Category Archives: Student Success

It’s STEAM Not STEM!

Granville Sawyer, Higher Education, Mentoring Students, Non-traditional Students, Parents, Student Success, Students, Success In College, Uncategorized

A few weekends ago, I went with my wife to a conference sponsored by Americans for the Arts in Sundance Utah.  My main reason for being there was to accompany her and enjoy the resort.  I learned some things there too.  In talking with other arts administrators from around the country, I realized how important knowledge and appreciation for the arts is for all students regardless of their major. Something I experienced when I was in college.

As an undergraduate engineering student, I had to have 223 quarter hours to complete my degree.  Only three of these were for a free elective.  I took the easiest sounding course I could find – music appreciation.  It wasn’t what it sounded like at all!  Our teacher started with the Gregorian Chants from 900 AD and went right up to the present day popular music at that time including the classics.  She really challenged us.   I took the time to study and learn to appreciate all the music we listened to.  In addition to passing the course, I developed an appreciation for classical music I still have today.  We are subscribers to the Baltimore Symphony and go at least three or four times a season.  I have thanked my teacher many times for helping me learn and appreciate the arts.  Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) are all very important areas of study but no student’s education is complete without developing an appreciation for the arts.  It’s STEAM not STEM.  The arts are important too.

Examples of Excellence

Book Review, Coaching, First Generation College Students, Granville Sawyer, Higher Education, Non-traditional Students, Student Success

I read an article in the New York Times recently by Frank Bruni entitled A Surprising Path to the Ivy League. The story describes how Ms. Wadzanay Mayiseni from Zimbabwe was able to overcome tremendous obstacles to attend Columbia University thanks in part to the United Student Achievers Program. Mr. Bruni also briefly discusses other programs that are helping to get African Students into top American universities. All of the programs have many more students applying than can be accepted. We should all support these programs and know that the success stories are examples of excellence – strong indicators of the tremendous pool of talent in Africa that can benefit the world with just a little help from us.

Is Passing The Course Enough?

First Generation College Students, Granville Sawyer, Higher Education, Mentoring Students, Parents, Student Success, , , ,

© Stephen Coles on flickr

Having been in higher education for almost forty years, I have heard many reasons for students to go to college – some good and some not so good.  The focus is pretty much on getting a good paying job after graduation.  To do that, students take and pass courses until they’ve completed their requirements for graduation, so this is the focus – not learning anything or being able to use what was learned in the real world or even how to use it.

As an educator, I think we must shoulder some of the blame for this.  Too often, we present information to the students without really helping them understand why it’s important other than that it may be on the next test.  Because of this, the students retain information well enough to repeat it on the test and then forget it never really understanding its value.

This is not what we should do and this is not how learning takes place.  I tell my students that they are smart enough to learn the material, my job is to put it into context for them so they know how it fits with what else they should have learned and how to use the information after they graduate.  Put another way, I want them to be able to recognize an application of knowledge they obtained and know how to use that knowledge to solve real world problems and answer real world questions.  In the long run, this is what makes them valuable to an employer and to society in general – not what grades they got in college.  A few years after graduation, no one will ask them about their college experience any more.  They will want to know what they’ve done with what they learned since graduation.  Graduating may get them employed but what they learned while they were in school and how well they can use it will keep them employed.

Is Artificial Intelligence Going To Change Education?

Higher Education, Mentoring Students, New Technology For Education, Parents, Student Success, Success In College, Uncategorized, , ,

I’m reading a book on artificial intelligence (AI) that has made me think about how it will impact the future of education at all levels from k-12 to college.  What AI is doing is creating “thinking machines”.  That is, computers that are capable of original thought, not just executing instructions that they have been given.  Now I don’t want you to think I’m talking about Terminator type evil robots because I’m not.

I’m talking about a tremendously valuable resource for teachers and students.  It’s obvious that one teacher can’t custom tailor his/her teaching style for each student in every class even if they knew what worked best for each student.  To assist teachers, we have developed computer aided instruction which will quiz students and change questions asked based on what they get correct and what they get wrong but these systems can’t learn why students perform the way they do.  This is the wonderful potential of AI in education.  Thinking learning machines may be able to understand why students learn as they do and custom tailor a curriculum just for them that is dynamic so it can change with the student’s preferred learning style day to day even hour to hour even if the student or teacher can’t clearly state what that learning style is.  This will give educators a capability we have only dreamed about having.  It will also give students learning opportunities they have never had before.

