children. Not only are you supporting your students by attending, you are allowing them to see you involved in the college outside of the classroom.

Thursday Night Programming. Every Thursday night an activity is hosted in the Wingra Café.

Offer to assist with a student event. There may be students planning events in your field or another area of interest. Getting involved in the planning is a great way to connect with students while doing something that interests you.

Leadership Series. The Office of Student Activities offers a leadership series with talks throughout the year. These lectures, open to all students, faculty, and staff, are a great way to assist students, build community, and showcase some of the wonderful people we have on campus. The next event in the leadership series is February 18 and will feature Vince Kavaloski from the philosophy department. If you would like to present in the series or would just like more information, contact the Office of Student Activities.

Check the “‘Sup This Weekend” Board every Friday in the Predolin Commons. Each Friday this board is updated with everything going on over the weekend—at Edgewood and in Madison. You can find out “what’s up” around town without even picking up the Isthmus.

Major/Minor groups. Do you have a student group associated with your field? Even if you are not the faculty mentor, there are many ways to assist and support those students and their activities.

Daytime Activities. Not all events occur at night. There are often activities in the Commons during normal business hours in addition to evening events. Watch your email for announcements.

Why should you attend these events? Research shows that if students connect to the campus and faculty or staff members, they are more apt to remain at Edgewood College.

· It helps you stay connected to the students. By attending events, you can get to know your students better and stay more in touch with the students that you have. It can also give you another perspective on what they want out of their education, and help you plan your class activities accordingly.

· Student Activities can help you plan events. Would you like to take a group of students out for an activity? If you are willing to open it up to the entire campus, there may be programming money available. Contact Beth John for details.

· Movie License. Would you like to show a movie campus wide? Student Activities sponsors 10 movies a year.

There are a number of ways to give feedback about classroom behaviors and performance. The most important thing about feedback is remembering to give it!

Remember, feedback doesn’t have to be negative. Students also benefit from hearing when they have done well.

Last week, Laurie Laz forwarded the On Course Newsletter to all of us, highlighting some best practices in feedback. In case you missed it, the article is now available through the LSS website. http://edgenet.edgewood.edu/lss/Faculty_Resources/feedback.htm

Other types of feedback are also incredibly beneficial to students and their advisors.

Early Alert Rosters. These rosters ask for information regarding all of our first year students. They were placed in your boxes last Friday, and are due in the Student Resource Center (DeRicci 206) by this Friday, February 18. If you have any questions (or can’t find your rosters), please call Sara Anderson at 663-3210. While these rosters don’t provide information directly to students, the Early Alert committee is able to use them to find patterns in detrimental behaviors and intervene before it becomes too late for the student to salvage the semester. Faculty feedback is essential for this program to work.

Academic Alert Notices. Send an Academic Alert Notice if you have a student who has been missing class, hasn’t turned in assignments, did poorly on an exam, etc. Read more about them at http://edgenet.edgewood.edu/LSS/Faculty_Resources/aan.htm. You can send an Academic Alert Notice by going to the above website; anywhere you have an internet connection, you can send an Academic Alert Notice. These should not be thought of as punitive; they are another source of communication available to you as instructors. Students will not get “in trouble” for receiving one. They will instead be alerted to possible issues in the classroom, and are given a chance to grow and improve.

Student athletes are students first. They go to classes, carry full time loads, work part time jobs, and do all of the other things that students tend to do. They have also made a commitment to represent Edgewood College through the athletic program. Because we are a division 3 school, these students do not receive financial aid assistance for participating in the athletic program.

When their sports are in season, these students practice up to 4 hours a day; they also practice for periods in the off season. As you can see, a strong commitment is required, as well as very good time management skills.

You can watch the Eagles play in the NCAA National Tournament TONIGHT in the Anderson Auditorium (the coverage begins at 6:45pm). If you’d rather watch from home, you can get the link from the Athletic Department’s homepage: http://www.edgewoodcollegeeagles.com/.

Missing Class
Students do not miss class for practice. They may, however, miss classes when a game is scheduled. Student athletes are encouraged to meet with their instructors at the beginning of the semester, to let them know when games are scheduled, and when they will be missing class. These students do care about their classes and probably would not like to miss--however, they have additional obligations as athletic ambassadors for the college. The official "Missed Class" policy is attached, if you would like to view it.

