Hostname: page-component-7b7567c8c-2rsb6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-11-12T11:58:16.314Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Making Human Connections in Online Teaching

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 November 2020

Rebecca A. GlazierOpen the ORCID record for Rebecca A. Glazier[Opens in a new window]
Rebecca A. Glazier*
Affiliation:
University of Arkansas at Little Rock
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

An abstract is not available for this content. As you have access to this content, full HTML content is provided on this page. A PDF of this content is also available in through the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Information

Type
COVID-19 and Emergency e-Learning in Political Science and International Relations
Information
PS: Political Science & Politics , Volume 54 , Issue 1 , January 2021, pp. 175 - 176
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the American Political Science Association

Effective teaching is not simply delivering content. More than 40 years of research shows that increased interactions and meaningful relationships between students and professors are associated with student persistence and success (Delaney Reference Delaney2008; Kezar and Maxey Reference Kezar and Maxey2014). This finding is especially strong for students of color, first-generation students, or academically struggling students (Amelink Reference Amelink2005; Anaya and Cole Reference Anaya and Cole2001; Ishiyama Reference Ishiyama2002; Strayhorn and Terrell Reference Strayhorn and Terrell2007).

Yet, the inherent distance imposed by online teaching and learning can make meaningful interactions between faculty and students difficult. The casual interactions that professors and students have on campus—continuing a discussion after class, mentioning a grant while waiting for the elevator, chatting after a speaker—often have positive outcomes for students (Kuh and Hu Reference Kuh and Hu2001) but are unavailable in an online environment.

Instead of simply shrugging our shoulders and bemoaning the loss of these interactions due to COVID-19, the burden is on faculty to create opportunities for connection with students in our online classes. Research shows that the instructor is more important than any other aspect of an online course (Muljana and Luo Reference Muljana and Luo2019; Nistor and Neubauer Reference Nistor and Neubauer2010) and the quality of faculty–student interactions consistently predicts online retention and success (Gering et al. Reference Gering, Sheppard, Adams, Renes and Morotti2018; Jaggars and Xu Reference Jaggars and Xu2016).

How can faculty connect in meaningful ways with students in our online classes? Doing so effectively takes creativity and authentic caring. Without these efforts, our online classes risk becoming hollow shells in which little learning takes place and only the most self-motivated, privileged, and persistent students survive.

Building Rapport with Students

I realized something was wrong in my first online class when I saw the grade distribution at the end of the semester. I taught online Introduction to Political Science with the same textbook, lectures, and assignments as the in-person course, but more students earned Ds or Fs or dropped out completely from the online version. I soon learned that this was not unusual. The distance inherent in the medium makes it difficult to connect with students, and retention is consistently lower. So, I tried an experiment. For five years, I made a particular effort to connect with my students on a human level, communicating well and personally reaching out to them. I called this approach “rapport building.” By the end of five years, I had increased retention in my experimental online sections by 13%, making them statistically indistinguishable from my face-to-face sections (Glazier Reference Glazier2016).

With so many courses moving online due to COVID-19, faculty are faced with immense teaching challenges. The following recommendations to improve retention and success are drawn from my own experience and grounded in the research of scholars who focus on humanizing, connecting, and building rapport with students (Aragon Reference Aragon2003; Glazier Reference Glazier2016; Pacansky-Brock, Smedshammer, and Vincent-Layton Reference Pacansky-Brock, Smedshammer and Vincent-Layton2020).

Start Early

Begin building relationships with students by reaching out to them before the semester even begins. Send a welcome email introducing yourself, attach the syllabus, and ask a friendly and innocuous question related to the course content that will help you get to know your students and demonstrate that you care about their success. If you show students that you care from the very beginning of the class, they are more likely to come to you when they need help.

Humanize Yourself

The more students see you as a real human being, the more they will remember and prioritize your course. A short welcome video is a good idea, as well as a brief check-in video every week. These videos do not have to be perfect—it is okay if pets or kids make a surprise appearance; your students may have pets or kids, so this helps them to connect with you as a real person and to stay engaged with the class.

Get Personal

As often as possible, send students the message that you are personally invested in their individual success. The online environment can be anonymizing so anything that lifts that barrier and gets you personally engaged will help students succeed. Use their first name, refer to comments they previously made in discussion posts, mention if you previously had them in a face-to-face class, and make sure that the feedback you provide on assignments feels personal.

