Using Rhetorical Media to Meet Outcomes
and Satisfy Stakeholders
Students
The students, of course, have their own set of interests. These priorities are explore in the short video below.
The Bottom Line: Students want to earn a grade; however, to reach that goal they need a class that will help them tackle their fears and remain engaged.
Addressing these Interests: Student need material that is accessible to them so that they can become comfortable in the learning space. As such, Unit 1 begins with a textbook that while challenging, uses humorous examples that pull from every day life. This unit also uses music lyrics as the starting place for analysis, to help students begin with a form with which they might already feel comfortable. Additionally, the collaborative aspects of Units 3 and 4 aim to have students work with one another, so they might form accountability, which can increase their engagement in the class.
Video Transcript
Student needs parallel those of the administrators and the community. They often want to receive a degree and would like to successfully enter the workplace. Despite these long term goals, the short term goals that they hold for the time they have in the classroom do not always acknowledge the learning and growth that are necessary for them to achieve their long term goals. Often, getting a grade is a primary objective, whereas learning is emphasized to a lesser degree.
Rebecca Cox explains that “regardless of a student’s academic background, career aspiration, or level of interest in the subject matter, the grading procedures in each class exert a huge influence on everyone’s approach to coursework. Typically, students’ highest priority is to satisfy the instructor's criteria for passing the class” (Cox, 2009, p. 67). However, as Cox’s research points out, students’ fear and conflicting expectations between them and their professors’ often make success much less true learning and engagement a true challenge. Students need a course that will help them succeed while helping them tackle their fears and remain engaged.
