Creating the "Hook"

Do you know how to create a "hook" to get your students interested in your subject matter? We could all take a lesson from marketing and sales... first determine what the client wants and then sell them your goods. They key is to understand your students... Who are they? Why are they taking your class? If your class is an elective you could assume they are taking it because they're interested, however, it could also bbe because your classes is convenient in the grand scheme of things, and therefore, the students may not be necessarily interested in the subject matter, because they're really in the class to "get their ticket punched." So... how do you get them interested, excited, or even just willing to contribute to the class learning experience? Here are 4 basic human "needs" that marketing experts pay attention to. As you read about them, how can you use this information to tap into your students' "need" to get them to become interested in your class and what you have to offer? 1. What are your students' short term needs? - These are immediate needs and must be taken care of right away. This need can be taken care of by constantly advertising. If students are concerned or worried about the difficulty of the class, then you should constantly advertise that this class is "do-able," and that many have been successful. Provide reassurance that this need can be met.

2. What are your students' long term needs? - Students are in your class because they recognize they have a long-term need for a degree. However, they often get bored or are just too busy with their lives to truly engage in your class or subject matter. This is where you must constantly advertise the value of an education, and not just getting their ticket punched to a degree. Provide examples of how this subject or class content will be important in their future careers.

3. What are your students' perceived needs or desires? - Individuals recognize they have perceived needs, but they are not absolute needs. For example, students may perceive that they need to have a fancy car or whiter teeth or name-brand things, but they don't absolutely have to have them to be successful. Related in another way, students may perceive that they have to get all A's at the cost of taking more challenging classes, and so take all the easy ones, but the easy classes may not contain the subject matter content that would be more useful to them in their chosen careers. The best way to address perceived needs is to emphasize the enhanced status or benefits of accomplishing something on your class.

4. What are your students' unrecognized needs or desires? - These are the needs/ desires your students don't know they have-- but they do have them! They may not recognize the value of your subject or class content, and they may not know what the knowledge studied in this class can do for them, so you need to make them aware of how this "stuff" is going to help them in their lives after graduation! Therefore, it is important for instructors to emphasize how "cutting edge" this stuff is, and explain what this knowledge can do for them and how it is used in "real" life. Understanding our students' needs will help you make a significant impact on your students' ability to connect what they study with how it is applied in the "real" world!