Tips for interacting with

learners in university courses

Course number: CFD-101
Instructor: Jane Smith
Department: Centre for Faculty Development
 Copyright. Centre for Faculty Development. 2018. All rights reserved.

NOTES
• Setup instructions for face-to-face classroom session:
- Have at least 3 to 5 learners seated at every table for the Group Discussion.
- Place 3 to 5 small sheets of paper at every table so that learners can write their
names on them.
- Have the learners write their names on the small sheet of paper so that they can
get to know and refer to each other by name.

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 Unit 1: Describe the importance of developing
positive interactions with your students
• The purpose of this unit is to introduce you to the importance of
developing positive interactions with your students in university courses.

NOTES
• Purpose of the unit: Although most of the learners have experience teaching
either in the continuing education or corporate setting, teaching at the university
setting is different.
• Examples of differences in teaching in a university setting: Larger classes
(approximately 50-100 students depending on the course), younger group of
learners, instructors do more than simply teach (Cotten & Wilson, 2006).

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 Objectives
• Define interaction
• Distinguish between positive and negative interactions
• Determine the factors that influence interactions
• Describe the impacts of interacting with students

NOTES
• Define interaction: The unit will provide a brief definition of the term “interaction”
• Distinguish between positive and negative interactions: The unit will describe the
different characteristics of positive and negative interactions.
• Determine the factors that influence interactions: The unit will discuss the factors
that influence interactions
• Describe the impacts of interacting with students: Finally, the unit will describe
the impacts of interacting with students.
• Image retrieved from: https://www.coursearc.com/converting-classroom-
content/#post/0

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 Administrivia
• 10-minute break at the end of the unit
• Restrooms are near the elevators
• Please have your cellphones turned off

NOTES
• 10-minute break at the end of the unit: No breaks during the unit. Ask learners to
remain seated until the end of the unit.
• Restrooms are near the elevators: Ask learners to go to the bathroom either
before or after the unit, as getting up from their seat during the lesson to go to the
bathroom can be distracting.
• Please have your cellphones turned off: Ask learners to turn their cellphones off
completely as it can be distracting they ring or vibrate during the lesson.

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 Opening activity: Group Discussion
• How would describe your interactions with your students based on
your teaching experiences?
• What made your interactions with your students work? What did not
work them work?

NOTES
• Setup instructions:
- Have the learners discuss the question above with the people seated at their
table.
- Give them around 10 minutes to discuss the questions as a group.
- After 10 minutes, debrief the activity by asking them to share their experiences
with the entire class. The debriefing should last approximately 5 minutes.
• Group discussion (Length: ~10 minutes): Describe your past interactions with your
students based on your experience. Think of some interactions that stood out to
you. What made your interactions with your students work? What did not work
make them work?
• Debriefing the group discussion (Length: ~5 minutes):
1. Ask learners to raise their hands to share their experiences. Due to brevity of
debriefing, have a minimum of 3 or 4 students share their experiences.
2. Anticipated responses:
- “I got along well with my students and still keep in touch with some of them to
this day”.
- “I once had a student question my teaching and my material”.
- “I got along with them okay. Nothing special.”

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 - “They only see me (and the course) as a means to an end”.
3. Ask them what made their interactions with their students work, and what
didn’t work.
4. Anticipated responses:
- What worked: “I took the time to get to know my students. I took the time to
learn their names. I always greeted them with a smile. I encouraged them to ask
questions and to come to me for help”.
- What didn’t work: “There was no time to get to know my students. We never
talked about anything other than the course. Some of my students felt that they
knew the material better than I did. Some of my students did not want to be in the
class but had to take it so that they could get the certificate or because they were
required to.”
• Learning points:
- Explain the purpose of the activity: To have them reflect on past experiences and
get them to think about what interaction means and the factors that influence the
quality of the interactions with their students.

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 Define Interaction
• Interaction as a “two-way, dialogic relationship” (“Staff-student
interaction”, n.d.)
• Forms of interaction

NOTES
• Define interaction: Interaction is a reciprocal process. Interaction is not only about
what the teacher knows but also how the teacher supports, guides, and provides
feedback based on what the student is doing (“Staff-student interaction”, n.d.)
• Forms of interaction: Can take place in person through office hours or online via
email. Other opportunities for student-teacher interactions: School clubs,
volunteer opportunities, and/or group gatherings (Pingree, n.d.).
• Image on slide: Example to show the reciprocal nature of the interaction between
the instructor and student as they appear to be engaged in a positive dialogue.
Image retrieved from https://www.cogbooks.com/2016/11/08/todays-non-
traditional-students-need-succeed/

