Student/Faculty Interaction

Presenter: Dr. Steady Moono Dean of Student Success Montgomery County Community College

Seven Principles of Good Practice in Undergraduate Education:

Encourage contact between students and faculty Develop reciprocity and cooperation among students Encourage active learning Give prompt feedback Emphasize time on task Communicate high expectations

Seven Principles (Contd)

Respect Diverse talents and ways of knowing

_________________________________ __Chickering & Gamson (1987)

A Case for Student/Faculty Interaction

Frequent student-faculty interaction can: Enhance students motivation, involvement, and intellectual commitment Encourage them to think about their own values and future plans Caution:

It is the quality of the contact not the quantity that matters

 when faculty show an interest in students, get to know them through informal as well as formal channels, engage in conversations with them, (and) show interest in their intellectual development, then students respond with enthusiasm and engagement
Cross argues that

What Do Students Think?

35.6% of entering first-year students estimated chances were very good that they would communicate regularly with professors

__________________________________ Sax and others (2002)

What is Students greatest fear when interacting with Professors?

Students fear appearing unintelligent when interacting with their professors

What do students hope to get out of a new course?

Details vary, but the most common hope students express is that each class, by its end will help them become a slightly different person in some way.

This hope transcends the subject matter of a class, or a students background, or even whether the student is a wise old senior or an incoming freshman.

The Most Memorable Class

Anne Clark in her research asked undergraduate students about their most memorable class;

-Almost each one of them described a class in which their professor got to know them.

Student-Faculty Interaction

Building relationships (know students by name, seek informal contact with them) Discussing career plans Joint project work or committee Discussing ideas outside of class

Student-Faculty Interaction (cont.)

Event & Activity Spectatorship & Participation Student Organization & Project Advising Community Service Intramural Athletics

Effective Academic Advising

Good advising may be the single most underestimated characteristic of a successful college experience Good advising ranks as # 1 challenge that both faculty and students identify (R. Light,
2000).

The Obvious Idea:

A great college experience depends upon human relationships One set of such relationships, should, ideally, develop between each student and one or several faculty members

Good Mentoring

Informal Personal Cross Divisional Instructs on life lessons Is usually non-academic

Faculty Who Make a Difference

Connecting Academic Ideas with Students Lives Engaging Students (even in large classes) Teaching students to think like professionals Encouraging Students to Disagree with the professor

Faculty Who Make a Difference (cont.)

Teaching the use of Evidence Not being predictable (Students honor

predictability in faculty members standards, but not dilemmas or controversies)

Integrating Ideas from other disciplines