How to Create Meaningful Feedback Students Will Read and Use

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Providing feedback can require a significant investment of an instructor’s time and attention. You read a student’s work carefully, evaluate it according to the assignment requirements, identify strengths and areas of needed development, and write comments intended to guide continued progress.

Then the student appears to make the same mistakes on the next assignment.

This can leave an instructor wondering whether the feedback was read, understood, or valued. Yet a lack of visible improvement does not necessarily mean the student ignored the feedback. The student may have read every comment and still felt uncertain about what it meant, which changes mattered most, or how to apply the guidance to future work.

Meaningful feedback must accomplish more than explaining why a student earned a particular grade. It should help the student recognize current progress, understand what requires further development, and determine what to do next.

For feedback to become part of the learning process, students need to be able to read it, understand it, and use it.

Feedback Is More Than a Response to Completed Work

Students often experience feedback as the final step in an assignment. They submit their work, receive a grade and comments, and then move immediately to the next task.

From an instructor’s perspective, however, feedback is intended to support continued development. It connects what the student has already completed with what the student may be capable of doing next.

This difference in perspective matters.

An instructor may write a detailed explanation of every problem in an assignment and believe the student now has everything needed to improve. The student may open the same feedback and see an overwhelming list of deficiencies attached to work that can no longer be changed.

If students perceive feedback only as justification for a grade, they may read it once and set it aside. If they understand feedback as guidance they can use, it becomes instruction.

Effective feedback helps students answer four important questions:

  • What did I do well?
  • What needs further development?
  • Why does this matter?
  • What should I do next?

When those answers are clear, students are better prepared to take an active role in their progress.

Why Students May Not Use the Feedback They Receive

It is easy to assume students are uninterested when their performance does not improve. There may be other explanations.

A student may not understand the terminology used in the comments. Another may recognize that something is wrong but not know how to correct it. A student who receives extensive criticism may not know which issue should be addressed first. Someone who worked hard on an assignment may interpret a low grade as evidence that effort will never be enough.

Students also enter a course with different levels of academic preparation, confidence, experience, and familiarity with instructor expectations. What seems like a straightforward direction to an instructor may be difficult for a student to translate into action.

For example, comments such as these may identify a concern without providing enough instructional guidance:

  • “Develop this further.”
  • “Needs more analysis.”
  • “Improve your organization.”
  • “Use stronger sources.”
  • “Be more specific.”

A student may agree with every comment and still not understand how to improve.

Meaningful feedback closes that gap. It does not complete the work for students, but it gives them a clearer pathway for developing the knowledge and skills the assignment was designed to measure.

Strategy One: Make Feedback Specific and Actionable

The first step in creating meaningful feedback is to describe what you observed and explain what the student can do with that information.

General praise may feel encouraging, but “Good job” does not tell a student what was effective. In the same way, “This needs work” identifies dissatisfaction without creating direction.

Specific feedback names the strength or concern.

Instead of writing:

“Your analysis needs further development.”

An instructor might explain:

“You have clearly described the leadership problem. The next step is to analyze why it occurred by connecting the leader’s actions with the course concept of psychological safety.”

The revised comment identifies what the student accomplished, what remains incomplete, and how the course material can be used to strengthen the analysis.

Actionable feedback may direct a student to:

  • Explain the reasoning behind a conclusion
  • Connect an example with a course concept
  • Compare alternative perspectives
  • Provide evidence for a claim
  • Clarify the purpose of a paragraph
  • Strengthen the organization of an argument
  • Apply a concept within a realistic situation
  • Review a particular resource before the next assignment

The goal is not to prescribe every sentence the student should write. The goal is to make the next developmental step visible.

It is also helpful to prioritize the feedback. If an assignment contains numerous problems, commenting on every one can cause the student to lose sight of what matters most.

Identify the one or two areas likely to make the greatest difference in the student’s continued progress. Additional concerns can still be noted, but students should be able to distinguish primary developmental priorities from smaller corrections.

A focused direction is more useful than an exhaustive inventory of everything that could be improved.

Strategy Two: Help Students Recognize Their Strengths

Meaningful feedback should not focus exclusively on deficiencies.

Students need to understand what they are already doing effectively so they can repeat, refine, and build upon those behaviors. A statement such as “Your introduction is strong” is encouraging, but it becomes more instructive when the instructor explains why it is strong.

For example:

“Your introduction establishes the organizational problem clearly and gives the reader a reason to continue. You can create the same clarity in the next section by opening with the primary issue you intend to analyze.”

This comment does more than offer praise. It identifies an effective skill and shows the student how to transfer it to another part of the assignment.

Strength-based feedback does not mean avoiding difficult messages, inflating praise, or overlooking problems. It means beginning with an accurate view of the student’s current capabilities.

When instructors identify genuine strengths, they communicate an important message:

You have already demonstrated part of what you need. Now let us build from there.

This can be especially important for students who are struggling or losing confidence. If every comment points only to failure, students may conclude they are incapable of meeting expectations. When feedback shows both existing progress and needed development, improvement can feel possible.

An instructor’s beliefs about students are often revealed through word choice.

Compare these two statements:

“You failed to support your argument.”

“You have presented a clear position. To make the argument convincing, add evidence from the course resources and explain how that evidence supports your conclusion.”

Both address the same concern. The second response treats the student as someone capable of continued development and provides a practical direction for achieving it.

The purpose is not to soften academic standards. It is to communicate those standards in a way that supports learning.

Strategy Three: Invite Reflection and Dialogue

Feedback becomes more meaningful when students are encouraged to think about it rather than receive it passively.

A reflective question can help a student examine a decision, reconsider an assumption, or recognize a gap in the work.

Questions might include:

  • What evidence most strongly supports your conclusion?
  • Which course concept could help explain this situation?
  • How might another stakeholder interpret the same problem?
  • What would change if one of your assumptions proved incorrect?
  • Which part of this assignment was most challenging for you?
  • If you revised this section, what would you approach differently?
  • Which aspect of the feedback will you apply to your next assignment?

The purpose of these questions is not to create additional work without a clear reason. They should prompt thought connected to the assignment, the course outcomes, or the student’s continued development.

Questions can also open a dialogue.

A student may need clarification about a comment, reassurance about progress, or help understanding how to begin. Students are more likely to ask for assistance when an instructor’s language communicates openness rather than final judgment.

An instructor might conclude the feedback with an invitation such as:

“As you prepare for the next assignment, please let me know if you would like to discuss how to strengthen the connection between your evidence and conclusions.”

This gives the student a specific reason to make contact. It is more useful than a general statement such as “Let me know if you have questions,” especially when the student does not yet know what question to ask.

Dialogue can occur through written comments, announcements, messages, office hours, video conferences, or other communication methods available within the course. The format matters less than the student’s understanding that feedback is part of an ongoing instructional relationship.

Strategy Four: Create an Opportunity to Apply the Feedback

Students are most likely to recognize the value of feedback when they have a meaningful opportunity to use it.

If one assignment ends and the next requires entirely different knowledge and skills, even excellent feedback may never be applied. Feedback should therefore create a bridge to future learning whenever possible.

An instructor can establish that bridge by:

  • Connecting comments with the next assignment
  • Asking students to revise a selected section
  • Allowing drafts or staged submissions
  • Requiring a brief reflection about how prior feedback was applied
  • Identifying a skill that will be evaluated again
  • Providing an example or resource for continued practice
  • Following up when a recurring problem affects the student’s progress

For example:

“In your next assignment, you will again be asked to evaluate alternative solutions. Before submitting it, review each option and explain both its potential benefit and its possible limitation.”

This comment gives the feedback a destination. The student knows where and how it can be used.

Follow-through is especially important when a student continues to struggle.

Repeated mistakes may indicate that the student did not understand the earlier feedback, could not translate it into action, or needs a different form of explanation. Repeating the same comment may not resolve the problem.

At that point, an instructor might send a brief message, recommend a specific resource, or invite the student to an individual meeting. The purpose is not to pursue students indefinitely or assume responsibility for every decision they make. It is to ensure that students have a reasonable opportunity to understand the expectations and receive appropriate instructional support.

A short conversation can sometimes accomplish what several paragraphs of written feedback could not. During office hours or an individual video meeting, an instructor can ask the student to explain their current understanding, clarify the most important developmental need, and agree upon one practical next step.

This creates accountability for the student while maintaining instructor presence.

Make Feedback Manageable for Students—and Instructors

Creating meaningful feedback does not require writing several pages of commentary for every assignment.

More feedback is not automatically better feedback.

Lengthy narratives can overwhelm students, especially when every sentence presents another correction. They also create an unsustainable workload for instructors.

A manageable feedback process begins by identifying the purpose of the assignment and the most important evidence of learning. The instructor can then focus on comments that relate directly to those priorities.

Before providing feedback, consider:

  • What knowledge or skill was this assignment designed to develop?
  • What has the student demonstrated successfully?
  • What is the most important area of needed development?
  • What does the student need to understand about that concern?
  • Where will the student have an opportunity to apply the guidance?

Rubrics, comment libraries, and saved resources can help instructors work efficiently, but they should support—not replace—individualized instruction.

A reusable comment becomes meaningful when it is connected with something the student actually wrote or did. Without that connection, feedback can feel automated even when the information is technically accurate.

Students should be able to recognize that their work was read by an instructor who understood what they attempted to accomplish.

Use AI to Support Feedback—Without Replacing Instructor Judgment

Artificial intelligence can help instructors manage parts of the feedback process, especially when identifying patterns, organizing comments, refining clarity, or developing examples that explain a difficult concept in another way.

Yet AI-generated feedback should never be accepted and delivered without careful instructor review. A feedback tool does not fully understand the student, the instructional history behind the assignment, the context of the course, or the developmental priorities an instructor has observed over time.