This truly is disruptive technology which can make people uncomfortable.  Let’s push through the discomfort and realize the potential AI can have to radically improve education for all students everywhere.

Bias Without Thinking

Student Success,

From the U. S. Department of Education on Flikr

A recent article by Seth Gershenson and Thomas S. Dee was about the impact of unconscious racial and gender bias in K-12 classrooms.  The article cites research that clearly shows how this bias hurts minority and female students and, that it is very difficult to effectively counter this bias. To reduce this insidious threat, parents of school-age children must be involved with the schools and specifically their children’s classroom environments. This is even more important today as public schools become more segregated.

Five Steps To Better Grades This Semester

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In my post, So, How Did You Do Last Semester, I talked about making a plan to better your performance this semester. Here are five steps that will improve your performance in any course in any semester.

  1. Go see your instructors from last semester. Make sure your instructor knows you aren’t there to argue for a better grade. You’re there to find out what grades they have for you on all assignments and tests and how your final average and grade were calculated. You want to find out how you did and how you can do better in the future. In other words, you are there for information and advice. If you actually do deserve a better grade, that will come out in your discussions.
  2. Take this information and your syllabus for that class and match the grades you received with the corresponding assignments. Are there certain assignments you did well? Some not so well? What are they and why did you perform the way you did. Do the same analysis with each test you took? Take the graded test home and figure out why you did problems wrong. By doing this you’ll find out where your test preparation was successful and where it failed you. I’ve found that a student’s poor performance most often comes from poor preparation—not from lack of understanding.
  3. Assess your own commitment in each class during the last semester. Were you in class every day? Did you read the assignment?  Were you prepared for class?  Did you pay attention, ask questions about what you didn’t understand and take good class notes that you could use later? Did you see your teacher at least once last semester to make sure he/she knew you? This can make the crucial difference if you are close to a better grade.
  4. Based on what you learned, make your “New Semester Resolutions.” Write down at least five things you are going to do next semester to improve your grades. Don’t just say them—write them down and read them every day. Share them with your professors this semester so they know how serious you are about doing well in their classes. This is how you generate and sustain commitment to doing better.
  5. Use your performance in classes to check on how well you are at keeping your New Semester Resolutions. Also, check in with your teachers—they’re there to let you know how you’re doing. Stay on track this way every week of the semester.

These five things are not hard to do—but they do require courage and commitment. Facing a poor or failing grade from last semester takes courage; resolving to do better takes commitment. The biggest challenge is doing this consistently; use what you learn to do even better. This is the secret to college success. Don’t use that standard cop-out that the other students are “smarter than me.” They aren’t. They’re just doing the things I have shared with you in the last two posts. Now that you know better, you can do better.

So, How Did You Do Last Semester?

Coaching, Student Success,

Copyright Elina Olivio – NYU Photo Bureau

The holiday break between semesters is over. Everyone – you, your parents, your school—know your grades from fall semester.  How’d you do? I hope that you did wonderfully—nothing gives me more pleasure than giving a great grade to a student who has earned it. However, I know that all the grades I gave out last semester weren’t great. I also know that great grades or not, now is the time to figure out what happened last semester.

If you did well, congratulations! Big pat on the back—you deserve it, but don’t stop there. Why did I do well? Don’t take the, “If it’s not broken don’t try to fix it” approach to your achievements. You need to know how to repeat the performance during the spring semester and, if something goes wrong, you need to know how to fix it. Figure out what made the difference and work to repeat those things every semester.

If you didn’t do as well as you wanted last semester—the questions are similar:  Why didn’t I? What did I do, or not do. say or not say, that hurt my academic performance. Be painfully honest because if you don’t, you’ll probably make the same mistakes next semester. Don’t promise to work harder but end up doing the same things and expecting different results. Working harder isn’t enough. People work hard and fail every day. You have to learn how to work smarter and harder. What held you back last semester? Who can help you understand your challenges better and help you surmount them? What should your plan be to do better? How will you know day-by-day that you’re working your plan?  Only by answering questions like these can you know better and do better in the spring semester and beyond.

