Office of Curriculum and Instructional Support Blog

Author: Dr. Sarah Learman, Teaching and Learning Consultant, Office of Curriculum and Instructional Support

After teaching in so many different modes and spaces these past few years, the time has come for us to go back to our face-to-face/on-campus classrooms again. But the word “back” doesn’t quite fit here, does it? “Back” implies that things will return to “normal” as they were before the pandemic, before remote instruction and hybrid learning monopolized our educational lexicon.

Recognizing the more visible differences between our past and what we’ll face in the fall is (hopefully) fairly straightforward. However, subtle distinctions present more of a challenge. From what “effective” teaching looks like now (which of our practices can we carry forward, which should we leave in the past?), the interactions we’ll have with our new(est) learners, to managing our expectations of them and addressing their expectations of us, how can we begin to prepare?

If not “back”, where? And how do we get there? Over our next 2 newsletters, we’ll discuss the discomfort we feel when we think about the upcoming fall semester. To ease us forward, we must acknowledge and empower our own resilience, confidently address the scattered responsibilities, mismatched expectations, and trending disengagement we’ve recently observed, and we’ll identify some practical steps for purposeful teaching preparation.

 

Expectations are the Antidote

In this series, we’re exploring how to approach heading back into our classrooms. Our last blog post looked at what resilience means and what it doesn’t mean. Next, we’ll adopt a resilience mindset as we discuss expectations as the antidote to disarray in our courses and how focusing on expectations can help us all transition “back” to in-person learning.

 

Where are we?

How can we talk about going “back” without knowing where we are? It’s been a long few years; we’ve been all over the place, both cognitively and physically. Instructors are overwhelmed and frustrated, students are more distracted and disengaged than ever, and we’re all burned out (Ali, 2020; McMurtrie, 2022; Schabram and Heng, 2021). More often than not, it seems like students are speaking one language and instructors are speaking another; we just aren’t on the same page. To bridge this gap between where we are, where our students are, and where we all want to be, we must target this disconnect.

 

Where are our students?

Globally the population of students seeking undergraduate degrees is more diverse, with needs and expectations that vary more than ever (Bierer, 2021; Lumina Foundation, 2020; Malesic, 2022; McMurtrie, 2022; Mintz, 2020). For example, many of our current students began their college careers during the pandemic and have been remote/bimodal only. As a result, many are entering our learning spaces (regardless of the course modality they signed up for) assuming and expecting extreme flexibility, access to lecture recordings, unregulated absence accommodations, and more. Additionally, the external stressors, responsibilities, and pressures facing our students outside of school (such as illnesses, economic struggles, etc.) (and the learning disruptions they cause) are taking a serious toll on our students’ cognitive capacity and mental health. In our classes, this presents as inconsistent attendance, incomplete/missing coursework, and a general lack of communication with their instructors. One CMU faculty observed this trend last semester:

 

“They [the students] disappear from class for chunks of time with no communication; they may or may not be using the materials that we provide for catching up and supporting their learning outside of ‘class time’. It’s like they’ve forgotten how to be students, or maybe they never learned in the first place?” (personal communication, May, 2022).

 

This phenomenon isn’t just limited to CMU, however, instructors around the country are facing similar frustrations (Ali, 2020; Malesic, 2022; McMurtrie, 2022; Mintz, 2020; Schabram and Heng, 2021).

 

“Far fewer students show up to class. Those who do, avoid speaking when possible. Many skip the readings or the homework. They have trouble remembering what they learned and struggle on tests… Do students actually want to be in college? Had they gotten so used to online teaching that simply leaving their dorm rooms seems too hard right now? Did the accommodations that grew out of the pandemic — including flexible attendance policies and fluid deadlines — foster a belief that they could catch up later, but they don’t? Or is it that the world itself feels so out of control that students find it hard to care about their classes?” (McMurtrie, 2022).

 

Our initial response to such frustrations has been entirely natural, but as we look toward re-entering our classrooms this fall, we must let go of our assumptions and recognize that these disconnected behaviors don’t stem from laziness or apathy but because students are anxious and burned out. They lack the cognitive and emotional capacity to juggle everything, let alone talk to their professors about it (McMurtrie, 2022).

 

To Bridge the Gap: It’s All About Expectations

As we return to our classroom learning spaces, we face some important questions: what is our responsibility as teachers, and what is reasonable to expect from the students? The answer? The most powerful strategy we have as instructors are clearly communicating expectations.