When AI is used, the instructor remains responsible for ensuring that the feedback is:

  • Accurate and aligned with the assignment
  • Specific to the student’s actual work
  • Consistent with course expectations
  • Respectful and developmentally appropriate
  • Free from invented concerns or unsupported assumptions
  • Written in a voice that reflects genuine instructional presence
  • Used in accordance with institutional policies and student-privacy requirements

AI may help an instructor prepare feedback more efficiently, but efficiency should not make the feedback feel impersonal or automated. Students still need evidence that their work was read, their effort was considered, and their continued development matters.

The appropriate role of AI is to support the instructor’s thinking—not replace the professional judgment, human connection, and responsibility at the center of meaningful feedback.

Feedback Should Support Learning, Not Merely Defend a Grade

Grades report an outcome. Feedback should help students learn from it.

When feedback is used primarily to justify deductions, students are likely to focus on points lost. When it identifies strengths, explains developmental needs, invites reflection, and creates a pathway forward, students are more likely to see it as part of their education.

Not every student will respond visibly to every comment. An instructor cannot guarantee that students will read the feedback carefully or apply every recommendation. But instructors can create conditions that make engagement more likely.

Meaningful feedback is:

  • Clear enough to understand
  • Specific enough to be useful
  • Focused enough to remain manageable
  • Encouraging without avoiding needed correction
  • Connected to course expectations
  • Open to questions and dialogue
  • Directed toward future application

When students understand what they have accomplished and what they can do next, feedback becomes more than commentary attached to completed work. It becomes an expression of instructional presence and a bridge between current performance and future possibility.

The most effective feedback does not simply tell students where they fell short. It helps them recognize that continued development is possible—and shows them how to begin.

About Dr. Bruce A. Johnson

Dr. Bruce A. Johnson is an educator, curriculum leader, author, and faculty-development professional with more than three decades of experience teaching and training adults. Since entering the field of online education in 2005, he has served as an online instructor, faculty-development specialist, faculty director, faculty-development manager, dissertation chair, and curriculum leader.

Dr. J’s work focuses on instructional presence, meaningful student engagement, faculty development, adult learning, curriculum design, and the human connection at the center of education. He is the author of Getting Down to Business, Transform Adult Education, and Transform Online Teaching, along with more than 230 articles about higher education, online teaching, adult learning, and mindset development.

Explore Dr. J’s books, Articles, and An Inspired Educator Collections for additional teaching insights, professional resources, and meaningful products created for educators.

How to Engage Students in Meaningful Class Discussions

A meaningful class discussion should accomplish more than satisfying a participation requirement. It should help students examine ideas, connect course concepts with experience, consider different perspectives, and develop greater confidence in expressing what they understand.

Yet productive discussions do not happen simply because an instructor posts a question and students submit responses.

Students may answer the prompt without fully exploring it. They may summarize the course materials, repeat ideas already shared by classmates, or provide responses that appear complete but lack depth. When this occurs, the instructor’s participation can determine whether the discussion remains a collection of individual posts or develops into a meaningful learning experience.

This is why instructional presence matters.

Whether a discussion occurs in an online, hybrid, or traditional classroom, students need more than directions. They need an instructor who helps them interpret challenging concepts, recognize the value of their contributions, and continue thinking beyond their first response.

Meaningful Discussions Begin with Instructor Presence

An instructor sets the intellectual and interpersonal tone of a class discussion.

Students notice whether their instructor is genuinely interested in what they have written. They also notice whether instructor responses invite further thought or merely confirm that a requirement has been completed.

Instructional presence does not mean dominating the conversation, responding to every sentence, or providing the correct answer before students have an opportunity to think. It means participating with purpose.

A purposeful instructor response might:

  • Recognize an important idea within a student’s post
  • Clarify a difficult course concept
  • Connect two perspectives shared within the class
  • Introduce a relevant example
  • Encourage deeper analysis
  • Ask a question that moves the conversation forward
  • Help students understand how the topic applies beyond the classroom

The instructor’s role is not to become the center of every discussion. The goal is to create the conditions in which students can think more carefully, respond more confidently, and learn from one another.

Move Beyond Acknowledgment-Only Responses

Students certainly need to know their contributions have been read. However, acknowledgment by itself rarely creates an ongoing discussion.

A response such as “Great post” or “I agree with your perspective” may sound supportive, but it gives the student very little to consider. Even a lengthy instructor response can stop the conversation if it presents information without creating a reason for the student to return.

An effective response builds from something the student has already contributed.

For example:

“Your distinction between employee motivation and employee satisfaction raises an important point. How might a leader determine whether an employee’s performance concerns are related to motivation, workplace conditions, or a lack of appropriate resources?”

This response recognizes the student’s idea, connects it to the subject being studied, and provides a clear direction for continued thought.

Use ANCHORS to Guide Meaningful Discussions

To help instructors develop substantive and engaging responses, I created a process called ANCHORS.

ANCHORS is not intended to become a rigid script. An instructor does not need to force every element into every response. Instead, it provides a practical guide for deciding how to contribute when a discussion needs greater focus, depth, encouragement, or momentum.

Acknowledge the Student’s Contribution

Begin by identifying something specific the student has contributed.

Using the student’s name can make the response feel more personal, but the acknowledgment must extend beyond a greeting. Refer to an idea, example, question, or conclusion found within the post.

For example:

“Hello Jordan: Your observation about the relationship between communication and employee trust provides an important starting point for examining this situation.”

Specific acknowledgment demonstrates that the instructor has carefully read the response. It also tells the student which part of the post will become the focus of the conversation.

Nurture Continued Development

Students enter discussions with different levels of knowledge, confidence, experience, and academic preparation. An instructor can nurture their development by building from what they understand instead of beginning with what they missed.

This does not mean overlooking errors or avoiding constructive feedback. It means providing guidance in a way that keeps students intellectually and emotionally engaged.

For example:

“You have identified one important effect of organizational change. Let’s build from that point by considering how employees’ prior experiences with leadership might also influence their response.”

The student’s original contribution remains visible and valued while the instructor creates an opportunity for further development.

Cultivate Critical Thinking

Meaningful discussions should help students move beyond description and summary.

Instructors can cultivate critical thinking by asking students to examine assumptions, compare alternatives, consider consequences, support conclusions, or apply concepts within a realistic situation.

Questions might include:

  • What evidence supports your conclusion?
  • What alternative interpretation could be considered?
  • How might this situation look from another stakeholder’s perspective?
  • Under what circumstances might your proposed approach be ineffective?
  • How would you apply this concept within your current or future workplace?
  • What could be an unintended consequence of this decision?

The purpose is not to make the student defend every statement. It is to help the student discover that an initial answer can become the beginning of more complex thinking.

Highlight Important Course Connections

Students may understand part of a topic without recognizing how it connects to the week’s readings, learning outcomes, or larger course themes.

An instructor can strengthen the discussion by highlighting those connections.

For example:

“The concern you identified relates closely to this week’s concept of psychological safety. When employees believe they can raise questions without being punished or embarrassed, they may be more willing to participate in organizational change.”

This type of response helps students see that course concepts are not isolated terms to be memorized. They are tools for understanding problems, decisions, relationships, and experiences.

Organize the Response with a Clear Purpose

Instructor responses should not feel like spontaneous collections of unrelated observations. Before posting, determine what the response is intended to accomplish.

Does the student need encouragement? Clarification? A stronger connection to the course? A different perspective? A question that prompts application?

A well-organized response may follow this progression:

  1. Acknowledge a specific idea.
  2. Explain why the idea matters.
  3. Connect it with the course.
  4. Introduce a question or next step.

Not every response needs to be lengthy. A focused response containing one meaningful instructional purpose is more valuable than several paragraphs that overwhelm the student or bring the conversation to an end.

Reinforce Learning with Research or Relevant Resources

Instructors bring professional knowledge, academic preparation, and experience into the classroom. Strategic use of those resources can add depth and credibility to a discussion.

An instructor might introduce:

  • A brief example from professional experience
  • A relevant scholarly or professional source
  • A current organizational situation
  • A helpful model or framework
  • A connection with another course concept
  • A resource that clarifies a difficult point

Supplemental material should serve the discussion rather than redirect it. Students should understand why the resource matters and what they are being asked to consider.

Providing a link without context adds information. Explaining the relevance of the resource creates instruction.

Springboard the Conversation Forward

A meaningful instructor response should give students somewhere to go next.

A springboard may be a follow-up question, an application challenge, a comparison, or an invitation to reconsider the topic from another perspective.

For example:

“You have explained why communication is important during organizational change. If employees no longer trust the leadership team, what would leaders need to do before additional communication could become effective?”

This question does not merely ask the student to repeat the original response. It introduces a new condition that requires deeper analysis.

A strong springboard may also invite other students into the conversation:

“Jordan has raised an important concern about employee trust. What indicators might help a leader recognize that trust has become the primary obstacle to change?”

This helps transform an exchange between one instructor and one student into a broader intellectual conversation.

Make Meaningful Participation Manageable

Substantive discussion facilitation takes time, but meaningful presence does not require an instructor to write an essay in response to every student.

A more manageable approach is to prepare before the discussion begins.

Review the prompt and course materials, then identify:

  • Concepts students may find difficult
  • Common misunderstandings
  • Examples that could make the subject more relevant
  • Questions that encourage analysis and application
  • Resources that may strengthen the conversation

During the discussion, look for patterns. Several students may express similar ideas or struggle with the same concept. Instead of repeating the same response, the instructor can post a classwide message that acknowledges the pattern and invites everyone to explore it further.

Instructor participation can also vary according to student needs. One student may benefit from encouragement and clarification. Another may be ready for a question that challenges an assumption. A third may contribute an example that can open a valuable conversation for the entire class.

The goal is not identical responses. The goal is purposeful instruction.

Create a Community of Learners

Class discussions become meaningful when students recognize that their ideas matter, their instructor is present, and their classmates can contribute to their learning.

