Social Connection

Build a welcoming environment by creating opportunities for connection with you and their peers.

Course Design

• Create opportunities for students to collaborate. When you do, provide structure for students to work together effectively and in a way that promotes inclusion. (Some resources for common group work issues and cooperative learning groups.
• When supporting the meaningful inclusion of Indigenous knowledge(s) in pedagogy and practices, consider using resources such as the Indigenous Wholistic Framework (Pidgeon, 2016). Acknowledge the role of kinship between a community of scholars, and respect inquiry-based learning between all levels of being (mental, emotional, spiritual and physical).
• Consider ways in which students can share their perspectives and/or be responsible for contributing to course content, such as posing questions for discussion or giving presentations.
• Increase student choice by allowing students to decide about assignment topics, formats, etc. (Darby, 2020).

Syllabus

• Include information both about what you expect from students and what students can expect from you. Example: If you list an expectation that students read material before class or lab, also state how much reading they can expect, when the readings will be made available and where they can be found (e.g., textbook, lab manual, Moodle).
• Provide learner-centred rationales for course design and policies. Example: In a description of weekly quizzes, include a sentence on how they will help students prepare for other assessments.
• Use words and phrases that invoke community, such as “we” and “us,” instead of impersonal words like “students.” Example: “In this course, we’ll explore these questions as we work through…”
• Include a land acknowledgement as part of our Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) reconciliation efforts
• Encourage students to attend office hours by letting them know the variety of reasons someone might come to office hours and what they can expect to happen there. Consider offering virtual office hours for all of your classes. If you are teaching online, you might schedule virtual office hours right after a synchronous online class or activity.
• Consider adding the template language from UPEI Accessibility Services about accommodations and a land acknowledgment.

Adaptations for Large Classes

• Use educational technologies to help you scale-up collaborative learning activities, learn about your students, do welcome rituals, and check in throughout the semester.
• Learn as many student names as you can and use name tents so that you can call on all students by name.
• Move from the front of the room to walk among the students when possible (e.g., before class starts, during activities).
• Leverage the affordances of digital technology to support students and build community For example: Offer a backchannel chat even in-person classes.
• Consider how your teaching assistants or assistants in instruction can support building community. They can learn the names of smaller groups of students, meet with students, summarize responses to student surveys or reflections, and check in with students during activities.

Read this article for additional ideas or another recent article from University Affairs.  Finally, here’s an interesting article on ways to check in with students: https://teaching.berkeley.edu/news/spotlight-teaching-and-learning-mid-semester-check

First Days and Weeks

• Sending a “welcome to the class/lab/rotation” email or webpage before the semester begins with an overview of your course, lab, or rotation, important information to help students become familiar with aspects of the learning environment (e.g., Moodle, lab details, etc.) and possibly a short welcome video introducing yourself can start building connections early.
• Ask students what their preferred name/nickname is and use it when you are interacting with them.
• Start learning the names of your students and help them to learn each other’s, including pronunciation. Do your best to learn some, even if you can’t learn all names. We’re all tempted by the path of least resistance, think of how it must feel for students from different backgrounds to have a professor who knows the names of all the students who share their language/ethnicity/cultural background, but no one else’s – spend extra time on the difficult names. It’s also easier to learn the names of the students who are outgoing and interact with you during class – take time to learn names of your quieter students. You can get assistance in learning how to pronounce names in advance by using pronouncing sites such as names.org.
• Share your personal pronouns and invite students to do so if they are comfortable.
• If someone is misgendered in class, unless you know that information confidentially, politely provide a correction.
• Share about yourself. Some examples could include: Personal connections to the course material, what you like most about teaching, non-academic information (e.g., hobbies).
• Help students overcome discomfort with office hours. Consider offering some online options for office hours. Let students know in advance what it will be like so that they feel comfortable.
• Use a brief survey or activity to learn about your students. Considerations to keep in mind include asking only for information that you need to avoid privacy violations, make the survey voluntary and/or anonymous to protect student’s privacy, write questions that all students would have an answer to, ask for information that students will feel comfortable sharing and leave it open enough that students aren’t required to share things they don’t want to. Potential questions might be 
  • What is a strength you bring to class—things you do well or unique perspectives?
  • What are you nervous or concerned about in this course this semester?
  • What are some things that I as the instructor can do to support your learning?
  • How can this course support your future learning, professional work, or personal growth?

Throughout the Semester

• Incorporate “welcome rituals” at the start of each class.
• Greet students.
• Have informal conversations before class.
• Ask students how they are doing.
• Play music before class. Allow students to choose the tunes.
• Start with a brief reflective writing assignment and/or peer conversations.
• Have students go over homework in groups.
• Start class by letting students share one WOW (something good that happened recently) or POW (something disappointing that happened recently).
• Show an interest in student learning. For example, at the end of class ask students to turn in brief responses to reflective questions such as, “What was the most important point from today’s class?” or “What is something from this unit that you are interested in learning more about?” Next class, mention a few common themes that students wrote about on these “exit tickets”. Make sure you clearly communicate how students should turn these exit tickets in (e.g.,email, online forum, hand written, etc.).
• Use Collins (2003) “Giving a hand” approach (acknowledgement, recognition, application, achievement and matching) as one way to let your students know that they are well-supported. For an example of how this was used in a fully online class see Robertson et al., (2021).
• Carefully consider how you structure groups for group work activities. Many instructors increase intra-group diversity by assigning minority/underrepresented students (e.g., gender, race) into different groups, without considering the ways that this can be counterproductive and very uncomfortable for individuals (e.g., a single female student in an otherwise all-male group).

Especially for Graduate Students

• Consider bringing together a group of graduate students to create a cohort and provide an opportunity for peer support and accountability. This acknowledges that informal friend groups may exclude some students.
• Initiate conversation about expectations early in your student’s graduate education, and revisit these expectations as they evolve.
• Be mindful that students from underrepresented groups may be experiencing microaggressions or exclusion and can benefit from faculty support.
• Provide access to regular meetings with your graduate students and be responsive at other times. Arrange for substitute supervision if you are unavailable for an extended period of time.

Supporting Social Connection Beyond Classes

While it is important to build social connections in our learning environments, we can support opportunities that extend across campus. The Campus Life Program through Student Affairs is one example that we have at UPEI. The UPEI Student Union also has a wide range of clubs and societies which students can join. Domestic and international students can also participate in the International Buddy Program. The Chaplaincy Centre also offers opportunities for social connection through the Soup for the Soul lunches during the semester and the Exam Chill and Dahl meals served to students by instructors and staff during exams. During the growing season, the St. Dunstan’s gardens beside Memorial Hall are another place where social connections can grow. The Mawi’omi Centre offers a range of opportunities for students to connect and also learn about Mi’kmaq culture. Don’t forget the program specific traditions that build connections such as the Blue Ceremony for incoming AVC students, the Christmas family fundraiser in the Faculty of Science, attending performances in Steel Recital hall or the new Performing Arts space, contributing to the Arts Review, etc.