Individual consultations with students
Individual discussions with students are an invaluable, although time consuming teaching method. It is the most effective way of detecting and challenging students' misconceptions and can provide the most direct form of feedback possible. One might find, for example, that many students appear to have the same misconception, and that it is therefore necessary to attempt to address the problem or issue with the whole class in a new way. Individual discussion with students is also one of the best ways of building an atmosphere of trust and mutual confidence. The student who has discussed a learning problem with a lecturer with good results is less likely to be shy about discussing such problems in a tutorial.
It is necessary to take active steps to encourage students to seek individual discussion. It is not enough merely to post 'times available' on your door; announce them repeatedly in early classes. When deciding on your hours, keep in mind the needs of part-time students, who may only be able to seek you out immediately before or after class. If time and student numbers permit, insist that each student make a brief appointment with you in the first few weeks of semester.
Most students who seek individual discussion do so because they have a problem of one sort or another. Often these problems will be subject-based, and can be resolved in a single session. Alternatively, the student may be having difficulties adjusting to the demands of university study. Here it is sometimes only necessary to discuss the differences between learning and assessment requirements at school and university, as they apply to your discipline. Sometimes the student's difficulties may be more fundamental. The student may have some specific problem in the literacy or numeracy area, or may have personal problems. In such cases it is advisable to call on the assistance of the Student Services counsellors or the ELSSA Centre. If the problem is a learning difficulty, the most productive approach is to work together with the student and the other staff member to overcome the problem.
Sometimes, a student will appear repeatedly at your door to talk about the same problem, or some new, apparently trivial problem every week. You may need to actively listen and explore the student's problem if you feel you have the skills, or it may be better to arrange for the student to visit an appropriate student support service. You also have the right to request that the student take active, demonstrable steps to overcome the problem if s/he expects to continue to be given your time. In other words, make a 'contract' with the student. If the student does not keep to her/his side of the contract, you have the right to be unavailable.
If you allow students to engage in reflective learning then consider collecting these reflections say for the first three or four weeks and give them feedback at the each session. Consider then linking their reflections to major learning outcomes. This allows you to gauge the degree of deep learning with the whole class and can even work with larger classes.
If you are using reflective learning to allow students to make connections between the subject and their lives then be prepared for students to reflect on their feelings and concerns. You may often discover early problems that a student is having by what she or he says in these reflections. Do not hesitate to invite the student to see you personally if you have concerns and in some cases you may need to refer students to a student counsellor.