 

To ameliorate the disconnect, mitigate these frustrating behaviors, and create a learning environment with synergy, collaboration, and mutual appreciation for what each stakeholder brings to the classroom, aligned, clear expectations are key. Why? Misaligned expectations directly result in dissatisfaction both inside and outside of our classrooms. When both student and instructor expectations are aligned, and both parties are invested in the course and “on the same page,” the experience tends to be less taxing (for both) and more conducive to learning (Wong and Chapman, 2022).

 

Taking Action: Implementing Strong Classroom Expectations

Here are some strategies and resources to help strengthen this area of your course prep.

 

1. Identify and communicate priorities and consequences.

   The first thing to do as you start preparing to support and teach your students this fall is to identify the priorities and expectations you are bringing to the classroom. Reflect on what is important to you and what you are willing to troubleshoot to prevent the issues you’ve run into lately. Think about your day-to-day: attendance and participation, communication requirements, out-of-class work, assignment logistics, and quality. Consider how you’d like all these things to work and what you’d like to see from your students.

    

   Next, when managing a functional and respectful classroom in any modality, stating our expectations with students, in writing and verbally, as early in the course and as transparently as possible is imperative. Share your expectations (with plenty of reminders) for all aspects of your course, from class preparation, academic integrity, to email etiquette, etc. If you have expectations for what students should do if they miss class, tell them. If you expect students to take notes and actively participate during class time, tell them. Weave these expectations (as clearly as possible) into your course materials (e.g., your syllabus).

    

   As many of us have experienced, simply stating our expectations sometimes isn’t enough. It’s also important to tell our students what the consequences are when these expectations are not met (deductions, etc.). So often, we assume that students will make these connections and deduce this information (and that they’ll remember your course policies), but this isn’t our reality. Eliminate ambiguity and take the guesswork out for the students so that they know what your expectations are and what the consequences will be if those expectations are not met.

 

2. Provide rationale.

   As we communicate our expectations (and the associated consequences), sharing our rationale is highly beneficial. The “why” you are doing things the way you are, the reasons you have these expectations, and how following these will ultimately benefit the students. For example, along with telling the students what you expect in class attendance, you might also share why coming to class is important. The better students understand your course policies, the more likely they will adhere to them. This may be as simple as stating: “this assignment will help you to…”, “here’s why completing this assignment individually (and not in groups) is better for your learning…”, “if you are absent for more than 1 class, you’ll need to contact me because…”, “in-person attendance is required because it is vital for your learning and success in this course…”, or perhaps “students should actively take notes during class, this is valuable for your learning because…”.

    

   Sharing the rationale for various decisions or components of your course can bring attention to the gaps in student preparedness (perhaps they don’t know they should reach out to their professors when they miss class) and helps students trust the process more. Note: this isn’t justifying your approach; it’s simply communicating to the students any information they may not know (or need to hear again). It also shows students that you have a plan, that your policies are in place to support their success, and ultimately helps to gain buy-in.

 

3. Involve Students in your Process.

   How might you identify and guide student expectations? Consider asking them. Involving students in developing and modeling your expectations can range from soliciting input from them directly, answering any questions they may have about your existing policies, to developing the course expectations together. Set aside some time (<10 minutes) to talk with students about where they are and what they think the learning experience will (or should) be. As with providing a rationale for our expectations (see above), bringing students into this conversation gives them autonomy, a sense of inclusion, and investment in their learning. It tells your students that you respect and value them as people and stakeholders in the experience you create for them.

 

4. Help students to be responsible.

   We may not always understand the actions or motivations of our students, but recognizing what could help them to meet your expectations might allow us to frame policies that students understand, appreciate, and respect. We have a unique opportunity to guide students toward being responsible for themselves, their actions, and their learning. Students are entering our classrooms without a sense of responsibility for their learning. Our pleas for follow-through are met with excuse after excuse. It’s no wonder that we often find ourselves frustrated that our students aren’t cognitively connected or invested in completing the coursework we create for them. To help students in this regard, to maintain our expectations and position them to succeed, we must support our students in developing these skills and structure accountability into our course.

 

In the article, Helping Students Be Responsible, Ogletree and Alford (2022) suggest structuring our expectations into multiple elements of our course and reminding students multiple times (and in multiple ways) throughout the semester. They also recommend communicating with your students about (and non-judgmentally helping them navigate) their deficiencies. Acknowledge the areas where students struggle (e.g., submitting work on time), help them recognize that they need help in these areas, and emphasize the value that comes from developing these skills.

 

“We sometimes assume that students know how to be successful; however, many do not. Some students have never been taught how to take notes in class, organize their academic calendars, or study effectively for an exam. Students may need to be taught how to create a homework schedule, organize their day, make a to-do list, or set calendar alerts to remind themselves of upcoming due dates. Short how-to videos recorded by professors or teaching assistants can be reused and widely distributed—assisting students and saving valuable faculty time…Repetition can help students focus, which in turn can reduce student forgetfulness…We have an opportunity—and a responsibility—to place information where students will find it so they cannot miss it” (Ogletree and Alford, 2022).

