Best Practices: Encourage Faculty-Student Interaction
Encouraging this is your classes is is one of Chickering & Gamson's "Seven Principles of Good Practice in Undergraduate Education"
What is It?
Understanding what Interaction with Students means is not particularly technical or arcane... Contact with students can take many forms from the "hallway intervention" to the after-class chat to office hours to e-mails or phone conversations to an Elluminate 1 on 1 session etc. etc.
"...all the different ways teachers interact with their students: lecturing, leading class discussions, meeting with individual students during office hours, communicating by e-mail and so on. ... "
Fink, Creating Significant Learning Experiences..., (2003) pg 23.
How Do you Address This/Use It?
Structured and regular opportunities for dialog with your students can help with student motivation and retention. As Chickering & Gamson originally summed it up:
"Frequent student-faculty contact in and out of classes is the most important factor in student motivation and involvement. Faculty concern helps students get through rough times and keep on working...."
"Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education" - Chickering & Gamson (1987)
Any variety of techniques or technologies can be utilized to achieve interaction opportunities with your students. Here are some specific ideas:
"...At the end of each class period, ask one student to stay for a minute to chat (compliment on something: tell student you missed him/her if absent, etc.).
Instead of returning tests, quizzed, themes in class, ask students to stop by your office to pick them up. This presents an opportunity to talk informally with students.
Call students on the telephone if they are absent. Make an appointment with them to discuss attendance, make-up work, etc.
Get feedback periodically from students (perhaps a select few) on their perceptions of your attitudes toward them, your personal involvement, etc....
Conduct a personal interview with all students sometime during the semester....
Take the initiative to contact and meet with students who are doing poor work. Be especially cognizant of the "passive" student, one who comes to class, sits quietly, does not participate, but does poorly on tests, quizzes, etc.
Throughout the semester, have students submit topics that they would like to cover or discuss."
Honolulu Community College Faculty Guidebook
What Are Key Research/Scholarship Starting Points?
What are Potential Issues/Downsides to Be Prepared For?
Timing -
Knowing when and or how much opportunities to offer or when to initiate contact. There is a fine line between making yourself available and offering opportunities to interact and overwhelming students.
Be Persistent for Reluctant Students
It may take a sustained effort or approach to reach some students and or realize you are genuine at wanting to open up dialog.
Careful What You Wish For...
Be prepared - once you open up for frequent interaction, students may tell you things you may not want to hear and or let you know about "blind spots" in your teaching style.
Examples How This Might Be Implemented in a Distance - Online/Hybrid/Video Conferencing Course?
"Early in the course, require students to contact you and interact among themselves via electronic mail, so they become comfortable with the process. Maintaining and sharing electronic journal entries can be very effective toward this end....
Arrange telephone office hours using a toll-free number. Set evening office hours if most of your students work during the day.
Integrate a variety of delivery systems for interaction and feedback, including one-on-one and conference calls, fax, E-mail, video, and computer conferencing. When feasible, consider personal visits as well.
Contact each site (or student) every week if possible, especially early in the course. Take note of students who don't participate during the first session, and contact them individually after class....
Have students keep a journal of their thoughts and ideas regarding the course content, as well as their individual progress and other concerns. Have students submit journal entries frequently
Make detailed comments on written assignments, referring to additional sources for supplementary information. Return assignments without delay, using fax or electronic mail, if practical."
University of Idaho Engineering Outreach