Interacting with Students
Building effective relationships with students that are based upon trust and respect is important to learning. Students need to learn about instructors and we need to learn about them. In the beginning of the semester, instructors should determine what relationship with students would be most effective. New (and even seasoned) instructors often struggle with striking a balance between asserting authority and commanding respect on the one hand, and being approachable on the other hand.
Those who decide to conduct class in a more formal way should be cautious about demeaning or alienating students. Students should be provided some forum or opportunity in which to ask questions (whether in class, during office hours, or online), and the instructor should respond to each student question or comment in a professional, constructive, and informative manner.
Those who decide to adopt a more relaxed approach toward their students still need to be cautious of alienating students—particularly shy students who may find a casual instructor even more difficult to approach. Again, students should be provided an opportunity to approach the instructor privately with questions and concerns. Avoiding any kind of personal criticism, in class or on written assignments, even in an attempt to be funny is imperative.
It is particularly easy for TAs, TFs, and new or transitional faculty to forget how much power they have over students because they often feel powerless themselves. An instructor’s feelings of powerlessness—and the insecurity they can generate—complicate the problem of authority in the classroom. No matter what role an instructor plays in the classroom, he or she must remember that students are the most vulnerable participants.
Another way to help maintain authority in the classroom—and to minimize grade disputes—is to make it clear to students that everyone is treated equally. Friendliness has its drawbacks. If some students perceive that an instructor is especially friendly to other members of the class, they are likely to assume that the instructor will not grade objectively. It is important to evaluate, establish, and maintain the social distance between the instructor and students carefully. The instructor should be equally friendly and accessible to all students.
An instructor should avoid becoming personally involved or conspicuously friendly with individual students. (Instructors are discouraged from asking students to babysit children, to take care of the house or family pets and/or to socialize outside the classroom.) All instructors need to be sensitive to the potential scenarios that would require charges of sexual harassment, as well as conflicts of interest, when developing personal relationships with students. The university has specific policies dealing with this and other related subjects.
See also “Sexual Harassment” in University Policies.