This sense of community develops through repeated instructional choices:

  • Responding with respect
  • Demonstrating genuine interest
  • Encouraging multiple perspectives
  • Connecting ideas across the class
  • Addressing confusion without embarrassment
  • Asking questions that promote continued thought
  • Helping students recognize their own intellectual progress

When instructors use discussions only to measure participation, students are likely to approach them as tasks to complete. When instructors use discussions as opportunities for guidance, exploration, and connection, students are more likely to approach them as part of the learning process.

The ANCHORS process provides a practical way to create that experience. It allows instructors to acknowledge, nurture, challenge, guide, and support students while keeping the conversation connected to the purpose of the course.

A class discussion becomes meaningful when it moves beyond the exchange of required posts and becomes a shared process of thinking and learning. Through purposeful instructional presence, an instructor can help a group of individual students develop into a community of learners engaged in thoughtful and relevant conversation.

About Dr. Bruce A. Johnson

Dr. Bruce A. Johnson is an educator, curriculum leader, author, and faculty-development professional with more than three decades of experience teaching and training adults. Since entering the field of online education in 2005, he has served as an online instructor, faculty-development specialist, faculty director, faculty-development manager, dissertation chair, and curriculum leader.

Dr. J’s work focuses on instructional presence, meaningful student engagement, faculty development, adult learning, curriculum design, and the human connection at the center of education. He is the author of  Getting Down to Business, Transform Adult Education, and Transform Online Teaching, along with more than 230 articles about higher education, online teaching, adult learning, and mindset development.

Explore Dr. J’s books, Articles, and An Inspired Educator Collections for additional teaching insights, professional resources, and meaningful products created for educators.

Show Appreciation for Your Students and Transform Learning

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The saying about perception becoming our reality is absolutely true and especially relevant for online students who cannot assess an instructor visually. Students rely primarily upon their perceptions to decide what the reality of an online class will be, and distance learning in general, whether or not those perceptions are completely accurate.

For example, if a student is focused on outcomes only, such as a grade for an assignment or the course itself, they are going to rely upon perceptual cues to determine if their instructor is making an accurate assessment. Those cues come from interactions and a perceived tone of every message or email received. If there is any sense of negativity or indifference to the needs of the student, the outcome received is going to be perceived as anything but authentic. This can also create a perception of what future classes may be like, as to a generalization of instructor attitudes.  

From my experience with online teaching, there are many ways you can describe the interactions between an instructor and their students. The most basic description is to refer to it as communication, with a sender and receiver attempting to accurately convey a message. Yet there is one type of interaction I found to be the most transformative of all, and it begins with some form of appreciation by the instructor for their students. What this does is take a form of communication, typically email or classroom messages, and transform it into a supportive interaction.

When I am able to extend some form of appreciation for my students, as a teaching strategy and overall disposition, I help create a different type of perception about instructors. This is especially important for entry-point doctoral classes I teach, as I want to establish a supportive tone to help students and be a positive representative of the school in general. Developing this attitude of appreciation has been a product of time and my own doctoral research. What I’ll share are methods you can use to incorporate appreciation as a general teaching strategy, regardless of the subject.

Why Appreciation Matters, Defining Appreciation

My journey with the concept of appreciation began back in 2008, when I was starting research for my dissertation study. At this time, I was developing a dissertation topic and I was also in the early phase of my online teaching career. I was at my last in-person residency for the doctoral program and attended a session about appreciative coaching. It was then I learned about an organizational developmental strategy called appreciative inquiry. I was immediately intrigued by this concept and wanted to learn more. I discovered its use was primarily for organizations and had not been translated for distance learning. That’s when I settled on my dissertation research topic.

For my dissertation research project, I translated appreciative inquiry for distance learning, and more specifically online teaching, and I called it appreciative andragogy. I immediately connected with the appreciative aspect as I have always held a helpful and supportive attitude while interacting with my students. The word andragogy refers to teaching adults. The strategy I developed at that time was designed to help improve the performance, motivation, and engagement of students through a series of scheduled appreciative interactions. The results confirmed the use of appreciation did help improve all elements studied, including student performance, motivation, and engagement.

After graduating in 2010, I continued to use appreciative andragogy myself as a general teaching strategy. I also continued to study appreciative inquiry and have been inspired by its results within organizations. It is based upon the strengths of an organization’s employees to help facilitate change and improvement of any deficits. Over time, my use of appreciative andragogy has evolved as well. I learned from my own experience that a formalized process of scheduled interactions might not be feasible when I have a workload of 90 students.

The concept of appreciative andragogy evolved into appreciative teaching, to denote a supportive disposition when working with students. I’ve found, and my colleagues have shared the same results with me, that the use of appreciation has a significant positive impact on the overall performance and progress of students. It’s about creating a positive connection with students in every interaction. Appreciation can be defined in three ways: 1) to appreciate another or demonstrate gratitude in some manner, 2) the act of appreciating someone or making a conscious effort to appreciate someone, and 3) creating a supportive and positive feeling when interacting with another.

Appreciation as a Teaching Strategy

I’ve been teaching online over 19 years and I still love this profession. I’m teaching and mentoring doctoral students, and I find they need just as much support and care as any student at any other grade level. For online classes, the students are referred to as non-traditional, which means most have returned to school after a lapse in time since their last degree was completed. This means they are starting at the beginning, as to learning the finer points of academic writing and formatting. It also means I’m in a unique position to share my experience and serve as a guide, mentor, coach, and overall supporter of their progress. What follows are the three basic steps I use to implement appreciation as a teaching strategy.

Step One: Monitor Your Disposition

When it’s time for to me to interact with students in any manner, I need to be aware of my disposition. This is a self-check I have performed since the start of my career and continue to this day. I want to be aware of how I’m feeling, what my surroundings are like, and any influences there may be at the moment that can shape my interactions with students, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

What you can do is to ask yourself: What do you believe about your students and their potential? How do you feel at the moment? Are you prepared to teach and interact with students, in a non-judgmental and unbiased manner? A quick self-check is absolutely essential to remain in a positive state of mind for your interactions.

Step Two: Use the Power of Your Words

Without question, words hold potential for tremendous power. Everything you write or post can be interpreted, or even misinterpreted, based upon perceptual cues each student picks up. What this means is you must write with care, not fear, but with an attitude of support and concern for each student’s well-being. I create what I post or send first in the body of a Word document. This allows me to read and re-read it, quickly assessing it for any potential flaws in tone or intent.

It will be easier to fix it before it is sent, than explain something afterwards. This is also where appreciation comes into play. You can use just a few words to shape your message into something positive. Even if you state something simple as “I appreciate you” at the end, you have established a supportive tone.

Step Three: Take Proactive and Measured Action

This is the step that encompasses what used to be appreciative andragogy as a process. What I do each term for my students, regardless of the level they are at, is to post pro-active weekly supportive messages. I typically post these messages on Friday, as I know students have already met the discussion deadline and they will continue working on a written assignment that is due by the end of the week.

I share tips and inspiration, usually consisting of the motivational messages written with my moniker Motivational Guru Dr. J. These picture quotes are meant to uplift and inspire students. Included with the Friday message are words of appreciation, to remind students they are supported and cared for by their instructor. I also utilize appreciative wording in all my feedback, whether it is discussion or assignment feedback. There is something I’ll find within a student’s work to appreciate.

Transformational Education Through Appreciation

I teach traditional online classes. This means I’m assigned a new class with doctoral students each term, and I’m responsible for assisting them with their academic growth and development. I can share my experience after working directly with students for over 19 years. The lesson is simple: I know many students would not make it through their program were it not for the support, time, effort, and encouragement of their instructors. I was also an online student, and earned most of my advanced degrees online, and I know how effective a class is with one-on-one weekly interactions with an instructor.

The discourse I have with students in a discussion board always prompts higher order thinking and contributes to their intellectual development. I am always appreciative of their contributions and take time to craft feedback acknowledging what they post, supporting their growth and progress.

I encourage you to think of online teaching not as a task or set of duties, but at its core, it’s a set of interactions. More importantly, every interaction has a potential to contribute to the learning and development of students, if you demonstrate some form of appreciation. This only requires finding something positive to state when you write an email or post a message.

If you maintain a disposition that reflects your enjoyment of the work you do, this will also show up in your interactions and before long, you will naturally be using appreciative teaching. When students perceive you appreciate them in some manner, and they experience positive interactions with you, appreciative teaching will become a motivational teaching strategy. Demonstrating appreciation for students requires a small investment of your time; yet the results are certain to be transformative.

About Dr. Johnson

Dr. Bruce A. Johnson has 35 years of experience teaching and training adults. The first half of his career was spent in the field of Corporate Training and Development, with his last role as Manager of Training and Development.

Then in 2005, he made a transition into the field of distance learning. Over the past 19 years, he has been an online instructor, Faculty Development Specialist, Faculty Director, Faculty Development Manager, and Dissertation Chair.

Dr. Johnson is also an inspirational author, writer, and educator. His life mission is to teach, mentor, write, and inspire others. He has earned a PhD in Postsecondary and Adult Education, a Certificate in Training and Performance Improvement (TPI), a Master’s in Adult Education, and a Master of Business Administration (MBA).

As a scholar practitioner, Dr. J was published in a scholarly journal, and he has been a featured presenter at an international distance learning conference, along with presenting at three faculty conferences. He has also published over 230 online articles about adult learning, higher education, distance learning, online teaching, and mindset development. Dr. J published three books related to higher education, including two about online teaching.

Getting Down to Business: A Handbook for Faculty Who Teach Business.

Transform Adult Education: Expert Teaching Strategies for Educators.

Transform Online Teaching: Expert Strategies and Essential Resources Every Educator Needs.

