D2. Proactively engage with students to build connections.
This may include emailing students a welcoming message at the beginning of the semester, directed outreach to students from racial/ethnic populations traditionally underserved in higher education inviting them to attend office hours or other impromptu meetings, and/or make an effort to meet students one-on-one or in small groups, as well as the Get-To-Know-the Student suggestion offered in the previous section.
Students want to be seen as a real person who has other responsibilities outside of your class, and they want to see you as a “real person,” too. They also want to know and trust their peers to feel safe to take the intellectual risks essential to meaningful learning. Building connections with and among students supports the success of all students, particularly those who are minoritized within your discipline, class, or school. It can motivate and support students to work hard in your class and opens up lines of communications for when issues arise.
Examples &Strategies
- Consider “student hours,” group hours, and explain their purpose. During class, share what kinds of things you could discuss with them or wish students would ask you about. Show them where, how, and when you meet with students. Consider holding them right after class to reduce the barriers to entry, requiring students to come at least once in the first 4 weeks (signing up in small groups for 10 minutes if a large class). Calling them “student hours” conveys that their needs, whatever they may be, are the focus of the meeting. Remind students of the hours often.
- Learn and accurately use student names and pronouns. Even learning 10 student names in a large class shows students that you see them as individuals. Consider name tents, even in large courses and intentionally use the student names as you call on them. Ask students to update their pronouns on SPIRE so that you have the most current information for them. They are only “unpracticed” names, not difficult names. Model practicing names, and ask students to do the same before engaging in small group discussions.
- Reach out to students and initiate small relationship-building conversations. Come early or stay late to class, if possible, and ask how this week is going for them, how they are doing in their other courses, what they are listening to or watching in their free time, or what they recommend you eat (or don’t eat) in the dining hall. Reach out to students who missed a class and ask if everything is okay. Use your LMS to send emails to students who turned an assignment in late or not at all, wondering if they encountered any trouble. Be curious about your students, and ask questions first, especially when they have not met an expectation of yours.
- Use brief “Points of connection” activities, or icebreakers to bring joy and connection to the classroom. These are brief activities that allow students to connect with you and others either as a whole class or in small groups (e.g., a series of “would you rather...?” questions over I iClicker; sharing a story of their name with a peer, making a class playlist of favorite songs that plays before class, competing in small groups to solve a riddle). These can be done asynchronously, e.g., in a Moodle forum or other online tool. Summarize some things you learned about your students in the next class, email, or video that you share with them.
Considerations
Make sure personal questions or points of connection activities allow students to choose at which depth they want to share information. For example, “What has been the hardest part of the semester so far?” forces students to share on a deeply personal level, while asking “What was the most memorable event of your semester so far?” allows students to choose how personal they want to get with you. Identify which students might feel excluded by the question. For example, if you love to travel and ask students to share their favorite vacation spot, students who do not take vacations or have resources to travel will be excluded. Instead, you could invite them to share where they would go if they could travel anywhere in the world for free. Refer back to their choices: Have them mark their spot with their name on a Google Map or other tool, and ask them about it next time you see them individually. This is also one example of a way to share student answers with others, which helps them get to know each other as a community.
Resources
How do I Provide Flexibility and Ensure Attendance? Center for Teaching and Learning.
How do I Increase Student Engagement with Participation Agreements? Center for Teaching and Learning.
How do I Support Students with Compassion and Empathy? Center for Teaching and Learning.
Kuusinen, C. and LaCross, L. (January, 2021). 24 Virtual Icebreakers to Enhance Remote Learning and Working. LinkedIn.