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 Distinguish between positive and negative
interactions
• Characteristics of positive interaction
• Characteristics of negative interaction

NOTES
• Characteristics of positive interactions: Instructors who provide structure and
create a safe environment for students. Other characteristics include being
respectful, displaying a positive attitude in their teaching and, displaying an
interest in in students’ lives outside of the classroom (“How to develop positive
teacher-student relationships”, n.d.).
• Characteristics of negative interactions: Characterized by feelings of irritability,
and/or frustration towards students (Rimm-Kaufman & Sandilos, n.d.). Other
characteristics: Making students feel like they are “idiots” and displaying
hurriedness in body language (Cotten & Wilson, 2006, p. 15).
• Image on slide: Example of a positive interaction between the instructor and his
students, as evidenced by a smiling student in the background which may indicate
that he seems pleased. Also used as an example of an instructor displaying positive
attitude in teaching. Image retrieved from https://global.wfu.edu/global-
outreach/pre-college/explorer/why-wake-forest/

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 Determine the factors that influence
interactions
• Instructors’ attitudes towards students
• Instructors’ receptiveness
• Frequency of interactions
• Types of interactions

NOTES
• Instructors’ attitudes towards student: Students are more likely to approach an
instructor if they perceive the instructor to be approachable. Examples of ways for
instructors to be viewed as approachable: Display a sense of humor, share details
about personal life, actively encourage students, use interactive teaching styles
(Cotten & Wilson, 2006, p. 19; Schwartz, n.d.).
• Instructors’ receptiveness: Refers to students’ perception of whether or not the
instructor is interested in interacting with them (Cotten & Wilson, 2006). Students
may be hesitant to approach an instructor if they are unsure about the instructor’s
interacting with them (Cotten & Wilson, 2006).
• Frequency of interactions: Increased frequency of student-faculty interaction is
related to students satisfaction with academic and non-academic aspects of
college life (as cited in Endo & Harpel, 1982, p. 116).
• Types of interactions: Formal vs. informal interactions (Endo & Harpel, 1982)
- Formal interactions: Strictly professional and have to do with academic and
vocational topics (Endo & Harpel, 1982, p. 119-120)
- Informal interactions: Friendlier in nature, characterized by personal concern for
students’ overall growth and well-being (Endo & Harpel, 1982, p. 119-120)

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 Describe the impacts of interacting with
students
• Positive outcomes for students
• Positive outcomes for instructors

NOTES
• Positive outcomes for students: Positive interactions can result in increased
satisfaction with college experience, increased student satisfaction, increased
academic persistence and motivation (as cited in Baier & Smith, 2016; Cotten &
Wilson, 2006). May also result in student’s increased sense of community with the
institutions (Cotten & Wilson, 2006).
• Positive outcomes for instructors: Instructors can learn more about students’
experiences, which in turn can help them improve upon their teaching practices
(Richardson & Radloff, 2014)
• Image on slide: Example of individual experiencing positive outcome. Image
retrieved from http://www.quotemaster.org/positive+outcomes#&gid=1&pid=37

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 Summary
• Interaction as a reciprocal process
• Interactions can either be positive or negative
• Many factors influence student-instructor interactions
• Positives outcomes result from positive interactions with students

NOTES
• Interaction as a reciprocal process: Interaction is two-way, not just about the
instructor lecturing. The instructor should also provide feedback and guidance
based on what the student is doing.
• Interactions can either be positive or negative: Different characteristics for
positive and negative interactions.
- Examples of characteristics of positive interactions: Instructors who create a safe
environment for their students and are respectful towards them.
- Examples of characteristics of negative interactions: Instructors who display
annoyance and frustration with students.
• Many factors influence student-instructor interactions: Include instructors’
attitudes towards students, instructors’ receptiveness to interact with students,
the frequency of the interactions, the types of interactions (formal vs. informal).
- Formal interactions (based on Endo & Harpel, 1982): Have to do with academic
and vocational topics.
- Informal interactions (based on Endo & Harpel, 1982): Instructors display concern
for students’ overall well-being.

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• Positive outcomes result from positive interactions with students: Students and
instructors mutually benefit from positive interactions with one another.
- Examples of benefit to students: Increased satisfaction with college experience,
increased motivation and academic persistence.
- Example of benefit to instructor: Can improve their teaching practices based on
what they learn from students’ learning experiences.

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 Assessment
• Why is it important to develop positive interactions with students?
Select the best possible answer from the following:

A) To help students feel more confident in their academic abilities.

B) Because it will make for a better student experience.

C) Because teachers and students can mutually benefit from positive

interactions.