 

Accountability is another important element here. If it is a priority for us, we must make it a priority for our students, and the most straightforward way is through their grades. For example, requiring student engagement during class (with assessed contributions) is an efficient way to solicit participation. How you’d like them to participate would depend on instructor preference and course modality. For example, you might prefer students to contribute to discussions orally rather than using a text/chat interface. Either way, our current students will likely need regular reminders of this; they’ll need to know what you expect so that they can meet the bar.

 

In summary: clear expectations are a powerful antidote to student disconnect. To promote student engagement, connectedness, and responsibility, you must first identify your expectations, weave them into your course, and communicate them to your students, early, clearly, and often.

 

Feeling overwhelmed? Not sure where you’d begin applying all this to your course? Outsource where you can, use your resources, and ask for help. Contact the Office of Curriculum and Instructional Support, explore teaching and learning resources and our learning collection of on-demand materials, or consider scheduling a consultation.

 

Be sure to look for our next and final article in this series, “Falling Back Into Our Classrooms: Practical Applications to Start Moving Forward“. Here we’ll put these topics into practice as we offer more practical strategies to support your fall course prep. We’ll also share some more valuable resources to support you in this endeavor.

 

References:

Ali, S. S. (2020, October 18). Educators teaching online and in person at the same time feel burned out. NBCNews.com. Retrieved June 28, 2022, from https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/educators-teaching-online-person-same-time-feel-burned-out-n1243296

Bierer, L. S. (2021, February 14). This year’s college freshmen see the last mindset list from Beloit. College Admissions Strategies This year’s college freshmen see the last Mindset List from Beloit. Retrieved June 28, 2022, from https://collegeadmissionsstrategies.com/this-years-college-freshmen-see-the-last-mindset-list-from-beloit/

Glazier, R. A., Wilson-Bates, T., Croyle, K., Isaacs, E., Hernandez, E. M., & Green, N. (2022, June 14). Advice: How to solve the student-disengagement crisis. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved June 28, 2022, from https://www.chronicle.com/article/how-to-solve-the-student-disengagement-crisis

Malesic, J. (2022, May 13). My college students are not OK. The New York Times. Retrieved June 28, 2022, from https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/13/opinion/college-university-remote-pandemic.html

McMurtrie, B. (2022, June 14). A ‘stunning’ level of student disconnection. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved June 28, 2022, from https://www.chronicle.com/article/a-stunning-level-of-student-disconnection?cid2=gen_login_refresh&cid=gen_sign_in

Mintz, S. (2020, September 8). Who are our students? Inside higher ed . Retrieved June 28, 2022, from https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/higher-ed-gamma/who-are-our-students-0

Ogletree, M. D., & Alford, K. L. (2022, June 7). Helping students be responsible. The Teaching Professor. Retrieved June 28, 2022, from https://www.teachingprofessor.com/topics/teaching-strategies/motivating-students/helping-students-be-responsible/?st=TPemail%3DTP220606%3Butm_term%3DTP220606&utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Moving%2BBeyond%2BStudent%2BEvaluations%2B%7C%2BHelping%2BStudents%2BBe%2BResponsible%2B%7C%2BKeeping%2BStudent%2BWork%2BOff%2BStudy%2BSites&utm_campaign=TPNL%2B-%2B220606%2Be1&vgo_ee=gDw9rJFwHOxEXdy7J6dLEFht4ik6P9xNvhsQ1FjqbGc%3D

Schabram, K., & Heng, Y. T. (2021, April 29). Educators and Students Are Burned Out. These Strategies Can Help. Harvard Business Publishing Education. Retrieved June 28, 2022, from https://hbsp.harvard.edu/inspiring-minds/educators-and-students-are-burned-out-these-strategies-can-help?cid=email%7Cmarketo%7C2022-06-07-the-faculty-lounge%7C1424822%7Cfaculty-lounge-newsletter%7Csl-you%7Cvarious%7Cjun2022&acctID=none&mkt_tok=ODU1LUFUWi

Today’s student. Lumina Foundation. (2020, March 31). Retrieved June 28, 2022, from https://www.luminafoundation.org/campaign/todays-student/

Wong, W. H., & Chapman, E. (2022, June 1). Student satisfaction and interaction in Higher Education. SpringerLink – Higher Education. Retrieved June 28, 2022, from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10734-022-00874-0