Savanna Hoffman
University professors play a crucial role in shaping a student's academic success and overall university experience. While the dynamic between professors and students is different from that of school teachers and school students, university professors are still expected to support their students in various ways. This includes helping students with their learning, course content, assessments, and even career guidance. Building strong connections with professors can be beneficial for students, as it can lead to mentorship, career opportunities, and networking. Professors can also help students by being flexible with deadlines, providing transparent assignment guidelines, and creating a safe space for students to share their thoughts and concerns.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Support students | Help students with their learning journey, be flexible with deadlines, and respect privacy |
| Engage students | Experiment with different teaching styles, use in-class team-building activities, and acknowledge current events and how they may be affecting students |
| Build relationships | Get to know students, share stories and vulnerabilities, and act as a mentor |
| Provide clarity | Ensure students understand the purpose, task, and criteria of their coursework |
| Address mental health | Increase awareness of mental health issues and provide resources and accommodations |
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What You'll Learn
- Professors should be flexible with deadlines and respectful of privacy
- They should acknowledge current events and their impact on students
- Building connections with students can boost academic success and career opportunities
- Transparent assignment design increases student understanding and success
- Professors should experiment with different teaching styles and strategies for engaging students
Professors should be flexible with deadlines and respectful of privacy
University professors can play a crucial role in supporting their students' academic success and overall well-being. One way they can achieve this is by adopting a flexible approach to deadlines and demonstrating respect for students' privacy.
Flexibility with Deadlines
Professors can help students by being flexible with deadlines whenever possible. While deadlines are important for structuring students' work and teaching time management skills, they should not become a threat to students' grades or a source of undue stress. Some students may have work or family commitments that make it challenging to meet deadlines. In such cases, professors can offer extensions or build flexibility into their syllabi, allowing students to avoid harsh penalties without needing to disclose personal details. This approach can benefit students with mental health concerns or those facing unexpected challenges, ensuring they have the opportunity to succeed.
Respect for Privacy
Respecting students' privacy is another essential aspect of creating a supportive learning environment. Students may have various reasons for wanting to keep their cameras off during online classes or for not disclosing personal information. For example, a student may feel uncomfortable showing their home setting or may have cultural or religious considerations, as in the case of a student who wished to keep her camera off to avoid having to wear a hijab during class. Professors should be mindful of these sensitivities and avoid pressuring students to reveal more of their private lives than they are comfortable with.
Benefits of Flexibility and Respect
By adopting a flexible approach to deadlines and respecting students' privacy, professors can foster a more inclusive and supportive classroom environment. This can lead to increased student engagement and motivation, as well as improved mental health and well-being for students who may be facing personal challenges. Additionally, students may feel more respected and valued, leading to a more positive and productive learning experience.
Strategies for Professors
To implement flexibility with deadlines effectively, professors can communicate their policies clearly at the beginning of the course. They can set reasonable boundaries and provide guidelines for requesting extensions, such as a specific timeframe or conditions that must be met. Professors can also offer multiple short-term deadlines instead of a single long-term one, which has been shown to improve student engagement and success. By being transparent and providing clear guidelines, professors can maintain fairness while accommodating students' diverse needs.
In conclusion, university professors can greatly support their students by being flexible with deadlines and respectful of their privacy. This approach fosters a more inclusive and supportive learning environment, ultimately contributing to students' academic success and overall well-being. By adopting flexible policies and demonstrating cultural sensitivity, professors can create a positive and safe space for their students to learn and thrive.
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They should acknowledge current events and their impact on students
University professors should strive to help their students succeed, both academically and personally. While the primary role of a professor is to teach and guide students in their field of study, they can also have a positive impact on students' lives by acknowledging current events and their potential impact on students.
Current events can influence students' lives and their ability to engage in their studies. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, students faced challenges with online learning, isolation, and mental health issues. Professors needed to be flexible and supportive, recognising that students' lives were being disrupted in unprecedented ways. Similarly, following the killing of Breonna Taylor, Black students may have been particularly affected, and professors needed to be aware of this and provide support.
Students often want professors to experiment with different teaching styles and show that they care about their students' well-being. This can be achieved by acknowledging current events and their impact on students' lives. Professors can create a safe and supportive classroom environment by being aware of and addressing these issues. This may involve adjusting expectations, being flexible with deadlines, and respecting students' privacy, as suggested by Roaya Higazi, president of the Undergraduate Student Government at Ohio State University.
Additionally, professors can contribute to an inclusive learning environment where students feel welcome and valued, which can positively influence their academic success. This is especially important when considering the experiences of students from marginalised backgrounds, who may face prejudice and discrimination from faculty members. By acknowledging current events and social issues, professors can foster a sense of inclusivity and support for all students.
However, it is important to note that the dynamic between professors and students changes as students progress from high school to college or university. At higher education levels, students are expected to be more independent and responsible for their learning. Thus, professors may need to balance acknowledging current events with maintaining academic standards and rigour in their courses.
