Green Decorative Wheat

Support Your Students’ Preparation and Enrichment

"In addition to remediating absent basic skills, learner-centered teachers also take seriously the development of more sophisticated skills that are unique to a discipline and more generic skills that characterize all autonomous, self-directed learners... Learner-centered teachers use content to help students develop a knowledge base, to remediate basic skill deficiencies, and to develop more sophisticated learning skills..." (Maryellen Weiner, Learner-Centered Teaching: Five Key Changes to Practice, 2ed., 2013)

Many respondents to the Very Large Enrollment Instructor Survey commented on the impact that student preparation had on their success in a large enrollment course. Of course, student preparation is always important, regardless of course enrollment size, but when a struggling student is sharing instructor attention with a hundred or more others, poor preparation can be devastating to a student's self-confidence and ability to succeed in the course.

It's good to address the question of preparation early and directly. One important step that can be used in any sized classroom is to provide a complete and detailed syllabus that includes information about course content, assignments, and due dates as far ahead of time as possible. It's easy to distribute a syllabus through the email function in Banner 9. To access this feature, login to MyWSU, go to Banner 9 (link on the left of the screen under the "Teach/Advise" tab, and choose "Class List" and then click the course code listed under the heading "Subject." You can also upload your syllabus in Banner by clicking the course title (under the heading "Course Title").

Other ways to address student preparation and ongoing compensatory needs include these simple "nudges" designed to help students do what is necessary to succeed in your class:

  • Before classes begin: When you email the syllabus to students you can also include links to *resources that can help them prepare for your course.
  • Before classes begin, or in the first week: Provide an "assess your skills" no-stakes quiz in Blackboard with multiple choice questions covering information students should have to begin your course. Using the automatic feedback function in Bb, suggest resources they can use to compensate for missing skills and knowledge before it is needed in your course.
  • As your course unfolds: Use the adaptive release (Classic Blackboard) or release conditions (Blackboard Ultra) tool to automatically release compensatory content when students score below a pre-determined threshold on an assessment.

*Unsure where to get more compensatory and enrichment content for your course? Your Subject Librarian can work with you to find appropriate University Libraries resources. Another great place to look is LinkedIn Learning, a resource that is FREE for you to use on your own and with your students. These links will get you started: