Train wreck

[downer]

To confirm, you're referencing a college class that operates on an 18-day term?

Nope, it is about 7 or 8 weeks, depending on how you count it. The 18 day course was at a different school.

[fishbrains]

25% of the class have not even logged on yet. So they are "never attended."

Wow. That's a lot. I have a short YouTube video that shows students how to access the LMS and the course. I send the link to their non-LMS email on record (if they aren't logging into the LMS, they aren't accessing the LMS email). It works for some of them.

I agree with others about documenting your efforts to contact them. As they said, you don't use the documentation often, but it's important to have should a little poop hit the fan. Your chair/dean/VP-type person can't have your back if you just sit there shrugging your shoulders when people start asking questions. 

[Ruralguy]

I'm not saying that you aren't permitted to fail the entire class if you wish, but what I am saying is that you can't just remain complacent about it and let that happen, knowing how many people would fail if you do nothing.

I am not saying to purposely boost grades or that kind of stuff, just figure out what the heck is happening.

If you find no underlying reasons and people just say "whatever" when you ask about issues they are having, then just proceed, but do try to make some corrections if you can.

Something just doesn't seem right.

[downer]

25% of the class have not even logged on yet. So they are "never attended."

Wow. That's a lot. I have a short YouTube video that shows students how to access the LMS and the course. I send the link to their non-LMS email on record (if they aren't logging into the LMS, they aren't accessing the LMS email). It works for some of them.

I agree with others about documenting your efforts to contact them. As they said, you don't use the documentation often, but it's important to have should a little poop hit the fan. Your chair/dean/VP-type person can't have your back if you just sit there shrugging your shoulders when people start asking questions.

At this stage, I am curious what will happen. A little drama. I'm not very invested in this job right now, so I don't much care. I'm suspecting that the ship is taking on water and they have bigger problems to deal with. (Trains and ships. Mixing my metaphors.)

All students have been using the LMS for at least 6 months, and probably at least 18 months. If they can't log on yet, that is very much their problem.

[clean]

25% of the class have not even logged on yet. So they are "never attended."

When I have students that do not log in from the beginning, I email the Chief Advisor (the longest serving one) and explain that I have sent several messages but that the student has not logged in.  I ask that they reach out. Sometimes they will answer their advisor. 

IF you have an office of retention, I would also send a note to them to reach out to the student. 

(Of course, you always keep these emails as evidence that you are going above and beyond to permit the students to pass, and by involving the retention people, you are alerting them early, so that is a plus for you, and I think that they will appreciate the heads up as it may make their job easier).

[downer]

I don't think they have any of those people. It is a college that has had a bunch of presidents in the last few years, and also several registrars. Those are clear signs that the school is falling apart. They really have very few resources available to students.

As I mentioned above, they have also cut back on basic information available to faculty, like who students' faculty advisors are.

I will be a little surprised if the school is able to open in the fall. We will see.

[polly_mer]

Something just doesn't seem right.

You haven't spend enough time at the open-enrollment institutions where second-chance terms are a lovely idea that tend to not be very successful.

arcturus explains the situation well:

But there are definitely times when the students are not pulled from the average student population. A late-start course is one such situation: many of the students enrolled in these courses are enrolled because they need the credits to replace those from courses they dropped earlier in the semester. They are not only weaker students (or more heavily distracted, due to other obligations) to begin with, the weekly work load in a late-start course is probably higher, since there are fewer weeks to complete the same material, thereby exacerbating the problem.

[spork]

I don't think they have any of those people. It is a college that has had a bunch of presidents in the last few years, and also several registrars. Those are clear signs that the school is falling apart. They really have very few resources available to students.

As I mentioned above, they have also cut back on basic information available to faculty, like who students' faculty advisors are.

I will be a little surprised if the school is able to open in the fall. We will see.

I'm assuming you are contingent labor rather than a full-time, salaried employee? If so, and there are options for how frequently you receive payment, get your money as soon as possible.

Same applies to full-time faculty of course -- they should be getting their paychecks over 9 months rather than 12.

[downer]

Yes, and I've started checking I do actually get paid.

It's also one of the reasons why I'm not particulary keen on spending time chasing failing students.

[Mobius]

Something just doesn't seem right.

You haven't spend enough time at the open-enrollment institutions where second-chance terms are a lovely idea that tend to not be very successful.

arcturus explains the situation well:

But there are definitely times when the students are not pulled from the average student population. A late-start course is one such situation: many of the students enrolled in these courses are enrolled because they need the credits to replace those from courses they dropped earlier in the semester. They are not only weaker students (or more heavily distracted, due to other obligations) to begin with, the weekly work load in a late-start course is probably higher, since there are fewer weeks to complete the same material, thereby exacerbating the problem.

There are some there long enough to get the financial aid check for a semester or two before they exhaust eligibility. A good percentage have other obligations and unrealistic goals each semester. Probably a couple with mental health issues that ramp up with stress as each class starts.

[downer]

So in the end a couple of students withdrew, about 20% of students did well, 30% of them got C or D grades, and the rest got Never Attended or Fail grades.

On the positive side, it was not a lot of work for me.

[kiana]

So in the end a couple of students withdrew, about 20% of students did well, 30% of them got C or D grades, and the rest got Never Attended or Fail grades.

On the positive side, it was not a lot of work for me.

My late start train wreck is turning into a similar situation. 25% have withdrawn and about 40% are ghosting the class, which at least makes grading less work now that I've quit sending alerts to the ghosts.

[AvidReader]

I had about a 40% pass rate in the fall. I am on track to have about a 30% pass rate this spring, depending on which students take the final exam and how well they do. In both cases, the pass rate is higher in my remedial classes than my regular classes. I attribute the lower pass rate this spring to the interesting fact that well over half my students are re-taking the (required general ed.) class: some for the second time and more than one might think for the third or fourth time. Most of the re-takers started the class with the belief that they "just weren't good at" my subject, so one missed assignment or one low grade reinforced that mentality and they just stopped coming or trying.

A few students attended one class each and have never come again or otherwise attempted any work. Similarly, several students did the very first assignment, never attended class, and have not done anything (including logging on to the LMS) since then.

An interesting difference between fall and spring is that most of my failing students withdrew in the fall, but only six students (total, out of about 140) have withdrawn this spring.

AR.