Post 4: Reflection on Teaching Blog, Early Alerts

This semester, if I haven't said this yet,  I have a passel of students this semester. 

Online course for the system: 24

Professional communication: 25

Two Fundamentals of Speech: 50

Four Perspectives (first year seminar):  20, 20, 50.  So, total of almost 200. And every single one had at least one writing assignment due this week. Actually, three in one case. So, I had 250 assignments to grade. 

Well, not really, only theoretically. Because they all just didn't do them. In which case, it became my responsibility and obligation to tell someone higher than (or to the side of me) that the student is not keeping up.  Or that they are not attending class.

A person who does not work in access higher education will probably say, "Well, don't the students know they didn't do it? Don't they know they are not attending class?" Yes, of course, but we are supposed to let them know, or I guess, that we noticed. Big Brother (or Sister) is watching! 

It's a nudge. "Get busy!" "You're getting behind, and it's only going to get worse." "Where are you?"

So, on my agenda today, which is almost the end of the third week, was to report on, rat on, these students and to inform them I was aware of their negligence. 

Yeah. The bigger question is, does this practice of early alerts or academic alerts work?

I have not looked at the research, and am not motivated to drill into that. It does help, in my experience. Sometimes the students just need to know somebody sees them. Being seen is really important. 

As the narratives about Hagar tells us; she encountered "The God Who Sees." 

We professors are not the God who sees, but our students do not do well if they think they can hide and be anonymous. Seeing has a good side and a bad side, I suppose.

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