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How Teachers Can Improve Student Academic Achievement

A vibrant and modern classroom setting with a teacher looking to improve his student's academic achievements. A vibrant and modern classroom setting with a teacher looking to improve his student's academic achievements.

Students often face challenges in their academic lives. Teachers are the coaches who shape minds and build the future, one student at a time, with various techniques to help learners knock it out of the park. Further, they must always seek new ways to improve student academic achievement. Transcripts made by a reliable academic transcription company can be a great tool in their arsenal here—if used correctly. 

In this article, you’ll learn how:

  • As measured by the Center for Universal Education, lecture captures with captions can increase student comprehension by 8%.
  • A typical student’s attention span is only about 10 to 15 minutes long, yet most classes take more than 30 minutes.
  • Automated transcription leverages AI for fast results but can be inaccurate due to background noise, accents, poor audio quality, etc.

Why Should Educators Aim for Better Student Academic Success?

Studies show that improved academic performance opens doors to better economic opportunities and social mobility. According to the Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), effective teaching methods, like those focused on critical thinking, can significantly improve student success rates.

Therefore, educational institutions must consider implementing new and effective strategies to improve learning outcomes. When students perform well academically, it contributes to a more educated and competitive workforce, which, in turn, benefits the nation’s economy.

Educators who strive for better student achievements help create a more capable society with a better chance of progressing across different fields.

Field of Studies Where Academic Achievement Can Be Crucial

Teachers aiming to improve student academic achievement is a universal goal. However, some fields of study put a lot more emphasis on achievements. Here are some of them:

StudiesWhy it Matters
MedicineHigh grades ensure mastery of complex medical knowledge, which is critical for patient safety and effective treatment.
LawStrong academic performance demonstrates analytical skills and attention to detail required in legal practice.
EngineeringExcellent grades reflect proficiency in mathematics and physics, which are essential for designing safe structures and systems.
Research ScienceAcademic achievement indicates the ability to understand complex theories and conduct rigorous experiments.
FinanceHigh academic performance shows aptitude for numerical analysis and understanding of economic principles.
EducationStrong grades demonstrate subject mastery, which is necessary for effective teaching and curriculum development.
AerospaceTop grades indicate an understanding of advanced physics and engineering principles crucial for aircraft and spacecraft design.
PharmacologyHigh academic achievement ensures thorough drug interactions and biochemistry knowledge, which is vital for patient safety.

What Can Teachers Do to Improve Student Achievement?

If you’re familiar with James Clear—the author of the book Atomic Habits—he actively talks about going after the smallest improvements you can find. Here are the most significant takeaways from his book in the context of academic achievement:

Utilize Formative Assessments to Monitor Progress

Teachers can use quick, low-pressure checks like mini-quizzes, exit slips, or casual Q&As to gauge how well their students grasp the lesson. The feedback from these checks gives teachers a real-time snapshot of where students might be stumbling or getting mixed up.

With this intel, educators can promptly offer extra help to students before it snowballs into bigger problems since they can shift their teaching strategy immediately. 

Integrating these assessment techniques into everyday lessons will help create a classroom environment that can cater to each student’s needs—a way to go for better grades across the board.

Offer Timely and Constructive Feedback

The Education Resources Information Center has done research showing that feedback helps students improve their learning. Speedy comments let students spot their strengths and weaknesses while the lesson is fresh, allowing them to improve immediately.

Also, personalized pointers highlighting wins and areas to work on can push students to take charge of their learning journey. A good feedback system will help keep students tuned in and create a vibe that’s all about helping everyone reach a better GPA. 

Encourage Active Learning Strategies

According to a recent study, a typical student’s attention span is only about 10 to 15 minutes long, yet most classes last more than 30 minutes. This alone proves the importance of active learning strategies that educators can implement. 

Instead of just sitting back and listening, active learning strategies—like Think-Pair-Share or Three-Step Interviews—get students to tackle problems or flex their critical thinking muscles, which are especially helpful in group projects. 

Teachers who incorporate active learning into their classrooms set the stage for students to become invested in their learning, resulting in improved academic achievement. The scoreboard doesn’t lie—students who engage in these hands-on experiences tend to have better academic achievements than those stuck in the old-school, boring lecture routine.

Establish Clear Expectations and Learning Plans

It’s absolutely important that teachers lay out the play-by-play for each lesson to provide students with a clear view of the end zone they’re aiming for. One way of doing this is by handing out detailed rules or scorecards, which helps students focus on their progress.

While at it, schools should encourage teachers to set the bar high for both grades and behavior. This is a surefire way to get students to develop a mindset that’s all about growth. It’s a winning strategy that gets everyone on the same page and ready to tackle whatever challenges they face.

