How can I set high, but reasonable expectations?

Meg Gorzycki, Ed.D.

The Basics

High expectations for student achievement is a cardinal condition for success in college. These expectations pertain to knowledge, communication and thinking skills, and professional attitudes and conduct. The reasonableness of expectations is contingent on several factors, including the course level, the department’s obligations to accrediting agencies, and professional standards in the field.

In Practice

  1. There is no magic formula about how many pages, how many citations, or how much of anything constitute reasonable expectations
  2. Traditionally, instructors hold that it is reasonable for students to work two or three hours outside class for every hour in class
  3. Develop a deep and comprehensive understanding of student needs; speak with colleague about their abilities and readiness to work to the level of your course; conduct pre-tests of student knowledge and skills so that you may adjust instruction to address remedial needs. A persistent need to remediate an abundance of material may indicate a need for additional pre-requisites or changes in the gateway courses
  4. Provide abundant feedback and formative assessment on student work; these are opportunities to develop students’ sensitivities to standards and criteria embodied in course expectations
  5. Develop a deep and comprehensive understanding of the courses you teach from the department’s perspective: where is your course in the trajectory of the program? What are your colleges expecting students to do as a result of taking your class? How might failure to have high expectations impact your program’s accreditation?
  6. Describe your expectations in the syllabus and identify how students may best meet those expectations; indicate about how the expectations are linked to standards in the professional field; be prepared to cite research on what the professional community has to say about the preparedness of college graduates for employment. In 2013, Hart Researchers found in their study, “It takes more than a major: Employer priorities for college learning and student success,” that 93% of employers want job candidates to be proficient with communication, writing, and critical thinking more than they want them to have a certain major.
  7. Maintain clarity about your expectations and what may not be compromised; consider the important differences between “extra credit” work that is intended help students squeak through a course, but that does very little to improve student knowledge and skill proficiencies.

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