Student -the word carries profound connotations. Students are young adults, knowledge seekers, career opportunists — there are an infinite number of ways in which you can describe them.
The annual Counselling Arabia Conference, held at Zayed University in Dubai under the patronage of Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, covered the various conflicts students face socially, emotionally and academically as they struggle to successfully make it through their educational life.
As students step off the graduation stage and into the working world, they need all the support to develop into competent professionals within the corporate environment.
The event addressed a range of issues exploring human potential, focusing on academic and vocational issues in the region. Themes at the conference included educational psychology, career development, counselling and academic advising.
Notes spoke to educational practitioners concerning two critical issues students face today - making it past university and the developing role of women in the workplace.
Counselling students at risk
Many students face it - they are on the verge of failing a course, and rather than striving for success - they merely strive to pass. All the same some students go on to fail. And whether this is the result of a lack of effort or because of personal issues, from this point on students generally tend to head towards a downward spiral.
Celine Kamhieh and Jelena Zivkovic, instructors at Zayed University in Dubai, discussed the prevailing factors concerning students who are at academic risk. Kamhieh and Zivkovic said that although it is a student's responsibility to keep up with his or her studies, it is also the university's duty to provide students with a supportive framework.
During their presentation, they displayed a letter typically sent to students in academic jeopardy. Using it, Kamhieh and Zivkovic highlighted the weak points of the current education system. One is timing.
"Students who were failing the spring semester of 2007 did not receive this letter until half way through the following fall semester," said Kamhieh. "If students were notified earlier, they could have had the whole summer to think about their situation."
According to the speakers, when students are informed too late about their poor performance, they often feel overwhelmed and helpless, which in turn can result in them giving up.
At Zayed University, a cumulative GPA of less than 2.0 for three consecutive semesters would result in a student being expelled. According to Zivkovic, these students would be banned from re-entering the university, or any other government university for that matter.
Another factor lacking in the current system is the availability of options.
"No where in this letter does it give students options about how they could improve their academic performance," Kamhieh said. "It basically informs students that they are failing and that they need to do something about it, but it doesn't say what."
University takes action
With this in mind, Kamhieh and Zivkovic, with the help of some of their colleagues, set out to initiate the At Risk Study Programme.
This programme aims to provide students with the necessary guidance towards a more promising academic future.
The first step was to get students interested in pursuing the programme.
To do so, letters were sent out to students on the verge of probation, informing them about a counselling session open to all those who would like to attend.
"We want students to think, 'I'm at risk and this session is here to help us,'" said Kamhieh. "We want them to know that there is an option."
The letter received a good response. Students met and interacted with advisers and students with exceptional academic performance and were motivated to pull themselves out of the wormhole they had fallen so deeply into.
However, this meeting session was only the first step. "First of all, we need to identify why the students have reached this stage to begin with," said Zivkovic.
"Then we must implement the resources we have available, such as workshops, a writing centre, advising classes, peer tutors, etc…"
Kamhieh and Zivkovic said that students participating in this programme could get stamped documents as evidence of their attendance which could be useful in the extreme case of granting appeals.
"These students deserve every opportunity to excel," said Zivkovic. "And it is our responsibility to provide them with that chance."
Women in the workplace
Among the other issues discussed at the conference was the developing role of women in the workplace. As women climb the corporate latter they face many obstacles — the primary one being male dominance.
David Greenshields, instructor at the Higher Colleges of Technology Ras Al Khaimah Women's College, discussed the matter during his presentation Coaching Women into Top Jobs.
"While it is dangerous to stereotype and generalise, gender differences do exist in management styles and communication patterns," he said. "Many organisations show a masculine (combative) culture and thus women find it difficult to enter into male informal communication channels."
Greenshields said that women often face a dilemma between preserving their natural feminine traits and fitting into a masculine corporate culture.
"Their display of concern for their family and commitment is questioned," he said. "While 'being like a man' may be perceived as abrasive and unfeminine."
According to Greenshields the key to coaching women towards a successful career is to make them aware of the hurdles they may encounter in the workplace.
Communication gaps
Listing various communication differences between the two genders, as well as a series of dysfunctional communication methods that make it difficult to foster mutual understanding, Greenshields said that women should speak out and stand up for themselves if they ever feel undermined, especially because of their gender.
One of these dysfunctional communication patterns (DCPs) are the Exclusionary DCPs where men apologise for something deemed unacceptable in front of women.
"Men have a two track communication mode. One is used in male company and another when women are present," Greenshields said. "This 'men's club' can be transmitters of important information and support."
When asked what women can do in such a situation, Greenshields answered: "A woman has two options. She can either seek to be a part of these areas and involve herself or she can simply make herself more visible in other areas and have an impact in different ways."
The trick is for women to demonstrate their capability for achievement while maintaining their personal integrity — that is when males truly feel a sense of competition in the office and gain respect for their female colleagues.
According to author and researcher Joanna L. Krotz, the management style of women is more effective in building long term relationships because: They are better than men in empowering teams and staff;
Encourage openness and are more accessible;
Identify problems more quickly and more accurately;
Men tend to be more speedy decision makers and are better in working in short-term action teams.
Areas of difficulty that academically weaker students face
- Time management
- Note-taking
- Motivation
- Information processing
- Basic study skills
By Manal Ismail