Why is Caring Important?
Michelle Pacansky-Brock, who works for the California Virtual Campus and the Online Network of Educators (the former @One), posed the question "If you get a sense that your online instructor cares about your success, how does it affect you?" Listen to the student responses. A few of their responses highlight online instructors -- most are just talking about instructors in general, and how knowing their instructors care about their learning and success is a critical success factor.
CORA (Center for Organizational Responsibility and Advancement), led by Drs. J. Luke Wood and Frank Harris III, notes that there are four main challenges faced by students, especially students of color, that impact their likelihood to succeed in our courses:
Structural: includes the structure of the college system, i.e. enrollment, assessments, registration, etc.
Curricular: includes classroom interactions and course content
Andragogical: includes how the course is taught by the instructor
Relational: includes how the instructor and college connect with the student
While all are critical to a student's success, the fourth challenge, Relational, lives in the affective domain. Affective development informs cognitive development - meaning, that if the student does not feel nurturing, affirmative feelings in the classroom, then the cognitive skills the instructor is trying to teach them will be nearly unattainable (Roueche 1981). Tinto (1986) found that the lack of interaction (either peer-peer or student-faculty/staff) led to student isolation, where they are apt to become emotionally withdrawn and likely to leave the course and/or college.
So, while all of these four areas are important, the fourth area, Relational, might be the most important and biggest indicator of a student's success in a course. Additionally, the Relational domain is of critical importance to our students of color, especially men of color.
Sim Barhoum (2018) noted that students have significant affective domain issues (i.e. life, emotional, financial, maturity, confidence, etc.) that are often not being addressed in college.
Why is this the case???
Maybe because we are uncomfortable?
Maybe because we lack training in this area?
Maybe because we have relational challenges ourselves?
Maybe because we don't know how to evaluate relational help?
Authentic Care is one technique utilized to address this domain. Authentic care is the genuine care and support from the professor (and other college staff) towards the student. When students perceive that faculty members authentically care about them and their success, they are likely to persist and succeed academically (Wood and Turner 2011).
And, specifically, Authentic Care produces huge benefits for Black, Latino, and Southeast Asian Men. Additionally, men who perceived that a faculty member cares about them personally, and their individual success, had a greater willingness to seek out academic and personal support. This is perceived for both male and female students (de la Garza, Wood and Harris 2014).
SELF REFLECTION: Historically, Authentic Care is not something we are accustomed to seeing or practicing in professional spaces, such as at our place of employment or institutions of higher education.
What has been your personal experience with authentic care in your workplace/s and with your colleagues?
Have you ever had a situation where authentic care would have helped or changed a situation?
Have you ever tried to provide authentic care at work? Were you successful or were you rebuffed?
In the future, how do you envision moving forward implementing more authentic care at work and with your colleagues?
Be prepared to share your insights at the live Zoom session.
CORA recommends the following 7 equity-minded relational focused techniques:
Be intrusive: Be proactive by reaching out to students - avoid the "approach me first" or "ask me for help" stance. Have a catalogue of pre-prepared responses and resources to share with students. Create personal connections with representatives from various campus areas to create a "warm hand-off". Follow-up and follow through.
Be responsive: Provide direct connections to resources on campus. Have reasonable response times for emails and course feedback. Avoid expressions of care without tangible, action-oriented solutions and support. Confirm clarity, check-in, and help identify next steps.
Be race-conscious: Recognize the reality and effects of systemic oppression on students, and that it is multiplied in times of crisis. Be intentional in your efforts to serve students. Avoid microaggressions - they are real and are noticied.
Be informed: Be aware of the contemporary impacts of racism on POC. Collect and engage in your own data. Listen and respond to students' voices. Conduct an assessment of students' experiences to inform your practices. Believe your students' voices and respond to them.
Be community focused: Be intentional about fostering a sense of community in the classroom. Use appropriate, disclosing practices (i.e. "I've faced these challenges..."). Ensure they are not statements of equivalency (i.e. "I know what you are going through..."). Foster an environment of collaboration and mutual respect. Invite ongoing feedback and opportunities for students to share needs.
Be clear and flexible: Employ regular communication that is clear, simple, and timely. Provide clear info on what is needed from your students to succeed in the class. Demonstrate compassion, flexibility, and institutional responsibility through your actions.
Be validating and compassionate: Validate students' messages of both effort AND ability.
Places to convey care in your course (the following list is targeted towards online courses, but could also be implemented in any course modality):
Course Design: Is your course clearly laid out? Is your course welcoming? Are big assignments scaffolded? Are smaller, frequent assessments available? Are students provided with choices? Are student contributions highlighted?
Grading: Is it transparent? Are rubrics provided? Are students' effort and growth rewarded?
Course Materials and Policies: Do you use supportive, growth-minded language? Do your statements indicate you value diversity as an asset? Are your materials accessible? Are your policies flexible?
Instructor-student feedback: Is it framed with supportive, encouraging high standards? Does your feedback validate students’ ability? Is it delivered in writing, voice, or video?
Instructor-Class Communication: Are you consistent? Are you supportive? Do you incorporate verbal and non-verbal communication cues? You do attempt to come through as authentic and approachable?
SELF REFLECTION: How could you add elements of Authentic Care into your classes? Think of at least 3 specific ways to incorporate Authentic Care into your classes this semester. How can you add Authentic Care to your classes through minor or major course redesign?
Be prepared to share your insights at the live Zoom session.
References:
Barhoum, S. (2018). Increasing Student Success: Structural Recommendations for Community Colleges. Journal of Developmental Education, 41(3), 18-25.
de la Garza, T., Wood, J.L. and Harris III, F. (2014) An Exploratory assessment of the validity of the Community College Survey of Men (CCSM): Implications for Serving Veteran Men. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 39(3), 293-298.
Roueche JE. (1981).Affective Development in the Classroom. Community College Review. 8(4):38-43.
Tinto, V. (1986). Theories of student departure revisited. In J. Smart (ed.), Higher Education: A Handbook of Theory and Research, vol. 2 (pp. 359–384). New York: Agathon.
Wood, J.L and Turner, C.S.V (2011). Black males and the community college: Student perspectives on faculty and academic success. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 35, 135-151.