A Simple Path Forward: Trading digital clutter for physical simplicity.

I talked to my 'rabbi' the other day, a senior faculty member in the department, and we talked over his observation of my class. He said a lot that stuck with me, but the thing that rings out now is my class has a lot of 'bells and whistles' in the number and type of assignments I have. Maybe its time to reduce all of them for something more simple, for both my students and myself.  

My colleague and I also kvetched about the problem of students just disappearing. A good 10%-30% of my class has just stopped showing up after a few weeks, and in talking to others this isn't unusual. I wonder what I could do to persuade more students to not withdraw. Is there some phrase, some way of describing learning that I can share that makes them more receptive to sticking with the struggle of learning? Some change to assignments, framing of practice, a culturally relevant example or application that will inspire them to stay? If I were to quit teaching I wouldn't be able to answer these questions, and would be left wondering 'What if?'

In listening to the audiobook of Elements of Choice by Eric J. Johnson I wonder if I can shape a student's plausible path towards them choosing to lean into learning the course material. Can I reduce the choices students have to one where they complete assignments? I keep circling back to the following course structure for next Fall;

• No online assignments. The LMS is a place just for grades, announcements, and files.
• After each class is a list of two to three things students should do before the next class session, such as;
• Complete any remaining questions from the in-class activity from Monday's class. 
• Complete the following Exercise questions from Section 1.6
• Read and take notes on Sections 2.1 and 2.2
• Review your returned Assessment 5 and complete the Assessment Reflection Form for up to two questions you want to reattempt.
• Check that students completed this list of tasks for 10% of their course grade. (Maybe during the Weekly Assessment?)
• Weekly Assessments with 5-6 questions from the prior week, that comprise 60% of the course grade, allowing reattempts for up to two questions which amounts to around 40% of each assessment. They can't ignore the material, they have to know something by the Weekly Assessment. 
• The Final Assessment will comprise 30% of the course grade, no reattempts.

I can hear my more senior colleagues cackle in delight as I essentially 'reinvent' college courses from 30 years ago. Yet really stripping down a course, getting away from all the distractions of the online environment, would address some of what I am worrying about. The LMS has this headspace of "I should be doing something here." yet to many students it isn't clear what they should be doing. The ten to thirty percent I lose each term may be leaving because they don't know what to do, and by providing clear directions of what to do will hopefully give them the specific guidance they need. Also, taking the uncertainty of online assignments away and putting the work in front of them on pencil and paper will get them to the work quicker, and in a more focused way.