How can you help these students?
Encourage students to come to your office hours, especially if they need to miss class for a game. We all know that nothing can replace the classroom experience, but we also do not want these students to fall behind in their class work.
Academic Performance. Students will not need "additional help" merely because they are athletes. Academically, you can expect the same performance as other students. In fact, since our student athletes need to maintain a specific cumulative gpa to remain active in the athletic program, you may find that they work harder! Some coaches require an even higher scholarly performance, and may require a "study hall" in the evenings, where the entire team must work on coursework.
Go to games. Playing is a lot more fun when you have the support of your fans. Try to go to a game or two, and let them know that you are backing them. Games also make a great outing for your entire family!

If you have questions about student athletes or Edgewood's Athletic Department, contact Steve Larson, Athletic Director, or James Goll, Academic Advisor to the Athletic Department. For more information on Edgewood Athletics, go to their website at http://www.edgewoodcollegeeagles.com/ There, you can get information regarding games, statistics, rosters, press releases—and more!! You can also subscribe to receive information about specific sports—this is a great feature if you have student athletes in your classes, and would like to keep track of their progress throughout the season.

For those students who receive midterm grades (freshmen and first semester sophomores), it is incredibly important to turn grades in on time. The deadline is today! These grades give students an idea of how their classes are going in the middle of the semester, still allowing them time to bring up their performance before it is too late. Remember, a student might not necessarily make the connection between receiving C’s or D’s on papers and exams and a C or D for a final grade. Many are under the assumption that they can easily raise their grade, and feel they don’t need to worry. Midterm grades can make the situation much more concrete.

Midterm grades are also crucial to the Early Alert committee, helping them to connect students with resources--before he or she is on probation. If midterm grades are not submitted for a student, they receive an “NR” on their grade sheets for that class. It is then up to the student to contact the faculty member and see what the grade actually is. “Non-reported” grades also give the Early Alert committee a very incomplete picture of a student’s progress in his/her first year.

Written Assignments or Exams
Students also receive feedback when exams, quizzes, and homework or problem sets are returned. This immediate feedback allows students to gauge progress in their courses and should help them to decide how to proceed. Some instructors write short notes on returned work (or on post-it notes stuck to returned work) giving additional information or concerns. Returning work promptly is a very important component of this feedback, as students are not able to properly act on advice if it comes too late.

Talk with the Student
Never underestimate the value of talking with students. Students who stay at Edgewood often mention a specific staff or faculty member who made the difference for them. You could be that person! When you are speaking with a student regarding academics or other issues and you are not sure how to help, direct the student to the appropriate on-campus services. Campus support services include: The Writing Center, Math Lab, Tutoring Services, Career Counseling, Personal Counseling, Disability Services, Residences Life, Campus Ministry, Health Services, and more! Remember, you may be the only person to recognize a struggling student.

I have a student who writes Nonstandard English.
What can I do to help?

The English used in college compositions is “standard written English,” but this is not necessarily what students speak. Almost everyone speaks differently from how they write. Students who are not native speakers of English or who speak dialect will often make persistent errors of verb tense or subject-verb agreement when they write. Dialect speakers use a grammatically consistent subject-verb agreement that is the opposite of standard written English: “He talk” vs. “He talks.” Both dialect speakers and non-native speakers may have trouble writing the past tense of regular verbs (“He talked”) either because “He talk” is correct for past tense in spoken dialect or because the “d” sound at the end of the verb is particularly hard to hear and thus remember. For ESL (English as a Second Language) students, their particular pronunciation patterns are often clearly reflected in their grammatical or spelling errors.

How Can I Help This Student?
In your feedback on the student’s writing, be as specific as possible in assessing grammatical errors. For instance, “You need to work on putting your verbs in past tense” is better than “You need to improve your grammar” or “Your English is not at college level.” Emphasize the difference between spoken and written English. What you mark as an error on a paper may be perfectly acceptable for casual speech. For dialect speakers, don’t assume that the differences in verb forms are clear to the student. Many students have never had to convert to standard English until college. In addition, ESL students may never achieve the grammatical accuracy of a native speaker. Assess how much grammatical errors take away from the overall impact of the student’s writing. It may be a serious detriment to the clarity of the student’s thought, or it may be more of a distraction. It will help the student if you can quantify how important an issue their nonstandard English is.

