8 Tips on Boosting the Engagement of Part-Time Working Students: The majority of high school and college students are interested in working part-time or freelancing. They seek employment for personal, financial, and career-oriented reasons. According to NCES, 43 percent of full-time students were employed in 2018. The number of part-time students who worked was almost twice as high.
What are the benefits of part-time jobs for students? Working while still in college gives students a chance to explore career options. They can try themselves in different spheres and improve their skill set. It’s also a way to get insights into a future job. It doesn’t even matter what kind of job it is.
Students still learn universal life skills like problem-solving, effective communication, time management, conflict resolution, etc. They also find networking opportunities that might be useful in the future. Besides, hands-on experience can increase their employability and help them land a dream job after graduation.
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Yet, it’s important to acknowledge that even though part-time jobs help students to grow, they also might impact their engagement in school. And this impact is not always positive. Making students emotionally invested in learning contributes to better academic outcomes.
Therefore, there’s a need to support working students and help them stay active and meaningfully engaged in their coursework. It’s a major goal of teachers and school administration. There are plenty of things that can be done, from designing more effective learning activities to adjusting school policies.
In this article, we will share some tips on how to increase engagement and support students who work part-time.
8 Tips on Boosting the Engagement of Part-Time Working Students
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Implement Flexible Practices
Flexible policies and practices can lift barriers for working students and make it easier for them to balance work and studies. This can increase engagement by showing students that their needs are valued and considered.
For example, institutions can offer weekend and evening classes as well as online resources that students can access whenever they have time to study. This includes libraries, writing centers, counseling, extracurriculars, etc.
Learning Help
Teachers need to make sure students get everything they need to succeed, including learning support. For example, they can offer some extra virtual office hours to support those students who can’t attend in-person meetings because of their work schedules. Students who combine work and school might also underperform just because they lack time to finish all papers before the deadlines.
Therefore, it’s crucial for them to have a reliable do my assignments service. Teachers can also make it possible for such students to ask for an extension on an assignment. Learning assistance supports students in their aspirations and allows them to manage a heavy workload.
Make Learning Meaningful
Making the content of classes meaningful and relevant is key to increasing engagement. Students need to know why they’re learning a particular subject and how they can use it in the future. It’s also important to recognize and accept the experience students get while working and tie it into the learning process.
Students who work part-time already have really tight schedules. Only knowing that their classes bring value and meaning to their life, they’ll be motivated to invest time in learning.
Ask Students for Their Opinion
To promote engagement, teachers should encourage students to speak up and voice their ideas. They need to open a dialogue with them and listen to what they have to say. This practice makes classrooms more active and diverse.
Besides, inspiring students to share their thoughts and give feedback provides teachers insights into the relevance of the content and structure of their course. This way, teachers learn more about students’ needs and can improve their practices for better student engagement and performance.
Provide Feedback
Students also need to get timely and authentic feedback from their teachers to improve their learning and reach the best possible results. It helps learners to stay engaged as educators constantly monitor their progress and show them the right direction.
This allows students to fix their mistakes on the spot and move forward knowing their strengths and weaknesses. It is important for all students, not only the ones that work, to know that making mistakes is ok, that they help to learn and improve. And it is a teacher’s job to explain it.
Give Students Autonomy
Engagement levels rise when students get more autonomy. They feel more accountable for their academic performance, which makes them more likely to set and pursue personal learning goals. The role of educators is not to control but to guide students through the process and provide help whenever learners need it. Students, in contrast, get a chance to lead and be responsible for their progress, becoming more engaged and active.
Set Clear Expectations
Students need to understand what is expected from them to stay active and motivated. Consistent and clear requirements will help them to stay on track and engage with the content of their classes in a more meaningful way. Avoid complex criteria and shifting expectations because they cause nothing but frustration. This impedes students’ progress and causes disengagement.
Encourage Students to Set Goals
Personal goals are a powerful tool to keep learners active and focused. Working students become more enthusiastic about their learning progress when they reach the milestones they’ve set by themselves. For instance, learners might want to master a skill they could use at work or engage in activities that help them grow professionally.
That’s why personal goal-setting is crucial for maximizing student engagement. What teachers can and should do to encourage students to set personal goals is to teach them how to do it. Perhaps they can share some planning and organizing tips or offer real-life examples. This way, teachers can not only motivate students but actually equip them with the necessary tools for the task.
The Bottom Line
There are a lot of things institutions and teachers, in particular, can do to keep working students engaged and invested in their education. By offering more resources, flexible programs, extended deadlines, and a supportive learning environment, they can improve enrollment and retention rates. This will also help students thrive in both professional and academic careers.