In the first week of a course, everyone is brimming with energy. ✨
Everything is fresh and new. Your students are excited to meet each other and motivated to dive into the content.
But that energy doesn't last, unfortunately.
The inevitable dip comes around where students disengage, lose motivation and, worst of all, drop off completely.
Why does that happen? There are internal and external factors at play:
Internal factors:
- Second-guessing why you're even doing this and questioning if you'll ever get results
- Not understanding everything and feeling like you've fallen behind other students
- Adopting new mindsets and habits is taking an emotional toll
External factors:
- Life outside of the course gets busy and participation is put on the backburner
- The course content is too ambiguous and it's not clear how to apply it
- There's no one to keep you accountable
Now, how can you keep your students on track and help them through the dip?
👂 Be open about the dip happening and discuss it in the group, making students feel heard.
💌 Send regular checkin emails or DMs asking how they're doing and offering support.
👥 Form small accountability groups where students help each other stay on track.
🚢 Encourage students who got sidetracked to come back on board quickly. It's ok to miss an assignment or a live session.
⏰ Regularly remind them of what's possible and why they signed up in the first place.
The dip is a natural part of the learning journey. The more we are aware of it and accept it, the better we can embrace the challenge and keep going.