Come join Dr. J’s group, Motivation for Transformation:

• Any time of the day, visit this group to find your source of motivation, to be inspired and more importantly, have your mindset transformed: Motivation for Transformation

Dr. J offers transformative resources:

Please visit Dr. J’s Books page on his website: Dr. J’s Books

You can also find Dr. J on the following social media sites:  Instagram

       

Discover Why Kindness Is Essential for Online Teaching

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When you think about what it takes to be an effective online instructor, you may consider how to efficiently complete the many duties required each week. This would be a normal response as the online instructor is task-driven. From a purely classroom management perspective, there are always questions to answer, papers to evaluate, discussions to be involved in, timelines to meet, and so.

Beyond the typical duties, an instructor will find themselves nurturing the developmental learning abilities of their students, and stimulate their intellectual curiosity. To be highly effective in the online environment, the instructor must have basic qualities, such as empathy and emotional intelligence. These are the qualities that are responsible for helping an instructor respond to conditions in the most appropriate manner.

Then there needs to be a quality or characteristic of an online instructor that is not dependent upon conditions, a basic human trait which can be applied to all situations. I believe that characteristic is kindness, which is an ability to have a positive disposition with all those you interact with each day. It’s a state of mind that has a direct impact on how you feel and perform, just as it does for your students when they interact with you.

It’s also directly related to another quality I recommend every instructor demonstrate for their students, and that’s showing appreciation for them. But being kind should become an automatic response to everyone encountered, no matter how nice or aggressive their initial tone may be. If this isn’t a natural state of mind for your now, it is possible to cultivate it through intentional practice.

Kindness in a World of Strong Emotions

I’ve chosen to focus on kindness as we all need a reminder from time-to-time about the importance of our basic humanity, especially when this is a time when it is so easy to experience strong emotions from events of the world around us. I have found within my online teaching practice now, more than ever, there are preconceived ideas about who I am, what I will be like, and what it will be like to work with me. This is all based upon my photo and introduction, which clearly shows my race, gives an indication of my age (likely older vs. younger), and my sexual orientation (there is a mention of my husband).

I am also sensing an immediate hesitation among certain ethnic groups to work with me, believing I will not be open-minded. Or I may be automatically viewed as “one of them” because of my race. This is very different than when I first began teaching online 19 years ago. Those who are willing to speak with me find themselves surprised that I can be very easy to talk to, get along with, and always accepting of others.

I rely upon a basic act of kindness to begin with, which I believe every person is entitled to, regardless of how strongly their initial words may be. I know the learning process can be challenging for some, and the simple act of kindness can go a long way towards helping someone overcome their frustrations and begin to listen to the advice being offered.

Is Kindness Always Reciprocated?

I believe we know the answer to that question and it is a resounding no, and I never make my approach to working with students based upon a condition they must act the same way in return. While I do expect a level of professionalism and respect, in accordance with school policies for student conduct, I know that basic kindness is not always going to be a natural response for some students. In fact, if a student does not receive the grade or outcome they expected, believed they earned, or thought they were entitled to, they may act in every manner except one which displays kindness. This is when I will continue to show not only kindness towards them, but empathy as well. Yet most students act in a professional manner and do in fact reciprocate basic human kindness.

Cultivating Kindness

Regardless of how I believe students may perceive me, or the disposition they hold when I interact with them, I always want to be kind while communicating with them. Kindness is a form of caring, and it is applied equally to all students. It’s also a form of patience, and when you make it part of your disposition, it helps create a measured reaction to classroom circumstances. The following strategies can help you cultivate this important quality.

Keep an Open Mind:

Within an online classroom it can be easy to preassess a student simply by their name, which is the first visual clue an instructor has about them. But this is where a self-check is needed, a reminder to be open-minded and conscious of any filters that may interrupt your ability to be kind. What you want is to approach any student, in any situation, and be able to listen while expressing your support. You must be a role model for your students and demonstrate that you’ve created an inclusive and safe learning environment for all of them.

Invest in Direct Communication:

The idea of speaking directly with students may seem to be something they would not want, and a commitment of time you do not have to offer. While both may be true to a certain degree, I’ve found that speaking with students, those who are willing to communicate with me directly, offers incredible value. I provide office hours that includes weekdays, weeknights, and one weekend day. When a student calls, I have an opportunity to start the call with a warm welcome and immediately set a welcoming disposition. No matter how the student feels, my goal is to make certain they understand I want to help them.

Never Respond When Strong Emotions are Felt:

There will always be situations in which a student is going to send a message and use improper communication techniques. If you feel a strong emotional reaction in any manner, this is not the time to respond. You must give yourself time to find your sense of balance, so that you can approach the student in a kind and calming manner. If the student were to contact you direct, and they are extremely upset, do your best to remain calm. If you find the student will not change their tone, the best suggestion might be to ask them if you can look into the matter and respond back by a specified date.

Develop Kindness in all Communication:

There are cues you can insert into your communication to demonstrate your ability to have a kind and caring disposition. Take for instance an email you’ve received and it is addressed only to your first name. Now consider the same email and it is addressed to your first name; however, there is the word “Hello” inserted before your first name.

Can you tell the perceived difference in the tone of the two messages? The second message gives an impression the sender is starting the message in a much more open and inviting manner. The first message sounds much less personable. The same holds true for classroom posts, especially discussion posts. The manner in which you word your messages and posts creates an impression of what it might be to interact with you.

Don’t Mistake Kindness for Leniency

One of the challenges for being perceived as someone who can be easier to get along with is it can be mistaken for someone who is also lenient when it comes to due dates and missed work. What I’ve found is I can maintain a balance between a caring individual as a personality, and still be strict when it comes to upholding academic policies. I always keep in mind my students are people too, which means I recognize the fact with online students they are often non-traditional learners and have other responsibilities.

Many of my students have pressures from life beyond their classwork, and they need someone to care about how well they are doing, is able to support their growth and development, and be patient with them.If you can develop a disposition that puts students at ease, you are going to find yourself approaching your work with much more enjoyment, and they in turn will soon discover how much you care about them.

Kindness as an online teaching characteristic does not mean you have to change who you are as a person. Take time to care about every student you are able to interact with, regardless of circumstances, and watch how transformative the interactions become.

About Dr. Johnson

Dr. Bruce A. Johnson has 35 years of experience teaching and training adults. The first half of his career was spent in the field of Corporate Training and Development, with his last role as Manager of Training and Development.

Then in 2005, he made a transition into the field of distance learning. Over the past 19 years, he has been an online instructor, Faculty Development Specialist, Faculty Director, Faculty Development Manager, and Dissertation Chair.

Dr. Johnson is also an inspirational author, writer, and educator. His life mission is to teach, mentor, write, and inspire others. He has earned a PhD in Postsecondary and Adult Education, a Certificate in Training and Performance Improvement (TPI), a Master’s in Adult Education, and a Master of Business Administration (MBA).

As a scholar practitioner, Dr. J was published in a scholarly journal, and he has been a featured presenter at an international distance learning conference, along with presenting at three faculty conferences. He has also published over 230 online articles about adult learning, higher education, distance learning, online teaching, and mindset development. Dr. J published three books related to higher education, including two about online teaching.

Getting Down to Business: A Handbook for Faculty Who Teach Business.

Transform Adult Education: Expert Teaching Strategies for Educators.

Transform Online Teaching: Expert Strategies and Essential Resources Every Educator Needs.

Come join Dr. J’s group, Motivation for Transformation:

• Any time of the day, visit this group to find your source of motivation, to be inspired and more importantly, have your mindset transformed: Motivation for Transformation

Dr. J offers transformative resources:

Please visit Dr. J’s Books page on his website: Dr. J’s Books

You can also find Dr. J on the following social media sites:  Instagram

      

Show Patience with Students and Their Persistence Will Increase

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A busy work week with many tasks to complete and not enough time. There are endless papers to review and discussions awaiting your participation. It’s the weekly balancing act you find yourself part of, and for most of the time you can manage it well, until the unexpected questions, demands, and emails or messages start coming in. You are able to balance the week effectively enough, until you find your time taken up by students and the end of the week rush occurs. This is when the feelings of stress really begin to take over and you have to be careful how you respond to your students.

Does this sound familiar? It’s something I’ve experienced as an online educator for many years. While I’ve learned to develop an effective time management strategy, and become proactive in meeting my responsibilities, I know all too well how it was for me at the beginning of my learning curve. Even today there are times when I have to catch myself feeling caught up in the busyness of work, and need to make certain I’m managing my disposition, as I know how it translates into my communication with students.

I’m Sorry, I Don’t Have Time

As an online educator, it is possible to view the position from the perspective of duties to be completed each week. One of the most significant duties is grading, and it is also the most time consuming. For anyone who dedicates time to crafting more than rote comments, they well understand the commitment required to craft personalized feedback, and how disruptive it may feel if someone (a student) were to interrupt the process. Yet online teaching is not just about duties, it’s about the students, and this is a motto I remind myself often.

While I utilize the process of feedback as a valuable teaching opportunity, I also know any questions or messages I receive from my students provide me with an opportunity to connect with them one-on-one. If I demonstrate anything other than a willingness to engage with them, they are less likely to care about what I have to say to them in their feedback and perhaps the course as well.

If a student asks a question and my only reply is “Go see the syllabus” or “Look it up in the textbook”, I’m essentially telling the student: “I’m sorry, I don’t have time now for you”. While you don’t need to give students every answer, you can engage them in a dialogue and build a rapport with them. That one question could be all they need to feel empowered to continue working.

Patience is a Disposition

The process of communication is generally straightforward, especially within an online class. For example, a student sends an email or message to their instructor, the instructor reads it, reacts, and responds. The reaction experienced by the instructor is immediate and framed by their disposition, which is based upon current conditions. If this instructor is in the middle of a time crunch, feeling overwhelmed, over-worked, and out of time, the reaction may or may not be the most affirming and positive.

The instructor’s response is going to depend upon a number of factors having to do with their personality and mindset maintenance. If they allow their reaction to be guided by emotions, and they felt a negative reaction, the response to the student may likely be negative. In other words, having a good intention to be responsive to students requires follow-through and conscious involvement.

