Supporting your college students
Not all college students are motivated to learn. Many are still not sure about their education or what they are going to do in the future. These students expect the school to help them and provide them with some guidelines instead of discover it themselves. What they learn in the classroom depends on the teacher’s ability to motivate and guide them. To encourage students to become self-motivated learners, professors need to spend time explaining to them about career and job markets so they can set goals and direction for their learning. Most students respond positively to a well-organized course taught by an enthusiastic professor who has a genuine interest in students and what they learn.
Many college students are not interested in certain subject matter, they do not understand its usefulness, they lack the desire to learn. Many are not confidence enough to learn by themselves. They do not have the patience and the persistence to follow the guidance. Of course, as a young person, they are still in the process of maturity and not have the self discipline to understand the importance of education. To encourage students to interest in the subject, professors need to spend time explaining to them the benefits and the application of it in the industry. If they know the reason and what they need in order to apply what they learn in life, they may be more interest to learn than just a vague idea. Most students respond positively to a case study or an real life scenario taught by an enthusiastic professor who has a lot of working experience.
Most college students do not know what they want. They have only a “vague idea” about by having an education so they can find jobs. Many equate education with a degree so pursuing a degree become the ultimate goal instead of being educated. They do not know the difference between career and job therefore they do not know how to develop a career plan or set goal for their study. Many select a field of study under the influence of family, friends regardless whether they have any passion about it or not. To encourage students to learn more about their career, school can organize a visit to a local company, to a factory, or to invite someone from the industry to come and explain to them about the requirements and the career in certain area. Most students respond positively to opinion of an outside industry speakers or a field trip so they see beyond the four walls of the classroom.
In Asia, many college students are living with their parents. They have not learn to be independent since everything they need are being taking care by their parents, including their education. Many go to college because it is expected and it is the continuation from elementary school to high school and to college. They do not see the value of college education. Even when they graduates, many continue to stay with their parents until they have their own family. To encourage students to be more independent, school needs to invite alumni to return and share their experience with students. Alumni is the most powerful force that can motivate students greatly. Most students respond positively to a talk with someone few years older than them who came from the same school and study the same subject. Sometime, an email to share life experience from former students with current students is also helpful. Many students like to learn from friends, from someone like them rather than from an authority figure like teacher.
Many college student do not understand how to organize and prioritize tasks. Sometime they let trivial tasks distract them from more important ones. Smaller task are often easier and quickly offer a sense of accomplishment. What matters most is still not done so many failed the important tasks. They do not know how to rearrange their time to put more efforts toward the important one. If they do not learn this prioritization quick, they will not succeed. To support students to manage time, it is useful that school teach short course on soft-skills such as “Time management” and “Prioritization” for all students and it must be repeat every year.
Many college students often feel bored and do not know what to do with their time. This is where many learn bad habits and most bad habits are difficult to change. If cut class, or sleep late are common things. They will never go far in their study. Today, there are so many distractions, students rarely read books anymore. They do not know how to appreciate history, philosophy, poetry, arts and things that can enrich their life. They rarely set challenging goals for themselves but just float from one activity to another. To encourage students to stay focus on their learning, professors need to maintain a strict policy in class on missing class. Sometime, it is important to have conference with parents s early before the issue become worse. Most students respond positively to a good book or good article recommend by an enthusiastic professor who would discuss other interests outside of the classroom.
Lots of students have big dreams, but most have difficulty translating them into reality. They do not know how to set goals and direction or learn to overcome obstacles. When they face anything difficult, they tend to avoiding it rather than confronting it. Sometime they will blame the school, the professors, the program but never blame themselves. I have seen many students complain that they could not find jobs because the hiring company require something that they do not know or never been taught in school. Students need to know that in almost any school, there are stronger individuals who can give them guidance and help them to develop new skills. There are other students who can motivate them by listening and exchanging ideas. Both mentors, counselors and friends are important elements of an university environment. It is important that students seek out these supporting elements and take advantage of them.
Sources
- Blogs of Prof. John Vu, Carnegie Mellon University
