Establishing a community among students and instructors plays an important role in facilitating learning in higher education. Whether on campus or online, in a small seminar or large lecture, you can encourage students to connect with each other (and you) to promote meaningful interactions and learning.
Building rapport with and among students is foundational to developing a community within your course. Getting to know your students and allowing them to get to know you can help foster this sense of community and create a trusting space for the exchange of information and inquiry.
Consider these tips for building rapport in your classes, and for more context on each tip, visit our webpage:
- Learn students’ names and pronunciations. Take time at the beginning of each semester to learn students’ names and how they are pronounced. Consider the use of name tents, phonetic spelling or recordings to help with this process. The Photo Class List under the Faculty tab on myBama is another useful tool to get to know who is in your class.
- Get to know your students. Create an assignment or activity that allows students to share information about themselves, their interests and career goals. Incorporate student interests and aspirations into class lectures and assignments. Encourage students to attend office hours, or schedule individual or small-group meetings during class time to get to know your students and let them get to know each other.
- Allow students to get to know you. As you learn information about your students, be open to sharing information about you who are as a person too. Embed a friendly introduction into your first class meeting, show photos or tell brief anecdotes about yourself outside of your academic credentials. Consider ways to relate to students, such as sharing your own experiences as a lifelong learner, including personal challenges and tips for successful learning.
- Communicate in a positive and friendly manner. Whether speaking in class or sending a message online, use words that demonstrate you support and value your students and their learning. When engaging in difficult conversations, ensure that you maintain an encouraging tone to show you care about individual students and the greater community you’re collectively building in your course.
- Create opportunities for student-to-student interaction. Embed class activities and assignments that provide regular opportunities for students to interact with each other in different and meaningful ways. This can include small and large group discussions, peer review, role-playing, book clubs or group projects, to name a few.
Keep in mind that building rapport with and among students is an ongoing process that takes place throughout the semester. Making intentional steps to do so can create a positive and trusting learning environment and contribute to successful community building in your course.
Barley, E. F., & Major, C. H. (2022). Engaged teaching: A handbook for college faculty. The K. Patricia Cross Academy.