Next week, I’ll share proven steps to better grades. Use the sign-up form for my blog on the right, and I’ll let you know when I share more of the unique tools and information I developed to help you get through college successfully.

5 Smart Things to Ask Your Professors Now!

Student Success

student-talking-to-college-professor - croppedIf you haven’t yet visited the professors for the classes you’re taking this semester, Go Now! Make sure your teachers know you—your name and your face—and understand that you have been working hard in their  class this semester. If they don’t know you as more than just an entry on the class role, they can’t respond to as a person. I can tell you when we’re considering grades—it helps when your professor can put a face to a name.

See every teacher from every course, outside of the class time this week, before the semester ends. The biggest chunk of the money you spend on college pays for your professors, so go see them, use the time you’ve paid for, make them know you, let them help you and get your money’s worth!

When you go to see your professor, you’re not just going to introduce yourself – try to accomplish these 5 things:

  1. Be prepared! Show your instructor that you have read and thought about the material covered in class during the semester – especially if this is the first time you have met with him/her. If you don’t understand something covered in class, you must get some help now before the semester ends. Formulate reasonable questions beforehand so the meeting will be beneficial for you and, your instructor will gain more appreciation for your efforts in class regardless of how well you’ve done.
  2. Asking open-ended questions about the class will give you more credibility. For example, “What can I do, other than the assignments, to improve my performance in class?” Keep in mind that this is not a request for more work because you didn’t do the work already assigned. If you have not done as well as you wanted in the class, this request should be for things you can do to improve your understanding of what has already been covered in class before the semester ends, not more work to substitute for what should have been completed earlier in the semester.
  3. Ask your instructor how he/she thinks you are doing in class and whether he/she can project a grade for you based on your performance so far, taking into consideration doing the other things they suggested to improve your understanding of course material. This is the assessment that counts. Find out how it is being made and the best ways to monitor/influence your performance in a positive way.
  4. Act on the advice you are given. If your instructor suggests that you do something to improve your performance in class, do it and make sure he/she knows you did it.
  5. Be grateful. Make sure your professor knows you appreciate the help and advice you are given. Saying thank you, and meaning it, is important.

You’ll find more information and advice on the benefits of talking to your professors and, you can read about the time a visit to a professor saved my grade in Good Players Talk to the Coach, Chapter 15 of College in Four Years.

Your End of Semester Action Plan

Student Success

By Grace Kat on Flickr
By Grace Kat on Flickr

There are only a few more weeks in this semester so, if you haven’t already, read the syllabus for each class you’re taking. Really read it. The syllabus is the definitive action plan for great grades in every class. Have you  turned in all the work that was required? If you’ve missed an assignment, you’ll need to talk to your professor about it right now. Don’t wait until the last minute and then ask for something that can’t be done.

Do you know when your exams are scheduled? Check and double check—with your professor. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had students miss an exam then come to me in desperation because they “thought the exam was—(fill in the wrong date/time/place).”

From the syllabus in every class you should:

  • Confirm how you’re going to be graded in class so you can get a good estimate of how you are doing and the grade you will get. Use my “How Am I Doing Worksheet” to figure this out.
  • Note any other information about how the class is being run and what is expected of you. If there are other requirements, like class attendance, that factor into your grade make sure you have been marked present for all classes you attended. If you need to, talk to your professor about absences so he/she knows why you missed class. Professors have lives too, they understand things can come up.
  • Don’t ask your professor for extra work to pull your grade up now. It is the end of the semester for your professor as well; they do not have time to custom tailor extra credit assignments for each person in the class. Instead, focus on doing the best you can with the remaining work in the class and talk with your professor about the best grade you can get in the class.
  • If necessary, take the lesson. If you ignored the syllabus and did not keep up with how you were doing throughout the semester you may not earn the grade you wanted. However, you’ve learned something valuable and, now that you know better, you’ll use the syllabus as an action plan to do better.