NOTES
• Setup instructions:
- This assessment is to be conducted as a larger group.
- Give the learners at least 5 minutes to examine the question and the options.
- Ask the learners to raise their hands to select the best possible answer.
- Have at least 3 learners try to answer the question if they raise their hands.
• Anticipated problems:
- If no one raises their hands to try to answer the question, move on to the
debriefing slide on slide 12.

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 Debrief of assessment
• Why is it important to develop positive interactions with students?
Select the best possible answer from the following:

A) To help students feel more confident in their academic abilities.

B) Because it will make for a better student experience.

C) Because teachers and students can mutually benefit from positive

interactions.

NOTES
• The bolded response is the correct response. Explain why the first two responses
are incorrect and why the last one is the correct one.
A) To help students feel more confident in their academic abilities: Incorrect.
While instructors can help students feel more confident in their academic abilities
by being approachable, respectful, and available (Komarraju, Musulkin, &
Bhattarya, 2010), these are factors that have to do more with a instructor’s
attitudes towards the student.
B) Because it will make for a better student experience: Incorrect.
While developing positive interactions with students can result in a student’s
increased satisfaction with their college experience (Cotten & Wilson, 2006) , it is
only one of the many benefits that students can gain out of positive interactions
with instructors. Since interaction is defined as reciprocal process, what do
instructors can out of these positive interactions?
C) Because teachers and students can mutually benefit from positive interactions:
Correct.
Teachers and students can mutually benefit from interactions, especially from
frequent interactions, because students can benefit from higher levels of
engagement and satisfaction, whereas teachers can benefit from learning more

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about student experiences in order to improve their teaching practices
(Richardson & Radloff, 2014).

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 Related training programs and other resources
• Related training program offered: Handling 1:1 meetings with
students
• Other resources
- Astin, A. W. (1993). What matters in college? Four critical years
revisited. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
- Chickering, A.W., & Gamson, Z. F. (1987). Seven principles for good
practice in undergraduate education. AAHEA Bulletin, 39(7), 3-7.
Retrieved from
https://www.aahea.org/articles/sevenprinciples1987.htm

NOTES
• Related training programs offered: If learners are interested in learning more
about how to develop positive interactions with students, the course “Handling 1:1
meetings with students” goes into more depth as it addresses 1-on-1 interactions
with a student.
• Other resources: These are additional readings that the learners can refer to if
they want to learn about developing positive interactions with students.

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References
• Baier, K., & Smith, K. (2016). Student-faculty interaction matters, but
what matters for student-faculty interaction. Retrieved from
https://collegiateway.wordpress.com/2016/08/27/student-faculty-
interaction-matters-but-what-matters-for-student-faculty-interaction/
• Cotten, S. R., & Wilson, B. (2006). Student–faculty interactions:
Dynamics and determinants. Higher Education, 51(4), 487-519. DOI
10.1007/s10734-004-1705-4
• Endo, J. J., & Harpel, R. L. (1982). The effect of student-faculty
interaction on students educational outcomes. Research in Higher
Education, 16(2), 115-138. Retrieved from
http://www.jstor.org/stable/40195453

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References
• How to develop positive teacher-student relationships. (n.d.).
Retrieved from https://www.tsc.nsw.edu.au/tscnews/how-to-
develop-positive-teacher-student-relationships
• Komarraju, M., Musulkin, S., & Bhattarya, G. (2010). Role of student-
faculty interactions in developing college students’ academic self-
concept, motivation, and achievement. Journal of College Student
Development, 51(3), 332-342. doi:10.1353/csd.0.0137
• Pingree, A. (n.d.). Encouraged student-faculty interaction outside of
class. Retrieved from http://www.ideaedu.org/Resources-
Events/Teaching-Learning-Resources/Encouraged-student-faculty-
interaction-outside-of-class#133358-classroom-application

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References
• Richardson, S., & Radloff, A. (2014). Allies in learning: critical insights
into the importance of staff–student interactions in university
education. Teaching in Higher Education, 19(6), 603-615.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2014.901960
• Rimm-Kaufman, S. (n.d.). Improving students’ relationship with
teachers to provide essential supports for learning. Retrieved from
https://www.apa.org/education/k12/relationships.aspx
• Schwartz, M. (n.d.). Increasing faculty-student engagement. Retrieved
from
https://www.ryerson.ca/content/dam/lt/resources/handouts/Faculty
StudentEngagement.pdf

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References
• Staff-student interaction. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://blogs.shu.ac.uk/engagement/enhancing-
practice/facets/facets-of-learner-engagement-staff-student-
interaction/?doing_wp_cron=1540275330.017141103744506835937
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