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Student Success, Retention & Engagement | On Course

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Principles

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Students fail to do well in college for a variety of reasons, and only one of them is lack of academic preparedness.
Factors such as personal autonomy, self-confidence, ability to deal with racism, study behaviors, or social competence have as much
or more to do with grades, retention, and graduation than how well a student writes or how competent a student is in mathematics.
–Hunter R. Boylan, Director of the National Center for Developmental Education

 

 

 

The Challenge for Today’s College Educators

You know the problem. Many college students today fall far short of their potential. Pass rates, especially in developmental and first-year courses, are painfully low. The consequence is poor retention and declining graduation rates. Everyone loses–students forfeit their dreams, faculty are frustrated, and colleges scramble to improve retention.

 

No panacea exists, but educators Neil Postman and Charles Weingartner offered a valuable insight when they wrote: “Good learners are good learners precisely because they believe and do certain things that less effective learners do not believe and do. And therein lies the key.”

But, just what is it that good learners believe and do? And, how can educators get students to believe and do them? The On Course Learning Principles offer practical answers.

The On Course Learning Principles

Synthesizing the best wisdom from innovators in psychology, education, business, sports, and personal effectiveness, the On Course Learning Principles represent eight of the essential “things” that good learners believe and do.

 

Founded on these timeless principles, the On Course text and the On Course Workshops give students and instructors alike a collection of practical success tools.

By guiding students to adopt these principles and tools, you’ll empower them to become effective partners in their own education, giving them the outer behaviors and inner qualities to create greater success in college and in life.

How do your students rate in these eight principles? They can take an assessment in chapters 1 (pre) and 9 (post) of the On Course textbook to find out. And, of course, so can you.

 

 

CHOICES OF SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS

 

SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS…

 

STRUGGLING STUDENTS…

 

1…ACCEPT SELF-RESPONSIBILITY, seeing themselves as the primary cause of their outcomes and experiences. 1…see themselves as Victims, believing that what happens to them is determined primarily by external forces such as fate, luck, and powerful others.
2…DISCOVER SELF-MOTIVATION, finding purpose in their lives by pursuing personally meaningful goals and dreams. 2…have difficulty sustaining motivation, often feeling depressed, frustrated, and/or resentful about a lack of direction in their lives.
3…MASTER SELF-MANAGEMENT, consistently planning and taking purposeful actions in pursuit of their goals and dreams. 3…seldom identify specific actions needed to accomplish a desired outcome, and when they do, they tend to procrastinate.
4…EMPLOY INTERDEPENDENCE, building mutually supportive relationships that help them achieve their goals and dreams (while helping others to do the same). 4…are solitary, seldom requesting, even rejecting offers of assistance from those who could help.
5…GAIN SELF-AWARENESS, consciously employing behaviors, beliefs, and attitudes that keep them on course. 5…make important choices unconsciously, being directed by self-sabotaging habits and outdated life scripts.
6…ADOPT LIFE-LONG LEARNING, finding valuable lessons and wisdom in nearly every experience they have. 6…resist learning new ideas and skills, viewing learning as fearful or boring rather than as mental play.
7…DEVELOP EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE, effectively managing their emotions and the emotions of others in support of their goals and dreams. 7…live at the mercy of strong emotions such as anger, sadness, anxiety, or a need for instant gratification.
8…BELIEVE IN THEMSELVES, seeing themselves as capable, lovable, and unconditionally worthy as human beings. 8…doubt their competence and personal value, feeling inadequate to create their desired outcomes and experiences.
The On Course Instructional Principles

 

On Course Workshops model current understandings of how meaningful learning occurs. As such, they are designed to engage learners in the active construction of knowledge. Instructional methods in the workshop demonstrate how educators can address the varied learning preferences of today’s students. The workshops are guided by the following instructional principles:

    • Students construct learning primarily as a result of what they think, feel, and do (and less so by what their instructors say and do). Consequently, in formal education, the deepest learning is provided by a well-designed educational experience.

 

    • The most effective learners are empowered learners, those characterized by self-responsibility, self-motivation, self-management, interdependence, self-awareness, life-long learning, emotional intelligence, and strong belief in themselves.

 

  • At the intersection of a well-designed educational experience and an empowered learner lies the opportunity for deep and transformational learning and the path to success–academic, personal, and professional.

The On Course Instructional Principles are antithetical to the beliefs that the instructor’s primary role is to profess knowledge and that what the teacher speaks is what the student learns. Consequently, On Course Workshops have much to offer educators who seek innovative ways to engage students in active learning, helping them to relinquish learned passivity or defiance and once again become responsible and empowered partners in their own education and growth.

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Spring National Conference

A Conference for
Learner-Centered Educators
April 28, 2023
Held virtually through Zoom!

National Workshops

Workshops near San Francisco & Baltimore/Washington D.C.
Workshops are held virtually on Zoom!

 

Learner-Centered Strategies that Improve Student Success and Retention

On Campus Workshops

Bring On Course Professional Development to Your Campus
Workshops can be held virtually or in person!

Interactive Workshops are Ideal
for All Educators

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Workshop Testimonials

This workshop transformed my professional and personal life.
Susan Pitcher
Director, TRIO
Bay College, MI
I am so impressed with how well thought out and integrated every aspect of the workshop is!
Kendal Friedman
Director, Student Success
Rider University, NJ
On a scale of 1-10, I rate the overall value I received from the workshop as a 15.
Deborah Rayner
Faculty, Computer Science
Harford Community College, MD
Since first attending one of the summer retreats in 1997, I’ve held nine On Course workshops for our college, and I plan to offer more.
Philip Rodriquez
Director, Student Affairs
Cerritos College, CA
You have created a workshop that, in my 25 years of professional development, is by far the best experience I’ve ever had.
Jennifer Meehl
Academic Advisor
Landmark College, VT
I have never before felt a workshop I attended helped me to teach. This one will!
Lynn Ezzell
Faculty, English
Cape Fear Community College, NC
This was an awesome experience for an educator who was burning out!
Shay Jones
Faculty, Foundational Studies
Harrisburg Area Community College, PA
I told my Dean that if I took every workshop and conference I had ever attended and rolled them into one, it would not equal what I learned and gained from your workshop.
Jan Trollinger
Faculty, English
Paine College, GA
Ways I think the workshop could be improved? You can’t improve on perfect!
Dan VillaireFaculty, EnglishSaginaw Valley State UniversityMI
This workshop has taken a hardened, crusty educator and softened her once again to be committed and energized to become the best person and teacher she can be.
Chris Landrum
Counselor
Mineral Area College, MO

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