You have to ask yourself: I have a message I want to communicate, what will be the most effective, appropriate, and engaging method of conveying this message to the receiver? Also, what is the appropriate medium for sending this message to the receiver, to demonstrate willingness to help them?

When Your Patience is Tested

The online classroom provides unique benefits and challenges for communication between students and their instructors. The benefits instructors have for online communication include a written record through emails and messages, which is helpful whenever disputes arise.

In addition, a classroom message or email does not demand an instantaneous reply. You always have time to respond, even if an immediate reply was requested. This provides you with an opportunity to think about, and assess thoroughly, what has been stated. You can also take time to compose yourself, should you feel any negative emotions as a result of the message.

The challenges are related to disposition of the messages sent by students. I remember 19 years ago when I began teaching online and how I thought students would be aggressive at times in their emails; however, that was no comparison to what I am reading today. There is almost feeling of empowerment, hiding behind a sense of anonymity by being in an online environment.

I know many people have attributed this to the negative influence of social media. I am not an expert in this subject; however, I will state what I’ve seen and it is a much more aggressive tone within the messages of students who believe they have not received the grade or outcome they wanted or expected. That’s when your patience becomes tested more than ever. 

Strategies to Increase Your Level of Patience 

What I am suggesting is not to change who you are as a person. Rather it is about how you respond and what you say and do as you interact with your students. For example, you may find yourself in the middle of a busy work week and you’re asked a question or sent a message that seems to disrupt the week. What you don’t want is to have this disrupt your disposition, as any stress you may be feeling will trickle down into your communication.

The following strategies can be used at any time and in any order, just as you may be challenged at any time during the week by a message or email. You never know when a student is going to demonstrate a lack of tact, not have a filter on their communication, or be aggressive. Perhaps then you’ll be prepared to better respond because of the following.

Strategy One: Choose the Right Time of Day to Respond.

I know of many educators who like myself, are plugged in and available most of the week. The challenge is knowing when to stop viewing your email inbox, and/or when to stop responding to messages received. Consider a scenario in which it is late at night, you’ve had a very long day with numerous meetings, and a student sent an aggressive message that caused a negative initial emotional reaction within you. This is obviously not the time of day to properly address it.

If you were to respond, what you write would likely be something reactive and not very thoughtful, even with the best of intentions and well-managed emotional intelligence. Always consider your energy level and emotional state of mind, which correlates to the right time of day, when choosing to respond to student messages. This will set you up for a positive response, something that demonstrates to your student you have the patience to work with them, no matter how challenging they may behave.

Strategy Two: Type, Read, Delete, Re-Write.

There are going to be times in which you may feel challenged by communication from your students. It may be a result of a student who wants attention, doesn’t know how to express their feelings appropriately, cannot ask for assistance properly, or any other number of reasons. There’s a strategy I’ve been using, and perhaps it will help you as well. It’s a way of releasing your negative reactions, in a safe and productive manner, so these feeling do not build up within you.

What I do is open up a Word document and type out the response I’d like to send. It would be my reactive response, if I could say anything I want in reply to the student. Then I read it aloud and delete the document. It is really quite freeing to get it out, as a means of dealing first with my own emotions.

Then I can go back and address the student’s message in a calm and rational manner. Even if I still have to give myself time to process the message and anything requested, at least I’ve taken care of my reactive response first, before I attempt to create an actual reply.

Strategy Three: Connect with a Colleague.

Another lesson I’ve learned through time and experience is the value in connecting with my colleagues. If I am attempting to address a challenging student, it is very likely a colleague of mine has been in this same situation, or something similar. Whether or not they have doesn’t even matter as it’s the ability connect with and share the experience that is most helpful. It’s similar to writing out the reactive reply and discarding it.

You have an ability to express what you are feeling to someone who can relate, and just as important, someone who can offer guidance as to how this situation might be best addressed. I’m fortunate to work with a manager who is someone I can speak with about student situations, while receiving guidance and support.

Strategy Four: Manage Your Self-Care.

The ability to demonstrate patience with students is a matter of maintaining a positive frame of reference. In order to do this on a consistent basis, you should think about how you are managing your self-care. If you are feeling run-down and worn out, these feelings can work against the best of your intentions. One aspect of my self-care I pay close attention to each week is ensuring I am getting enough sleep. I also allocate downtime during the week, to unplug from technology and prepare for the next day. Even if you allocate just a few minutes downtime, it does help your state of mind.

The strategies you choose will help you feel renewed, and it will also ensure your disposition is well-maintained. Whatever your state of mind may be at the time of your communication, it will be reflected within your communication. With online communication it will be experienced through a perceived tone. Without realizing it, you are selecting words based upon your current mood or state of mind.

That’s the challenge of communicating without seeing students face-to-face, and why you should be concerned about how you feel while you are involved in the process. This is not to state you have to be perfect, just prepared for the best and possibly worst forms of communication from your students.

You Do Have Time to Help Students Persist

As an educator you may not think about your ability to be patient with students, and yet, it plays such a critical role in how they perceive your involvement with them in the class. I remember what it was like to be an online student, and how it felt when an instructor waited days to answer, barely answered, or didn’t seem to care. I take the opposite approach. When students send a message, I see it as an opportunity to encourage their growth and development.

I always have time to help students as they are my first priority. All other tasks will be completed after students have been assisted. In a student-centered classroom, students persist when an instructor is available, responsive, and willing to spend time listening, teaching, and guiding students. Maintain your self-care and you will have a disposition which reflects the good intention you’ve established to patiently assist your students. As a result of your positive attitude, students will likely become more engaged in the course, receptive to your feedback, and willing to listen to you.

About Dr. Johnson

Dr. Bruce A. Johnson has 35 years of experience teaching and training adults. The first half of his career was spent in the field of Corporate Training and Development, with his last role as Manager of Training and Development.

Then in 2005, he made a transition into the field of distance learning. Over the past 19 years, he has been an online instructor, Faculty Development Specialist, Faculty Director, Faculty Development Manager, and Dissertation Chair.

Dr. Johnson is also an inspirational author, writer, and educator. His life mission is to teach, mentor, write, and inspire others. He has earned a PhD in Postsecondary and Adult Education, a Certificate in Training and Performance Improvement (TPI), a Master’s in Adult Education, and a Master of Business Administration (MBA).

As a scholar practitioner, Dr. J was published in a scholarly journal, and he has been a featured presenter at an international distance learning conference, along with presenting at three faculty conferences. He has also published over 230 online articles about adult learning, higher education, distance learning, online teaching, and mindset development. Dr. J published three books related to higher education, including two about online teaching.

Getting Down to Business: A Handbook for Faculty Who Teach Business.

Transform Adult Education: Expert Teaching Strategies for Educators.

Transform Online Teaching: Expert Strategies and Essential Resources Every Educator Needs.

Come join Dr. J’s group, Motivation for Transformation:

• Any time of the day, visit this group to find your source of motivation, to be inspired and more importantly, have your mindset transformed: Motivation for Transformation

Dr. J offers transformative resources:

Please visit Dr. J’s Books page on his website: Dr. J’s Books

You can also find Dr. J on the following social media sites:  Instagram

       

4 Strategies to Become a Transformative Educator

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When you are assigned a class and students arrive, do you view yourself as a teacher, instructor, or educator? Is your role a function, one which completes tasks and responsibilities, or do you aspire to accomplish more with your students? Do you consider the instructional strategies you use now to be transformative in some manner, or would you like to somehow transform the students you teach?

A person enters the field of education as a profession, either full-time in a traditional academic institution or as an adjunct (or part time) instructor. A traditional full-time professor may likely be responsible for conducting research, teaching, and publishing scholarly work. An adjunct instructor may teach in a community college, traditional college, or an online school. When someone teaches students within the field of higher education, he or she may be called a facilitator, instructor, or professor. However, you likely won’t find a job title with the word educator in it.

Does this mean that everyone who is a teacher, professor, instructor, faculty member, or adjunct, is also an educator? What I have learned through my work in higher education is that everyone who is in one of these roles is doing their best to teach and guide a learning process, whether they are involved in undergraduate or graduate degree courses. However, someone who considers themselves to be an educator is a person who goes beyond the role of teaching and seeks to lead a transformational learning process. I have learned myself that becoming an educator is not an automatic process. It takes time, practice, and dedication to become an engaging and transformative educator.

A Basic Definition of a Teacher

Teaching is generally associated with traditional, primary education. Classes at this level are teacher-led and children as students are taught what and how to learn. The teacher is the expert and directs the learning process. A teacher is someone highly trained and works to engage the minds of his or her students. This style of teacher-led instruction continues into higher education, specifically traditional college classrooms. The teacher still stands at the front and center of the class delivering information, and students are used to this format because of their experience in primary education. The instructor disseminates knowledge through a lecture, and students will study to pass the required examinations or complete other required learning activities.

Within higher education, teachers may be called instructors and they are hired as subject matter experts with advanced content or subject matter expertise. The job requirements usually include holding a specific number of degree hours in the subject being taught. Teachers may also be called professors in traditional universities, and those positions require a terminal degree with additional research requirements. For all of these roles, teaching is meant to signify someone who is guiding the learning process by directing, telling, and instructing students. The instructor or professor is in charge, and the students must comply and follow as directed.

Here is something to consider: If this is the essence of teaching, is there a difference between teaching and educating students? Is the role of a teacher the same as that of an educator?

Basic Definitions of an Educator

I would like for you to consider some basic definitions to begin with as a means of understanding the role of an educator. The word “education” refers to giving instruction; “educator” refers to the person who provides instruction and is someone skilled in teaching; and “teaching” is aligned with providing explanations. I have expanded upon these definitions so the word “educator” includes someone who is skilled with instruction, possesses highly developed academic skills, and holds both subject matter knowledge, along with knowledge of adult education principles.

