DE Oracle @ UMUC

Habits of Successful Students

Dr. Loyce Pailen

Associate Provost

Office of Instructional Services and Support

Published: March-April 2008

Category: » Online-pedagogy » Teaching-strategies

Challenges to Being A Successful Student

Students face challenges in online and face-to-face classes due to a variety of reasons. Possible challenges include being new to a field of study and/or the online environment, getting acquainted with an instructor's teaching and organizational style, and being new to college or returning after many years. However, the biggest challenge of all is understanding what it takes to be a successful student. Students who are successful know to stay abreast of course requirements, maintain focus on due dates, communicate concerns to their instructor early, and can work around setbacks.

To help students to do their best and understand expectations, most faculty members are careful to make their instructions very clear about requirements and meeting deadlines for assignments. In many classrooms, instructors post reminder after reminder about the necessary procedures for submitting a quality assignment on time. In most cases, instructors are flexible with students who anticipate problems and provide their instructors with workable solutions. 

Helping Students Learn Accountability

Most adult learners who register for college classes start out with good intentions on being timely with assignments and doing well on exams and projects. However, "life happens" when unexpected issues come into play and things don't always go as planned. Fortunately, many students understand how to negotiate unanticipated problems and are still able to submit quality work on time. These students, when late, provide their instructor with clear plans for making up assignments, follow through on the plan, and ultimately excel in their classes—which results in good grades. 

What about the student who doesn't seem to understand that success is about being accountable for posting work on time and taking responsibility when "life" gets in the way? "The computer ate my homework" is something instructors hear a lot, or students wait until an hour before the deadline to post work and "can't get Internet access" because their ISP is down and…oops, the assignment is late. Most faculty care deeply about their students' success and wonder how to help them understand that success is about taking responsibility for their actions. Do the students who procrastinate and play the blame game understand that these habits are what may be keeping them from success?

As I contemplated this question, I heard a discussion on a talk show about the importance of taking responsibility using the Ladder of Accountability model. The discussion on the subject matter struck a chord that I felt could be shared with our UMUC students to help them make it through to graduation. The Ladder is a simple concept that provides guidance on overcoming some potentially bad habits, and it explains some good habits that lead to success. Using the Ladder of Accountability model and expanding on its themes, Linda Smelser, Instructional Support Specialist in the Center for Support of Instruction, and I developed a PowerPoint presentation called "Habits of Successful Students" along with materials and questions for discussion. The presentation and materials provided below can be used in an online discussion or be adapted for face-to-face sessions. Note in the student comments below that this type of discussion provides an opportunity for successful students to explain their strategies, which will hopefully help the not-so-strategic student gain some insight.

• Habits of Successful Students Presentation
• Habits of Successful Students Presentation Transcript

Classroom Discussion (to be used along with "Habits of Successful Students" Presentation)

Learning to be Successful

It takes time to learn to be successful. There is a season for everything (parenthood, being a student, being a professional, etc.), which means that we are always in the process of reinventing ourselves and learning new ways of being. This is the time to learn what it takes to be a successful student.

Time Management/Schedules

Making a schedule for yourself is paramount to success. Developing a schedule can be as easy as creating a list of "to do's" for the day or as regimented as creating blocks of time for your tasks. The important thing is that you find what works for you and stick with it. Even if you go off the schedule for a few days, you can get back to it and get yourself on track.

Self-Attitude

A great thing about being an adult is that we can choose and/or change our own self-image. Three important strategies for success that can help you develop a positive self-perspective are: (1) view yourself positively, (2) don't compare yourself to others, and (3) don't "judge" yourself. To get you started on changing your self-perception, I would like to challenge you to begin seeing yourself as someone who has the capability to (a) do what you want to do and to do it well, (b) achieve the goals you set for yourself, (c) change your habit patterns, and (d) pat yourself on the back when you have achieved each step, no matter how small it may seem at the time. The following three suggestions will get you started: 

• Look at what you are already achieving and doing well and figure out how to apply this perspective/habit to everything you do.
• Replace the habit of judging yourself negatively by being at peace with yourself and your unique traits. For example, when you hear yourself say, "Oh, I'm such a procrastinator!" use this as a positive opportunity to look objectively at what is causing you to feel this way. Then, consider ways to change the behavior or habit. Believe me, it takes less energy to change than to berate yourself and feel guilty for the rest of the day!
• Realize that you are unique and that it takes time to find the right successful strategies that work for you. Keep trying things out to see what works best for you. The key is to not give up.

Discussion:

Take five minutes to review the PowerPoint presentation called "Habits of Successful Students." Discuss the following questions and thoughtfully respond to each other's comments:

• Do you consider yourself a successful student? Why or why not?
• Why do abdicating behaviors put you at a disadvantage?
• What does being accountable mean to you? What benefits do you gain by being accountable?
• In your opinion, what are two (or more) important responsibilities of being a successful student? (Don't limit yourself to the habits on the presentation.)
• What is one of the most important things you have learned as a student that will help you become a more successful person/professional?

Student Comments from "Habits of Successful Students" Discussion (EDCP 100 class)

• Before I participated in this week's discussion, I did not know about abdicating and accountable behaviors. Now, I know abdicating behaviors are unhelpful to successful time management as well as a student. I should have accountable behaviors to fulfill my responsibilities and duties. I think accountable behaviors are worthy of praise, so I will make efforts to improve the behaviors. Overall, this week's discussion and readings helped me make progress to become a successful student as well as person.
• Being accountable means to be responsible enough to accomplish what is expected of you. By being accountable, people (including yourself!) are able to trust that you can finish tasks as needed and that you are a capable person.
• Abdicating behaviors put you at a disadvantage because they make you dispirited and depressed. As a result, you can not well focus on your studies and can gain stress because of them.
• [Abdicating behaviors] hinder you from performing to your fullest capacity which shows on the work you do. If I procrastinate too long I may never get the assignment done.
• Interacting with instructors and classmates and asking questions when he or she has doubts are some of the responsibilities.

References

Note that other related concepts are available online, such as lifelong skills, personal responsibility, and self-directed learning. These and other models can also be used as topics for discussion and would be effective opportunities for teaching students successful habits. Please note that a search for the author/designer of the Accountability Ladder model was not found; however, more information on the model is available below:

• Seven Habits of Successful Students
• Procrastination: Ten Ways To "Do It Now"
• Being Accountable for Accountability