Promote a Positive Learning Classroom Environment

Teachers can work their magic by getting to know each student, especially in high school. They can throw mini-celebrations for big and small wins and push the “you can do it” mindset. Something as simple as calling students by name or giving helpful tips shows the teacher’s got their back, which gets them enthusiastic to join the action.

Setting clear ground rules and making everyone feel part of the team helps create a supportive atmosphere. Students who feel valued and respected are more likely to grab the reins of their learning journey.

Utilize Graphic Organizers to Enhance Understanding

You can think of concept maps, timelines, Venn diagrams, or any visual roadmaps that help students connect the dots like professionals. Putting these tools into lessons or homework can improve students’ thinking skills, pushing them to crack the code on tricky topics.

Teachers should show students how to create and use these visual aids for writing notes or brainstorming. Once students get the hang of graphic organizers, they’ll organize their thoughts much easier. They’ll hold onto information better and apply what they’ve learned across different subjects in real-life situations or outside the classroom.

Provide Lecture Transcripts for Online Classes

Educators who provide written records and academic recordings, like lectures, are handing students a rewind button for class content. This strategy allows them to cruise through the learning material at their own pace and caters to all learning styles.

Thanks to these handy text versions, students learning a new language or those with hearing challenges can also tackle the course material. Everyone in the class can use transcripts to improve their note-taking or review sessions and have a go-to reference when gearing up for exams, and so on.

A 2023 Center for Universal Education study found that “lecture captures with captions can increase student comprehension by 8%.”

Transcripts have much to offer students and educators. They simply need to figure out what perfectly fits their situation.

What’s The Best Transcription Service To Increase Student Performance?

Transcription can be a powerful tool for teachers to help improve their student’s academic achievements. However, different providers offer transcription for educational institutions. Let’s talk about the two most common types you’ll find in the market.

AI Transcription

Automated audio transcription converts audio or video recordings to plain text content using artificial intelligence (AI) or automated speech recognition (ASR) technologies. 

This type of transcription leverages AI’s speed and produces lightning-fast audio and video transcription. Automated transcription software and speech-to-text services are often cheaper than human transcription. 

So, what’s the catch?

Well, for all its speed, AI is woefully inaccurate. Any advantages of lecture transcription are rendered moot at that point. 

AI transcription work is at the mercy of background noise, overlapping speakers, different accents and dialects, and poor audio file quality. It cannot identify nuance and utilize context to create a more accurate verbatim transcription—things that come naturally to experienced human transcriptionists. 

The text comes in an endless stream without punctuation or context. Students may use it for one-off transcription work, but not with anything requiring precision. 

For educators and facilitators, though, transcribing audio using ASRs and automated transcription tools is, quite simply, unacceptable. 

Unlike with a quick student note from a recorded class, errors in official lecture transcripts can have a negative impact on your students. Errors can be damaging and embarrassing, and information can be warped with a single wrong word. This can be particularly problematic for hard-of-hearing students, as sections of the transcript may make absolutely no sense to them. This can pull them out of focus and cost more time. 

Human Transcription

AI may be popular now, but Ditto’s human transcription service is still the gold standard for transcription. 

As the name implies, a human handles every step of our transcription process. 

Our specialists transcribe, edit, proofread, and polish, all with the sapience and awareness of a fellow human being. This is why human transcription is far more accurate, and that means wasting less time and money editing and modifying flawed transcripts. 

Yes, human or manual transcription can be a little more expensive than automated solutions. However, it’s well worth it if you don’t have to review and edit your transcripts after receiving them. 

Furthermore, human-powered transcription offers many extra services, such as providing timestamps, following grammar and formatting guidelines, and converting complete transcripts to different file formats.

Our Transcripts Can Help Teachers Improve Their Student’s Academic Achievements

Maximize the benefits of lecture transcription by enlisting the best service provider in the industry.

Ditto Transcripts guarantees 99% accuracy on all transcription work. Our team of professional transcriptionists can transcribe everything. Whether audio or video recordings of lectures, interviews, or meetings—you name it, we’ll do it with exceptional accuracy. Every transcriptionist we work with is under strict confidentiality agreements, so you can trust that any verbatim transcriptions are secure. 

We also offer expanded services, customization options, fast turnaround times, and affordable rates. Contact us today for a free trial.

Ditto Transcripts is a HIPAA- and CJIS-compliant, Denver, Colorado-based online transcription solutions company that provides fast, accurate, and affordable transcription services to companies and agencies of all industries and sizes. Call (720) 287-3710 today for a free quote, and ask about our free five-day trial. Visit our website for more information about our transcription services.