This week, a fortnight before the end of the semester, I wondered about one of my students. I wasn’t sure that he is up to date with the tasks, although he certainly was earlier in the semester.
I began scanning the units of individual work to check on him. I was right! I saw that he stopped doing the tasks a few weeks ago. Is there a problem? Maybe he is sick or in quarantine? Questions were racing through my head, and then it dawned on me that there might be other students in the same position. Going through the lists of tasks and student names, I decided to write an email to all students late in their work. As I began drafting the email, I decided I would need two versions of the text; one for those I am concerned about, and another as a reminder for those who have missed a few minor tasks. I listed the exercises that had not been completed and urged the students to work on them. I began by asking how they are and finished the email by firmly stressing that anybody facing complex situations or needing assistance should write to me.
While I was preparing the emails, I felt that something wasn’t right. What about those students who are up to date? What about those students plodding through the semester, meeting all requirements in the asynchronous units and coming ready to our Zoom meetings? Don’t they deserve an individual email from me at this stage?
I added the remaining students to the list and prepared a third email template, congratulating them for being up-to-date with the tasks and encouraging them to keep up the excellent work. I marked all emails “Your progress” to gain attention. I didn’t want these messages pushed aside in the avalanche of college correspondence.
After sending 37 personal emails, I was stunned at the response. I was thrilled and surprised to see that well over half of the students responded, regardless of the type of email they received from me. Many of the students who had a few tasks to complete, thanked me for reminding them and finished them all that same day. Among the very few students struggling to keep up, some wrote to me with explanations and others stayed on line after our lesson on Zoom for a private conversation. Students who are doing well were surprised by the email and appreciated it enormously.
It probably took me three hours to review the student work, write the three template emails, personalise them for each student and send them. I believe that the time was well spent but acknowledge that if I had classes of fifty or sixty students, the endeavour might have been impossible. Reviewing several courses at the same time also looks unlikely.
What did I write between the lines of the email?
🔷 Although we have never met face-to-face, I am thinking about you.
🔷 I care about you and your success in this course.
🔷 I see you as a group and also as 37 individuals.
🔷 You are not alone here. If something is wrong, you have somewhere to turn.
🔷 You are still in the game; you may be behind, but you can catch up.
🔷 The critical part is the learning and getting it done.
I am a little behind in my grading. These letters were reassuring for the students and included a promise of specific feedback very soon. Writing the emails gave me some grace with time in my grading, and emphasised that doing the tasks is a crucial part of the course’s study. In a flipped-classroom framework, completing the tasks, in preparation for the synchronous sessions on Zoom, is imperative.
Some questions I am left with:
❔ Am I feeding the students with a teaspoon when I send a reminder email with a list of tasks they haven’t completed?
❔ Is this feasible as a regular part of teaching?
❔ Would I do this in a face-to-face classroom?
❔ Would I act this way in a ‘regular’ academic year?
These are all questions I want to keep asking.
In the next few weeks, I will attempt to write these personal emails in one additional course. I wonder if the response will be similar.
I will leave you with a thought: If one student, up-to-date in her work, wrote: “I will keep up the good work, and work even harder”, my effort was probably worthwhile.
