Challenges

As we’re nearing the end of the semester, the HS Advertising Workshop is starting to get a little more challenging. The students are as great as ever, but one of the biggest challenges that we have experienced is keeping the students committed to the program. During the first two weeks of the program we had between ten and twenty students showing up, but as the weeks went on, the attendance started to plateau. Now we are at about ten students participating regularly.

Although we do not have a classroom full of students, we now know who is committed to the program. The students who continue to show up are those who are excited about learning more about Advertising and are even more excited to see this project through to the end. It is nice to have a smaller group for this project, but at the same time you wonder why others have stopped showing up.

What exactly is happening that is keeping the students from not returning?

The program is optional and after school, so if you do not want to be there then you do not have to show up. When the Temple students first noticed that attendance was rocky we tried to find ways to keep the students coming back. We reinforced the fact that it was very important for them to participate regularly, because the presentation at the end of the semester rested on their shoulders.

This challenge as well as the others that we have come across are all learning lessons. From what we have experienced thus far, we have realized that incentives may be a good idea to keep attendance up, but at the same time we do not want to have to bribe the students to keep them returning. There is so much to consider because this is the first time this program is happening.

All in all, the Palumbo students who keep returning to us and the Temple students involved are enjoying themselves. We are excited and committed. We are using the challenges that we have encountered as learning experiences for the next teaching session and for the future sections of the course.