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Building connections with students can boost academic success and career opportunities
University professors can play a crucial role in supporting their students' academic success and boosting their career opportunities. While the dynamic between professors and students in higher education is different from that in high school, with the latter requiring more independence and self-directed learning, professors can still provide guidance and mentorship.
One way professors can help is by building connections with their students. This can be challenging due to the diverse backgrounds of students, but it is possible to find common ground through course material. Professors can share their connections to the subject matter and encourage students to do the same. For example, Natalie Ortega-Moran, a professor at Villanova University, starts her courses by sharing personal information, including her family, interests, and academic journey. This approach helps students see their professors in a more vulnerable light and feel more comfortable opening up.
In addition to creating a more relaxed learning environment, building connections with students can promote academic success and retention. A Student Voice survey found that one-third of respondents believed that having a professor take an interest in getting to know them would positively impact their academic performance. This can be facilitated by professors focusing on learning students' names and interests, even in large classes. Building these connections can also lead to stronger letters of recommendation, as professors can speak more personally about the student's character and potential impact in their field.
Furthermore, professors can support students by being flexible and accommodating. This includes having clear but flexible deadline policies and providing options for class participation to suit different learning styles and comfort levels. For instance, students who are reluctant to participate in classroom discussions may benefit from alternative ways to engage, such as through written assignments. Respecting students' privacy is another aspect of flexibility, such as being understanding of students who prefer to keep their cameras off during online classes.
Lastly, professors can help students by acknowledging current events and their potential impact on students' well-being. For example, following the decline of a grand jury to indict police officers in the killing of Breonna Taylor, Black students in particular were struggling. Simply acknowledging this event and creating a supportive space can make a difference for students dealing with difficult times.
In conclusion, university professors can significantly impact their students' academic success and career opportunities by building connections, being flexible and accommodating, and creating a supportive and inclusive learning environment.
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Transparent assignment design increases student understanding and success
University professors can help students in numerous ways, including by being flexible with deadlines, accommodating students' privacy preferences, and acknowledging current events that may be affecting students' mental health. One of the most effective ways for professors to help students is by implementing transparent assignment design in their courses.
Transparent assignment design is a teaching practice that aims to make learning processes more explicit for students. It involves sharing three critical pieces of information with students: the purpose of the assignment, the task, and the criteria for success. By communicating how and why students are learning course content in certain ways, professors can provide a road map that helps students successfully meet expectations.
For example, when describing the purpose of an assignment, professors should explain why students are completing it and what knowledge and skills they will gain. They should also clarify how this knowledge and skill set are relevant and beneficial for the future. Explaining the steps to complete the assignment (the task) and providing examples of successful submissions (the criteria) are also key components of transparent assignment design. This helps students understand what a successful submission looks like and avoids the perception of there being only one "correct" way to complete the assignment.
Research shows that transparent assignment design benefits all student groups, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds, including non-white, low-income, and first-generation students. These students often face additional challenges in navigating college success strategies, and transparent assignment design can help demystify the learning process. Additionally, transparent assignment design can increase students' academic confidence, sense of belonging, and acquisition of valuable skills.
To implement transparent assignment design, professors can start by identifying assignments that students are likely to need additional transparency with. Providing informative titles that preview the purpose of the assignment is also a helpful first step. By incorporating these practices, professors can increase students' understanding of course expectations and improve their chances of success.
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Professors should experiment with different teaching styles and strategies for engaging students
University professors should strive to help their students, but the nature of this help depends on the context. Students are expected to be more independent and responsible for their learning compared to high school. However, professors can still provide essential support and guidance to enhance their students' academic experience.
One way professors can effectively help students is by experimenting with different teaching styles and strategies to improve student engagement. A recent survey found that half of the student respondents believed they would benefit academically if professors varied their teaching approaches. This is especially important given the diverse learning abilities and needs of students in today's classrooms.
Professors should be open to trying new teaching strategies and adapting their methods to suit their students' needs. For example, the demonstrator teaching style involves professors demonstrating concepts or skills and then encouraging students to apply what they've learned through experiments or activities. This style promotes active learning and allows professors to cater to different learning styles.
Additionally, reciprocal questioning is a strategy where students are asked to create questions (with answers) based on a recent lesson and then quiz their peers. This technique improves knowledge retention and helps students develop critical thinking skills. Professors can also incorporate breaks during lessons to allow students time to discuss, ask questions, or solve problems, promoting active engagement with the material.
It is important for professors to be flexible and adaptable in their teaching approaches, ensuring that their methods align with the curriculum and their students' learning objectives. By experimenting with different teaching styles and strategies, professors can enhance student engagement and create a more inclusive and effective learning environment.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, university professors are supposed to help their students. However, students are also expected to be independent and responsible for their learning.
University professors can help students by being flexible with deadlines, providing transparent assignment criteria, and increasing mental health awareness.
University professors can engage with their students by experimenting with different teaching styles, creating a relaxed learning environment, and building relationships with their students.
Students who connect with their university professors can benefit from mentorship, career guidance, and strong letters of recommendation.