Provide Opportunities for Interaction

Building rapport is not a one-way street; ensure that students have opportunities to also interact with you. Be present in discussion boards, hold Q&A sessions, distribute a midterm survey in which students can provide anonymous feedback on how the course is going, and allow students to vote on subtopics or case studies for upcoming lectures. Think creatively about ways to engage students in the online environment.

Be Compassionate

Combine a pandemic, an economic recession, and many highly visible instances of violent racism, and it is likely that our students are experiencing trauma in their life outside of the classroom. Consider asking about the challenges they foresee at the beginning of the semester and follow up to ask how they are doing and how you can help. If you notice missed deadlines or reduced attendance, check in by email, telephone, or text. Consider sending personal email reminders before assignment due dates or adopting a flexible deadline calendar.

Final Thoughts

Holding synchronous classes via videoconference may seem like a perfect way to connect with students, but it takes care and thoughtfulness to ensure that this format is not impersonal and isolating. Synchronous discussions or reviews can build community; however, we are deluding ourselves if we think we are connecting with students who log on just to be lectured at with their cameras off and their microphones muted.

The most important component of building rapport is authenticity. Decide what will work best depending on your teaching style, course load, and class size. It is more difficult to build meaningful relationships across the digital divide. Technology can make connecting with students easier—tools such as mail merge simplify sending personal emails and Zoom can be great for holding office hours—but, in the end, what really makes a difference to our students is a personal connection.

Technology can make connecting with students easier—tools such as mail merge simplify sending personal emails and Zoom can be great for holding office hours—but, in the end, what really makes a difference to our students is a personal connection.

References

REFERENCES

Amelink, Catherine T. 2005. “Predicting Academic Success Among First-Year, First Generation Students.” Blacksburg: Virginia Polytechnic Institute. PhD dissertation, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies.Google Scholar
Anaya, Guadalupe, and Cole, Darnell G.. 2001. “Latina/o Student Achievement: Exploring the Influence of Student–Faculty Interactions on College Grades.” Journal of College Student Development 42 (1): 3–14.Google Scholar
Aragon, Steven R. 2003. “Creating Social Presence in Online Environments.” New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education 100:57–68.10.1002/ace.119CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Delaney, Anne Marie. 2008. “Why Faculty–Student Interaction Matters in the First-Year Experience.” Tertiary Education and Management 14 (3): 227–41.10.1080/13583880802228224CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gering, Carol S., Sheppard, Dani K., Adams, Barbara L., Renes, Susan L., and Morotti, Allan A.. 2018. “Strengths-Based Analysis of Student Success in Online Courses.” Online Learning 22 (3): 55–85.10.24059/olj.v22i3.1464CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Glazier, Rebecca A. 2016. “Building Rapport to Improve Retention and Success in Online Classes.” Journal of Political Science Education 12 (4): 437–56.10.1080/15512169.2016.1155994CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ishiyama, John. 2002. “Does Early Participation in Undergraduate Research Benefit Social Science and Humanities Students?” College Student Journal 36 (3): 380–86.Google Scholar
Jaggars, Shanna Smith, and Xu, Di. 2016. “How Do Online Course Design Features Influence Student Performance?” Computers & Education 95 (April): 270–84.10.1016/j.compedu.2016.01.014CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kezar, Adrianna, and Maxey, Dan. 2014. “Faculty Matter: So Why Doesn’t Everyone Think So?” Thought & Action Fall 2014:29–44.Google Scholar
Kuh, George D., and Hu, Shouping. 2001. “The Effects of Student–Faculty Interaction in the 1990s.” Review of Higher Education 24 (3): 309–32.10.1353/rhe.2001.0005CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Muljana, Pauline S., and Luo, Tian. 2019. “Factors Contributing to Student Retention in Online Learning and Recommended Strategies for Improvement: A Systematic Literature Review.” Journal of Information Technology Education: Research 18:19–57. Available at doi: 10.28945/4182.Google Scholar
Nistor, Nicolae, and Neubauer, Katrin. 2010. “From Participation to Dropout: Quantitative Participation Patterns in Online University Courses.” Computers & Education 55 (2): 663–72.10.1016/j.compedu.2010.02.026CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pacansky-Brock, Michelle, Smedshammer, Michael, and Vincent-Layton, Kim. 2020. “Humanizing Online Teaching to Equitize Higher Education.” Current Issues in Education 21 (2): 1–20.Google Scholar
Strayhorn, Terrell Lamont, and Terrell, Melvin Cleveland. 2007. “Mentoring and Satisfaction with College for Black Students.” Negro Educational Review 58 (1–2): 69–83.Google Scholar