Students Keep Asking for Social Media Postings

[Shea Bennett]

Over the last 8 months, I have found that direct instruction is the only thing that has proven effective, but I'm having such a challenge getting students to just FINISH their course. Their always so excited in the beginning. They pay for a monthly on-demand instruction, but I login and check their progress and after the 1st month. I don't see them logging in. We're not big enough to do 1:1 instruction continuously. It also doesn't bring enough revenue.

I'm trying to boost engagement and have only found genuine interactions on YouTube and LinkedIn. I have tried Discord after so many people requested discord, but students don't even interact there. So many people use TikTok, Instagram and Facebook, but after 2 weeks on those platforms. I deleted the account and deleted the apps from my phone. It was insane the amount of dings and pings happened all day and night and trying to keep up with social media attention spans is not something I want to spend my time doing.

I want people to FINISH there courses and then move on to greater things, but retention and focus has been a real headache and what get's me is people sign up and pay month to month faithfully, but they never login and LEARN. It's driving me nuts.

 

[DougBrooks]

I completely get it, maybe it is the way they are using the platform that is the issue, this was something I often found when dipping into other classes, to motivate them on the old platform (learn.Comptia.org) you could get them to RAG rate their understanding of a topic then get them to visit the confidence levels tab at the top or to reflect on their Strengths and weaknesses, once again this is found on the old platform you could get them to run the games too (though very few did in my cohorts).

On the new platform (Platform.CompTIA.org), this is a little more tricky, not only is it more difficult to see where your cohort sits in their understanding as you don't get to see it as easily as you have to go digging for it, but they can not RAG rate themselves which I find a bonkers omission as it is something we used all the time in our cohorts, trainers and curriculum leads could view their progress and advise them.

I take it you find they rather that cover the lesson content, the learners are just taking the inline tests, then wondering why they don't do well?

I, too, find it more of a challenge, but only on the new platform, not so much on the old due to the above reasons

 

[Rick Butler]

Even in Higher Ed, we have problems with students deciding to just drop out of school and discontinue their training. I'm afraid this has been a problem for quite a while - seems students are more non-committal these days.

All you can do, I think, is focus on the students that want to be there and learn. The ones that don't...well...

 

[Gregory Childers]

The best you can do it make it accessible. They have the responsibility to stay engaged. They have to meet you halfway.


As the saying goes, "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink."

 

[Shea Bennett]

The best you can do it make it accessible. They have the responsibility to stay engaged. They have to meet you halfway.


As the saying goes, "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink."View attachment 2474

OMG...this is a constant headache I deal with. They think I'm supposed to be Jim Rohn or Les Brown the motivational speaker every class. It's partly why I focus on online instruction via video now. It's soul draining at times with some students. I actually had a few students ask why videos can't be under 5 minutes and why training has to take over 30 days (so they can go pass the exam and get their $100,000 job). I mean...you can't make this stuff up.

 

[Gregory Childers]

OMG...this is a constant headache I deal with. They think I'm supposed to be Jim Rohn or Les Brown the motivational speaker every class. It's partly why I focus on online instruction via video now. It's soul draining at times with some students. I actually had a few students ask why videos can't be under 5 minutes and why training has to take over 30 days (so they can go pass the exam and get their $100,000 job). I mean...you can't make this stuff up.

I read it on Reddit all the time. They want to watch some prerecorded videos like those from Messer or Dion at 1.5X speed and take a battery of practice exams so they can put another cert on their resume for a job that they will never get.

 

[GingerHacker]

I would direct them to other social media groups and communities ! make it an assignment to come up and find 3 Discords or groups and then share with the class, That way there are several choices and they can join and chat in those with a mix of career questions and or industry ones !

 

[Rick Butler]

OMG...this is a constant headache I deal with. They think I'm supposed to be Jim Rohn or Les Brown the motivational speaker every class. It's partly why I focus on online instruction via video now. It's soul draining at times with some students. I actually had a few students ask why videos can't be under 5 minutes and why training has to take over 30 days (so they can go pass the exam and get their $100,000 job). I mean...you can't make this stuff up.

We had a training house here in Colorado Springs that promised A+, Net+, and Sec+ in 20 weeks. I laughed out loud, but was a little angry because unless the student is remarkably astute or has had prior training, there's no way you get all that in 20 weeks. That company is no longer in business in the Springs. Over promise, under deliver. Our school takes 18 months for an AoS degree, and few students even make the effort to actually certify when we give them every opportunity.

We had a career college here back in the 90's that would waive $65,000 salaries if you would show up for an 18 month program to get your MCSE. I see it all the time in higher education - because they're all trying to get their share of that phat Title IV or VA tuition money.

Finally, I had a student come to me, one time, and wanted me to cheat for him to get his CCNA. He didn't want to put in the hard work. I told him to "F" right off. I couldn't believe the level of insult that he would ask that of me.

And nope, you definitely cannot make this stuff up.

Maybe this is an overly intense example but Tom MacDonald wrote a song called God Mode, where he talks about all the hard work and sacrifice he had to put in, despite the adversity he created for himself and the adversity around him, to make it big as an independent artist in the rap/hip-hop industry. The way I see it, if students aren't willing to leave every excuse at the door and realize that NO ONE is going to hand them the certifications, training, knowledge, and wisdom through sweat labor to reach those goals, then simply do not deserve to be in the field. I believe this with every fiber of my being.

But isn't that our society though? No one wants to watch full YouTube videos when Shorts will do. Students want to be able to doomscroll their training or get it through ChatGPT. I know kids that want me to validate them after about a year in the classroom as being on par with me. I don't think I'm all that and a bag of chips, but I have been doing this for over 35 years now. I may not be the best, but that doesn't stop the kids of wanting instantly what it took me decades to get. I didn't deserve it, I didn't earn it. God gave me the ability, I took those gifts and used them. That's the ONLY way it happens, IMAO.

Many of us old-tymers are the same way here. But that's the overly entitled way of it and I have zero patience for students who aren't hungry and believe in hard work to make their dreams happen.

I read it on Reddit all the time. They want to watch some prerecorded videos like those from Messer or Dion at 1.5X speed and take a battery of practice exams so they can put another cert on their resume for a job that they will never get.

Dude, I keep telling you...get the heck off of Reddit - you're only going to give yourself an aneurysm.