• Skilled with Instruction: An educator is someone who should be skilled in the art of classroom instruction, knowing what instructional strategies are effective and the areas of facilitation that need further development.

An experienced educator develops methods which will bring course materials to life by adding relevant context and prompting students to learn through class discussions and other learning activities. Instruction also includes all of the interactions held with students, including all forms of communication, as every interaction provides an opportunity for teaching.

• Highly Developed Academic Skills: An educator must also have strong academic skills and at the top of that list are writing skills. This requires strong attention to detail on the part of the educator must include all forms of messages communicated. The ability to demonstrate strong academic skills is especially important for anyone who is teaching online classes as words represent the instructor.

The use of proper formatting guidelines, according to the style prescribed by the school, is also included in the list of critical academic skills. For example, many schools have implemented APA formatting guidelines as the standard for formatting papers and working with sources. An educator cannot adequately guide students and provide meaningful feedback if the writing style has not been mastered.

• Strong Knowledge Base: An educator needs to develop a knowledge base consisting of their subject matter expertise, as related to the course or courses they are teaching, along with knowledge of adult education principles. I know of many educators who have the required credit hours on their degree transcripts, yet they may not have extensive experience in the field they teach. This will still allow them to teach the course, provided they take time to read the required textbook or materials, and find methods of applying it to current practices within the field.

Many schools hire adjuncts with work experience as the primary criteria, rather than knowledge of adult learning principles. When I have worked with faculty who do have studied adult education theory, they generally acquired it through ongoing professional development. That was my goal when I decided on a major for my doctorate degree, to understand how adults learn so I could transform my role and become an educator.

4 Strategies to Become a Transformative Educator

I do not believe many instructors intentionally consider the need to make a transformation from working as an instructor to functioning as an educator. When someone is hired to teach a class, someone other than a traditional college professor, they often learn through practice and time what works well in the classroom. There will likely be classroom audits and recommendations made for ongoing professional development.

Gradually the typical instructor will become an educator as they seek out resources to help improve their teaching practices. However, I have worked with many adjunct online instructors who rely upon their subject matter expertise alone and do not believe there is a reason to grow as an educator. For anyone who would like to become an engaging and transformative educator, there are strategies which can be can be implemented.

Strategy #1: Transform Through Development of Your Instructional Practice

While any educator can learn through time on the job, it is possible to become intentional about this growth. There are numerous online resources, publications, workshops, webinars, and professional groups which will allow you to learn new methods, strategies, and practices. There are also social media websites such as LinkedIn and Twitter which allow for the exchange of ideas and resources within a global community of educators.

You can also utilize self-reflection as a means of gauging your effectiveness. I have found that the best time to review my instructional practice occurs immediately after a class has concluded. That is a time when I can assess the strategies I have used and determine if those methods were effective. Even reviewing end of course student surveys may provide insight into the perspective of my students, whether or not every survey submitted was positive. Students tend to submit a survey response either when they are happy or greatly unhappy about the course. Either way, I can learn something about what my students have experienced during the class.

Strategy #2: Transform Through Development of Your Academic Skills

I know from my work with online faculty development this is an area of development many educators could use. However, it is often viewed as a low priority until it is noted in classroom audits. If an educator has weak academic writing skills, it will interfere with their ability to provide comprehensive feedback for students.

For online instructors, this has an even greater impact when posted messages contain errors with spelling, grammar, and formatting. The development of academic skills can be done through the use of online resources or workshops. Many online schools I have worked for offer faculty workshops and this is a valuable self-development resource.

Strategy #3: Transform Through Development of Your Subject Matter Expertise

Every educator has subject matter expertise they can draw upon. However, the challenge is keeping this knowledge current as you continue to teach for several years. The best advice I can offer is find resources which allow you to read and learn about current thinking, research, and best practices in your chosen field.

This is essential to your instructional practice as students can easily tell whether you appear to be current in your knowledge, or outdated and seemingly out of touch. Even the use of required textbooks or resources does not ensure that you are utilizing the most current information as knowledge evolves quickly in many fields.

Strategy #4: Transform Through Development of Your Knowledge of Adult Learning

The last step or strategy I can recommend is to gain knowledge about adult learning theories, principles, and practices. If you are not familiar with the basics there are concepts you can research and includes critical thinking, andragogy, self-directed learning, transformational learning, learning styles, motivation, and cognition.

My suggestion is to find and read online sources related to higher education and then find a subject that interests you to research further. I have found the more I read about topics I enjoy, the more I am cultivating my interest in ongoing professional development. What you will likely find is what you learn will have a positive influence on your work as an educator and this will enhance all areas of your instructional practice.

What Can Be of Benefit: Develop a Vision and Teaching Goals

Working as an educator, or someone who is highly engaged in the process of helping students learn, starts with a commitment to make this a career rather than a job. I have developed a vision related to how I want to be involved in each class I teach and I recommend the same strategy for you. You may find it useful to develop teaching goals for your career and link your classroom performance to those goals. For example, do you want to complete the required facilitation tasks, or would you rather put in the additional time necessary to create nurturing class conditions?

After developing a vision and teaching goals, you can create a professional development plan to prompt your learning and growth in all of the areas I have addressed above. While this strategy may require an investment of time, it is helpful to remember that we always make time for whatever we believe is most important.

Being an educator is not sustaining a focus on job functions, rather it is cultivating a love of what you do and learning how to excel for the benefit of your students. Becoming an engaging and transformative educator occurs when you decide teaching students is only part of the learning process, and you work to transform who you are and how you function, while working and interacting with your students.

When you transform your teaching or faculty role and become an educator, regardless of your job title, you also transform the learning experience of your students. You provide for them the critical element necessary for real learning to occur, substantive instructor involvement and engagement. More importantly, you humanize the learning experience and you can help to nurture their developmental needs. Students will leave your class transformed in some manner, having learned something they can apply to their academic pursuits, life, and/or career. You will be transformed and so will your students.

About Dr. Johnson

Dr. Bruce A. Johnson has 35 years of experience teaching and training adults. The first half of his career was spent in the field of Corporate Training and Development, with his last role as Manager of Training and Development.

Then in 2005, he made a transition into the field of distance learning. Over the past 19 years, he has been an online instructor, Faculty Development Specialist, Faculty Director, Faculty Development Manager, and Dissertation Chair.

Dr. Johnson is also an inspirational author, writer, and educator. His life mission is to teach, mentor, write, and inspire others. He has earned a PhD in Postsecondary and Adult Education, a Certificate in Training and Performance Improvement (TPI), a Master’s in Adult Education, and a Master of Business Administration (MBA).

As a scholar practitioner, Dr. J was published in a scholarly journal, and he has been a featured presenter at an international distance learning conference, along with presenting at three faculty conferences. He has also published over 230 online articles about adult learning, higher education, distance learning, online teaching, and mindset development. Dr. J published three books related to higher education, including two about online teaching.

Getting Down to Business: A Handbook for Faculty Who Teach Business.

Transform Adult Education: Expert Teaching Strategies for Educators.

Transform Online Teaching: Expert Strategies and Essential Resources Every Educator Needs.

Come join Dr. J’s group, Motivation for Transformation:

• Any time of the day, visit this group to find your source of motivation, to be inspired and more importantly, have your mindset transformed: Motivation for Transformation

Dr. J offers transformative resources:

Please visit Dr. J’s Books page on his website: Dr. J’s Books

You can also find Dr. J on the following social media sites:  Instagram

       

5 Steps to Create a Purpose-Driven Teaching Philosophy Statement

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What would you say about yourself if you were asked to explain your teaching philosophy as an educator? Do you have a guiding mission statement for your instructional practice?

You may be surprised with the number of educators who either do not have a teaching philosophy or cannot clearly and concisely articulate (without the use of clichés or generalizations about teaching) what their beliefs may be about learning and teaching. When I have been responsible for interviewing faculty for online teaching positions, many candidates I spoke with had not developed a clearly defined philosophy statement or never thought it was needed for their career. While it did not automatically disqualify them from a teaching position, it does not help them provide a true representation of what they believe about their career and teaching practice.

Every educator needs to develop a teaching philosophy statement. This is a summary which allows someone else (especially a recruiter or someone responsible for hiring new faculty) to develop insight into their teaching and instructional strategies, methods, and practices. I’ve seen two different approaches used for educators who have a well-defined statement; one which is researched-based and one that is personal and written in the first person.

If you are pursuing a new position, my recommendation is you chose the latter approach, a personally written statement, and present an overview which represents you as an educator. In higher education, many teaching positions require a mandatory statement as part of the screening process. What follows is a condensed version of philosophy statement I have used, to help you get started, or review what you have already developed. It may also help you further define your personal and professional mission statement with regards to education and teaching adults.

Step One: Conceptualization of Learning

There is a five-part approach that was developed by Nancy Chism, a former Director of Faculty and TA Development at the Ohio State University, which is very helpful for educators. The first part is titled Conceptualization of Learning and it is meant for an educator to describe what they believe about learning based upon their knowledge, expertise, education, and experience.

The following is an excerpt from my Teaching Philosophy Statement:

Since my primary work is focused on distance learning, my view of learning is concerned with how students learn in a virtual environment. For online learning, it is my belief the basic principles of adult education do not change. However, the format of learning has changed and this is the reason why new and updated instructional strategies must be implemented. In a virtual classroom, the process of learning involves the acquisition of knowledge and the development of new skills. For knowledge to be acquired and retained in long-term memory, students must have an opportunity to apply what they are studying and be given a context for learning which is relevant to their lives and/or careers. The same can be stated for the development of new skills; learning occurs when students are given an opportunity to practice what they are being instructed to learn.

In an online classroom, as with any classroom environment, learning is not a one-time event. Learning also does not occur because an online course shell has been created, an instructor has been assigned to teach the course, and students are enrolled in the class. Learning occurs as a result of students receiving and reading materials, processing information received in a manner which prompts advanced cognitive skills, and then is applied to and connected with existing ideas, knowledge, and real-world scenarios so it is retained in long-term memory. The learning process does not stop there as that new knowledge must be recalled later if it is to continue to be retained. This means students will learn only if the subject and course topics are presented in a meaningful manner, one which requires them to do more than memorize concepts and information.