Where Can Students Go for Help?
Refer students to the Writing Center to work with a tutor or ask students to make an appointment with Writing Specialist Angela Woodward in the Student Resource Center (663-2281). Encourage students with significant problems to use the Writing Center on an on-going basis. You might offer an incentive for using the Writing Center, such as bonus points or extended time to complete the assignment. Some faculty allow students to use the Writing Center even for take-home exams. Link to Referral Form

Writing Center Hours
Student Resource Center, DeRicci 206
Monday through Thursday 9 – 4:30
Friday 10 – 2

Go to http://edgenet.edgewood.edu/LSS/Faculty_Resources/student_who.htm to read the entire series.

1. Be Honest with the student. Discuss the type of reference that you will provide. If you cannot provide a good reference, be honest with the individual.

2. Relate references to the specific position for which the person applied and to the work that the applicant will perform.

3. Direct the response to the particular person who requested the information. Respond to the specific inquiry about the student or job applicant.

4. There is no such thing as "off the record." Informal lunch discussions or "off the record" telephone conversations should be avoided.

5. Information given should be factual, based upon personal knowledge/observation of the person through direct contact or obtained from the student's record.

6. Avoid giving personal opinions or feelings. If you make subjective statements or give opinions because they are requested, clearly identify them as opinions and not as fact. If you give an opinion, explain the incident or circumstances on which you base the opinion.

7. Don't guess or speculate-if someone asks you questions regarding personal characteristics about which you have no knowledge, state that you have no knowledge.

8. State in a reference letter, "This information is confidential, should be treated as such, and is provided at the request of (name of student or applicant), who has asked me to serve as a reference." Statements such as these give justification for the communication and leave no doubt that the information was not given to hurt a person's reputation.

9. Do not include information that might indicate an individual's race, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, citizenship status, sex (unless by the individual's name it is obvious), or marital status. Do not base an opinion of performance on stereotypes about an individual: for instance, "for a woman, she excels in math." Document all information that you release.

10. If you are unaware that a student has named you as a reference, ask the prospective employer for verification that the individual has given consent for the reference. Such verification could include a copy of the student's signed application listing you as a reference, your name listed as a reference on the student's resume, or verbal confirmation by the student to you. If you are asked to be a reference for a student, obtain consent from the student to speak to prospective employers.

For more information or a sample reference letter, see Jennifer Bublitz in the Student Resource Center.

We only have one week left! This is the perfect time to remind your students to begin reviewing (if they haven’t already) and finishing those final projects. The following tips can help you ease students’ anxiety and make exam week more bearable.

Remind them of the date and time. Yes, the final exam date is probably in your syllabus. Yes, students can go on EdgeReg to find the final exam date for any class. Unfortunately, this does not mean they will remember these things! A gentle reminder can go a long way.

Give them concrete information. How would you suggest studying for your final? What is the format? How long will they have to complete it? Is it cumulative or a final chapter exam? If it is a final paper, can they utilize the writing center? Try to be positive when talking about the final—most students have already put themselves under an extreme amount of stress before final’s week.

Study tips. On which portions of their notes/books should they concentrate? Refer students to the syllabus to examine course goals, if you do not want to tell them directly what to study.

Group Work. Remind students of the value of group work! Reviewing material in groups is a very useful way to study for final exams.

General Health. Getting the right amount of sleep, eating regular meals, and not pumping their bodies full of caffeine will be better for them during test time than pulling all-nighters in an effort to cram. Refer students to Jan Zimmerman in campus health for any questions.

Falling behind. If you have fallen behind in your syllabus, tell students specifically whether or not the information will be on the final exam. Learning vast amounts of material in a relatively short period can be incredibly stressful for you and the student (possibly hindering students’ understanding). By giving a student a concrete picture of where they will need this last minute information (for a final exam, another class, in their careers, etc), it gives the student more motivation to learn the material.

Cramming. If students have not yet begun studying and are now in "cramming" mode, there are some general tips to aid them. For a cumulative final, have them start finding principle themes, sub-topics and other major illustrations of material. Then, they need to decide on which supporting information to concentrate. They will have an easier time remembering a narrow range of material in depth rather than a smattering of random facts. Skimming text (not rereading) or going through notes is much more effective and a better use of time than rereading every chapter.

Refer students to resources. Send students to the SRC (DeRicci 206) to make an appointment with someone from Learning Support Services or Personal Counseling. They may also find useful handouts through the LSS website. http://edgenet.edgewood.edu/LSS/study_skills/Handouts.htm

Spring 2005