UCITE

Good Practice Encourages Contacts Between Students and Faculty

Frequent student/faculty contact in and out of class is a most important factor in student motivation and involvement. Faculty concern helps students get through rough times and keep on working. Knowing a few faculty members well enhances students’ intellectual commitment and encourages them to think about their own values and plans.

  - "Implementing the Seven Principles: Technology as Lever" by Arthur W. Chickering and Stephen C. Ehrmann

When we teach, we are asking the learner to enter an area of knowledge where he or she has not gone before and, like any journey into unfamiliar territory, they are more likely to go along with us if they have some confidence in the guide. The fact that the instructor is a highly credentialed expert helps but may not be sufficient. Learning is more likely to occur when there is mutual respect and trust between the instructor and the student. But developing this respect and trust is hard to do in an impersonal setting with a large number of people. Hence it becomes important to establish a sense of rapport between students and the instructor. One of the best ways to do that is by increasing the contact between the instructor and the students.

What are some strategies that will increase the opportunities for exchange of ideas between faculty and students?

Frequent contact in and out of class: Email is the most common form, either personal or using address lists. Passive office hours tend to be not used. I encourage students to come to see me in groups within the first three weeks of class. Each meeting lasts about 10 minutes and consists of asking if they have any concerns or problems, directing them to resources in the course, pointing out important course requirements, and just socializing by asking them about where they come from, their college experience contrasts with their high school, how the group is functioning, and so on. For a class of 160 students with 40 groups, this takes about 7-8 hours of time spread over three weeks.

Coming a little early to class and staying a few minutes after and initiating informal general discussions with random students. Students are always observing you. Even if you are not talking with them, the fact that they see you are at ease with students will make it easier for them to come to you if they have a problem or concern.

Showing concern: If a student has a problem, listen and empathize and direct them to sources of help. If a student is frequently absent, not handing in homework or showing other signs of disengagement from the course, contact them to find out why.

Getting to know students well: Attend as many student-faculty social functions as one can manage. . Open ended projects or assignments that require some level of coaching by the instuctor tend to provide the best opportunities for generating natural interactions. These provide an environment in which the students and faculty can interact more informally while yet being on task. Faculty are less likely to be seen as intimidating or aloof.

One real concern is whether there can be too much interaction, eating into the faculty member's time. This is less of a danger than one might expect. I occasionally encounter a student who would like me to be a private tutor, but I can redirect them to other resources that serve this need and make it clear that I am there to deal with problems that others cannot handle. In general, once students are reassured that you are there if needed, that gives them the assurance to go ahead without feeling the need to lean on you. It is similar to the parent-child relationship. The children might not actually ask you much but they like the fact that you are available.

Frequent student-faculty contact in and out of class is a most important factor in student motivation and involvement. Faculty concern helps students get through rough times and keep on working. Knowing a few faculty members well enhances students’ intellectual commitment and encourages them to think about their own values and plans.