Critical Incident Analysis

Case 2 - Meeting individual needs

1. Background to the incident

In a discussion with another tutor he commented that the work of a student, who he considered to be very able, was slipping. He also said this student was friends with a couple of 'lazy lads' and that he was becoming like them. He didn't think there would be any point in saying anything to the student.

I thought about this and decided that if the department had no interest in encouraging students then I would do it. I decided to speak to the student, who is in a practical class which I teach.

The day before the practical I worried about how to approach this as I didn't want to say the wrong thing or make the situation awkward.

2. The incident

During the practical I went over to answer a question from this student and while I was talking to him, his two friends went across the room to talk to another student. We talked about the write-up for this practical and because I knew that the three of them had been working closely together I warned him about plagiarism and copying from one another. He agreed and then I took the opportunity to say I was aware that his recent academic achievements were not matching his capabilities. He said he had had an essay mark back recently that he was disappointed with. I said that if there was a problem he should talk to someone but if he was just being lazy then he should pull his finger out! He agreed that he had got lazy and we left it at that.

The following week I saw the student again. He told me he had been in the library over the weekend, reading a lot to finish an essay that was due. He said (in front of another student) "after you kicked me up the arse, I've been working really hard"

3. Tutor's reflections

I felt very pleased I had dealt with this and that what I said had an effect. The episode hadn't made things awkward between us. Since then, I have been approached by this student several times for help with various aspects of his work. I saw him recently working in the self-teaching room on a project. I am so pleased that he is back on track and that I have probably contributed to this change.

4. Learning points

This incident stands out for me because I did a small thing that had a very positive outcome. I was made aware of this student's situation and so I could do something about it. There may be others whose problems I wouldn't pick up.

It seems important that the department should act in situations like this. Perhaps something should be introduced to ensure that all students' progress is monitored and encouraged informally in this way.