Step Two: Conceptualization of Teaching

The next section of a well-defined philosophy statement is a personal narrative about what it means to teach, the Conceptualization of Teaching. For me, it is a perspective about learning in a technologically-enabled classroom.

The following is an excerpt from my Teaching Philosophy Statement:

There are phrases used to distinguish traditional classroom teaching from online teaching and includes “sage on the stage” and “guide on the side”. I prefer to view online teaching from another perspective. I’ve read three primary words used to describe the role of the online educator and it includes instructor, facilitator, and teacher. I believe an online educator must know how to instruct or implement instructional strategies as a function of classroom management.

An online educator must also know how to facilitate a learning process and teach the subject matter through his or her expertise and experience. Within the online classroom an educator must work to see students individually and with unique developmental needs. They must be responsive to their students, available, and easily accessible. They can teach, guide, and mentor students with every interaction, classroom post, and all communication with students.

Step Three: Goals for Students

The section that follows needs to be a personal perspective about the goals or expectations an instructor holds for their students, titled Goals for Students.

The following is an excerpt from my Teaching Philosophy Statement:

For many online schools, the classes have been developed by someone other than the instructor who is assigned to teach the course. This doesn’t mean an instructor cannot have their own expectations of students, even if they are unable to alter or make additions to the course syllabus. An online educator can state their expectations in classroom announcements and/or through the feedback provided to students. What I expect students to do, and I support their attempts to do so, is to accomplish more than report what they have read.

I want them to work with the course topics, conduct research when needed, investigate subjects of interest them, and when it comes to posting a discussion message or submitting a written assignment, I want them to demonstrate critical thinking. What this means is they do more than state a general opinion or belief and instead, they write a well-researched statement or position about the topic. I encourage students to comprehend what they have read, analyze the information, and then apply it in some manner to their personal or professional lives. I show students I value their ideas, solutions, proposals, and analyses.

Step Four: Implementation of the Philosophy

This next section provides an overview of how the philosophy is put into practice and it shares insight into an educator’s instructional practice, titled Implementation of the Philosophy.

The following is an excerpt from my Teaching Philosophy Statement:

My philosophy of online teaching has been influenced by my work as an online student, educator, and academic leader; and it continually evolves through my interactions with students and other educators. While I may not be able to be involved in the process of developing every course I’m teaching, I can develop instructional practices which influence how students learn. For example, when I am involved in online discussions, I will acknowledge something the student has written, build upon it through my own expertise and experience, and then ask a follow up question which helps to continue to move the conversation forward. When I provide feedback, I see it as an opportunity to teach students and I’ll use the same approach as my discussion posts by implementing Socratic questioning techniques. I want to prompt their intellectual curiosity and encourage them to learn.

With most online classes I have a brief period of time to connect with students and my approach is to try to build connections and nurture productive working relationships. I am aware of the tone of my messages, especially since words represent me as a person and educator in an online classroom. I also demonstrate empathy for those students who have low motivation and may be academically under-prepared. When I observe students, who are struggling or disengaging from the class, I’ll perform outreach attempts to try to help engage them back into the course and address their developmental needs. With every student, I acknowledge their efforts and encourage their continued progress, while always being readily available and easily accessible.

Step Five: Professional Growth Plan

The last component of a well-developed philosophy statement is an overview of how an educator plans to continue their own professional development, titled Professional Growth Plan. Many schools have a professional development requirement and this statement can demonstrate a willingness to continue to learn.

The following is an excerpt from my Teaching Philosophy Statement:

I consider myself to be a lifelong learner and understand my learning did not stop once I completed my last formal degree. I continue to learn through my work with online faculty development as the discourse I have with other faculty allows me to gain new perspectives about learning and teaching. I also continue to research the field I am actively involved in, which is distance learning, along with other topics of interest which include critical thinking, curriculum development, and adult learning or andragogy. I am also a writer and I have authored numerous articles, eBooks, and blog posts based upon my work and research, as a means of making my knowledge contribution to the fields of higher education, adult education, distance learning, and online teaching. 

My work with curriculum development projects has also allowed me to grow professionally, through the growth of my knowledge and skills. As a Modern Educator, I have developed a substantial following on social media, as a means of sharing resources and contributing ideas to an international pool of educators. Finally, I continue to work to as a scholar practitioner. The two milestones reached to date include publishing a journal article and presenting my research at an international conference for distance learning. Overall, I have a potential to continue to grow and learn, building from my strengths and working to strengthen my teaching practice, while also continuing to grow as an academic leader. This teaching philosophy is a personal representation of who I am as an educator.

What is Your Philosophy?

Whether or not you have developed a clear position about learning and teaching for your chosen field, now is the time to consider what you believe and the strategies you use, even if you are not seeking another position. Establishing a well-formed statement allows you to reflect upon your current practice and it will help you identify what is working well and areas that you can develop further. Every educator has a potential to continue to grow and learn, and developing a clear understanding of your beliefs and progress now will allow you to build from your strengths and bolster your instructional practice. A teaching philosophy is a personal representation of who you are as an educator, and something you can use to create professional developmental plans.

About Dr. Johnson

Dr. Bruce A. Johnson has 35 years of experience teaching and training adults. The first half of his career was spent in the field of Corporate Training and Development, with his last role as Manager of Training and Development.

Then in 2005, he made a transition into the field of distance learning. Over the past 19 years, he has been an online instructor, Faculty Development Specialist, Faculty Director, Faculty Development Manager, and Dissertation Chair.

Dr. Johnson is also an inspirational author, writer, and educator. His life mission is to teach, mentor, write, and inspire others. He has earned a PhD in Postsecondary and Adult Education, a Certificate in Training and Performance Improvement (TPI), a Master’s in Adult Education, and a Master of Business Administration (MBA).

As a scholar practitioner, Dr. J was published in a scholarly journal, and he has been a featured presenter at an international distance learning conference, along with presenting at three faculty conferences. He has also published over 230 online articles about adult learning, higher education, distance learning, online teaching, and mindset development. Dr. J published three books related to higher education, including two about online teaching.

Getting Down to Business: A Handbook for Faculty Who Teach Business.

Transform Adult Education: Expert Teaching Strategies for Educators.

Transform Online Teaching: Expert Strategies and Essential Resources Every Educator Needs.

Come join Dr. J’s group, Motivation for Transformation:

• Any time of the day, visit this group to find your source of motivation, to be inspired and more importantly, have your mindset transformed: Motivation for Transformation

Dr. J offers transformative resources:

Please visit Dr. J’s Books page on his brand-new website: Dr. J’s Books

You can also find Dr. J on the following social media sites:  Instagram

       

Discover The Top 5 Strategies That Supports Student Success

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Within the field of higher education, one of the important metrics for gauging the effectiveness of programs is student retention. Retention measures the number of students a school has been able to keep in their programs and in contrast, attrition measures the number of students who have withdrawn – either voluntarily or involuntarily. Another important word for this field is persistence, which is a measurement of a student’s drive and determination.

While retention and persistence may seem to measure the same criteria, I have made a distinction based upon the actions taken. For example, a school may have retention programs in place; whereas, helping students succeed in their programs bolsters their ability to persist and continue to make progress.

The sector of higher education I have the most experience in is for-profit online schools, with roles ranging from online educator to faculty development manager. For this industry, the typical retention rate is 50% or less. Retention initiatives that have been implemented in many of the schools I’ve worked for included changing feedback requirements, grading requirements, and changing the curriculum itself to make it easier for students to pass their classes.

While these initiatives may provide some help for the bottom line, I have found it has little impact on the student experience. What matters most for students is their ability to persist and be successful in their attempt to engage in the learning process. Is there a secret to student success? In my experience, I learned there is and it involves the support and resources students receive from the schools and their instructors.

Growth of the Non-Traditional Student

When I entered the field of higher education over 18 years ago, the phrase “non-traditional student” was becoming popular and I watched it become prominent now – especially with regards to how courses and curriculum are designed for students. The essence of this phrase is meant to describe new types of students, other than those who are starting college right out of high school, who are enrolling in college level courses and programs.

This one of the important factors that drove the growth of the for-profit online college industry. It is not uncommon to see online programs being offered for what is called the “working adult” – with promises made that the degrees obtained will help them advance within their chosen career. 

As a general rule, the non-traditional student can be someone who is older, part of a minority group, speaks English as a second language, attends school part-time, is employed, and has prior life experience. I have non-traditional students in my online classes with age ranges between their 30s and 60s, and many of them are working full time.

For these students, school work is not their only responsibility and this can create periodic time management challenges for them. In addition, by having life experience these students cannot be treated like blank slates, which is someone waiting to receive knowledge being dispensed by an instructor.

The Role of an Educator

Within traditional colleges and universities, the role of an educator has remained largely unchanged. This means they are at the front of the class and the center of attention during each scheduled session. It is a teacher-centered approach to instruction that is utilized in primary education.

This type of educator typically provides a lecture and students are expected to study for quizzes and exams. In contrast, an educator who is teaching online courses is finding their role to be evolving. The very nature of a virtual learning environment puts the primary responsibility for learning on students.

I have coached many traditional educators who have tried to make the transition to online teaching and found it to be difficult to adapt to as traditional teaching methods do not translate well. I can empathize with them as educators devote time and effort into developing their career and becoming a teaching expert – and then having to learn new methods may produce a lot of natural resistance.

Online teaching requires changing the focus from teacher-led to student-centered instruction. Does this have a direct impact on student success? The answer is yes, as an educator must be comfortable in their role and understand the needs of students they are charged with teaching.

Advisors and Mentors

The traditional responsibility for working with students has been part of the role of the academic advisor. An advisor is someone who may assist students with a wide range of tasks that includes registration, enrollment, course selection, and follow-up after being enrolled into a degree program.

Often this was a reactive role and that means an advisor could address a wide range of questions but only when initiated by the students. Within the for-profit online school industry, I have seen the advisor’s role evolve and include responsibility for conducting follow up for those students who were at risk for failing and/or dropping their courses.

There are also non-profit online schools that hired mentors, who are meant to take the place of faculty, or instructors who are on-call. For those schools, students are not assigned to classes and instead, they study to take assessments – usually with a low or minimal required passing score. It is like correspondence courses that preceded the online for-profit industry.

Discover The Top 5 Strategies That Support Student Success 

Based upon my experience and work with educators, students need an instructor – and just as important, they need ongoing support. An educator serves as the point of contact for implementing retention strategies put into place by a school, while working with their students to help them persist and succeed. An instructor can develop a productive relationship with students because they are working with them through learning activities, feedback, and discussions – and these tasks prompt learning. In other words, learning is relational.

Below are strategies any educator can use to help support student success, regardless of the class or subject matter taught.

Strategy #1. Provide Ongoing Support: Are you keeping track of the progress of your students? Every student has developmental needs, even those who are doing exceptionally well in your class. When you are familiar with their needs you will know what resources to recommend – whether those are sources provided by the school or supplemental resources.

Even recommending additional materials to review, along with subject matter related videos, those resources can help to enhance the learning experience and encourage engagement in the course. Why? The more interested a student is in the course, and the more they can develop their areas of weakness, the more they are going to be able to persist.

Strategy #2. Provide Engaging Feedback: I have heard many instructors state that students do not read the feedback provided and if they do, those students never seem to implement the suggestions provided. What I have discovered is that students develop a perception about feedback based upon their experiences.

As an instructor, I provide engaging feedback by taking time to insert comments directly into student papers and ask questions, offer insight, share my expertise, and relate topics to the real world. Again, if students find you have taken time to do more than provide a grade, they are going to consider what you have written. The more engaging your feedback becomes, the more likely they are going to maintain an interest in performing their best.

Strategy #3. Develop a High Level of Responsiveness: For some students, the thought of asking a question or making a request for help can be intimidating – especially at the beginning of a class when there isn’t a relationship established with their instructor.

When students approach you, and seek your assistance, your ability to demonstrate responsiveness is going to make a difference for them. If you can demonstrate a genuine concern for their request, and make it a point to help them in a meaningful manner, they will develop a perception you care and become more willing to work with you in the future. When you show you are responsive, students will also be more receptive to your coaching and feedback.

Strategy #4. Always Be Aware of Your Disposition and Tone: As an educator, you must be mindful of how you feel and the emotions you are experiencing as you work with students, as this will have a direct impact on your disposition. It will extend further into the tone of your communication and for an online class, you are represented by the words you use and you must consider how those words will be interpreted.

While you need to remain professional, it will be helpful to add some warmth to your messages to help develop a connection with your students. For example, consider the difference between the following two options for responding to a student’s email:

#1) “Student: This is my response to your email,” or,

#2) “Hello Student: It is good to hear from you. Here is a suggestion to help answer your question.”

Do you see how the second option communicates professionalism, warmth, and a genuine concern for providing assistance?

Strategy #5. Provide Follow-Up and Follow-Through: This probably one of the most important elements for student success and it involves going beyond answering questions or providing feedback. It means you pay attention to your students, all students, and you make it a point to maintain coaching and mentoring attempts. If a student asks a question by email, and it involves something complex, or may not be easily resolved, a simple follow-up email or call can support their success.

When a student is struggling, has performed poorly, or is not active in a class discussion – don’t wait to see if they improve. Contact that student right away and offer assistance. In addition, consider the value of a phone call and how a personal touch could influence their well-being. As another example, if you tell your students that you don’t have an answer to a question, be sure you find an answer and then follow up with them.

Will You Invest the Time Necessary?

The secret to student success involves the relationships which are established, nurtured, and maintained with them. It is an instructor who interacts directly with students, and knows firsthand how they are performing, which means they understand their needs and areas of development. More importantly, when an instructor is responsive to the needs of their students, they will likely have a greater chance of success.

An instructor who invests the time necessary to support the ongoing progress of their students is accomplishing something even greater; they are reinforcing a sense of persistence within them. Each hurdle a student experiences now becomes a building block, because they are being shown someone cares and wants to help them. All you need to do is to maintain a student-centered focus, in all interactions and instructional tasks, and you will find that supporting the success of your students becomes a natural process.

About Dr. Johnson

Dr. Bruce A. Johnson has 35 years of experience teaching and training adults. The first half of his career was spent in the field of Corporate Training and Development, with his last role as Manager of Training and Development.

Then in 2005, he made a transition into the field of distance learning. Over the past 18 years, he has been an online instructor, Faculty Development Specialist, Faculty Director, Faculty Development Manager, and Dissertation Chair.

Dr. Johnson is also an inspirational author, writer, and educator. His life mission is to teach, mentor, write, and inspire others. He has earned a PhD in Postsecondary and Adult Education, a Certificate in Training and Performance Improvement (TPI), a Master’s in Adult Education, and a Master of Business Administration (MBA).

As a scholar practitioner, Dr. J was published in a scholarly journal, and he has been a featured presenter at an international distance learning conference, along with presenting at three faculty conferences. He has also published over 230 online articles about adult learning, higher education, distance learning, online teaching, and mindset development. Dr. J has published three books related to higher education, including two about online teaching.

  • Getting Down to Business: A Handbook for Faculty Who Teach Business.
  • Transform Adult Education: Expert Teaching Strategies for Educators.
  • Transform Online Teaching: Expert Strategies and Essential Resources Every Educator Needs.

Come join Dr. J’s new group, Motivation for Transformation:

• Any time of the day, visit this group to find your source of motivation, to be inspired and more importantly, have your mindset transformed: Motivation for Transformation

Dr. J offers transformative resources

Please visit Dr. J’s Books page on his brand-new website: Dr. J’s Books

You can also find Dr. J on the following social media sites:  Instagram

       

What Can You Learn From End-of-Course Evaluations?

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What is your belief about an end-of-course evaluation? Do you believe it accurately reflects your performance as an instructor? Or do you live in fear of the reports, as it may affect your standing with the school you teach for now?

I just received my end-of-course evaluations for courses that recently concluded, and I’m at a point now in my career where I look forward to reading these reports. This is real-time feedback I’m receiving from students, who can provide an overview of what their course experience was like, whether it was positive or negative. For students who were highly satisfied and had a positive experience, I look for specific reasons why and try to continue to build upon those aspects for the next course.  

If there was a negative comment made, I usually know who that student was and it’s not because their name was shown, but rather because of what occurred in class. For example, a student may have been reported for plagiarism or a student did not receive the grade expected for an assignment. The evaluation now provides an opportunity for them to express their frustration. My approach is to try to understand their perspective and ascertain if there was anything more that I could have done to improve their outcomes.

I understand the fear instructors may feel about receiving feedback from students, as many academic institutions have expectations about the evaluation outcomes, whether in the form of an overall score or commentary provided. For example, I worked for an institution that focused solely on the overall score as a condition of employment. Yet regardless of the expectations surrounding the end-of-course evaluation, and its purpose for evaluating instructors, I believe there is always something to be learned. It’s a matter of listening to what students have to say and using it for continuous self-improvement as an educator.

Learn From Student Challenges

As those of us who teach online know quite well, our students have a wide variety of learning styles, persistence rates, capacities, capabilities, and academic skills. When they interact with the materials provided, and attempt to complete the weekly requirements, this process occurs without someone physically present to guide them. Whether or not they are able to learn and complete the required activities is going to depend upon their ability to master the concepts, acquire new skills, and develop coherent thoughts into discussion posts and written assignments. Many students can do this with minimal assistance needed, while others will struggle to overcome learning difficulties.

If you have a large class size, you may not know about the extent of your students and their challenges until a course has concluded and they express their frustration on the evaluation form. That’s why it is important to read the feedback received and look for clues related to potential sticking points or barriers to learning. As an example, I once received valuable feedback from students about instructions for an assignment that were unclear to them. It was that information which led me to creating weekly instructional videos to provide clarification for all learning activities, inclusive of discussions and assignments.

Learn Through Self-Reflection

After you receive the evaluation reports, what do you focus your attention on, the positive or negative comments? When I first began teaching online 17 years ago, it didn’t matter if there were 20 positive comments, my focus was always on the one or two negative comments. I thought that somehow, I let my students down. But over time I realized there is something to be learned from all comments received, and negative comments are part of my continued growth.

I find the use of self-reflection is extremely valuable, in which I think about my instructional performance throughout each class week. What I’m focused on is creating a student-centered environment, and student feedback can be used to create a self-development plan. What I have within my control is not the evaluation outcomes, rather it is the classroom environment students are in. I’m continually reflecting upon the feedback received and trying to determine if I am meeting the needs of students, as this ties directly into their academic growth, and perhaps their satisfaction of the course.

Learn From Emotional Reactions

Overall, I believe the evaluations may not measure all aspects of your performance as an instructor. The end-of-course evaluations can show trends; however, these forms do not always provide a complete picture of the work you’ve completed in a classroom. Students may not be fully capable of evaluating every aspect of your instructional duties, especially as related to feedback or your engagement in class discussions. What students can do is describe the emotions experienced during the course, and how their instructor contributed (or did not contribute) to their overall learning. An emotional reaction speaks to the relationship that was or was not established with you as the instructor.

Learn and Grow as an Educator

When your students experience a positive feeling about engagement with you as their instructor, and it includes being valued and appreciated, it is usually a sign that indicates you have developed a meaningful and productive working relationship with them. You’ll find the more you dedicate your time and attention to the needs of your students, the greater their satisfaction with the course will be. This allows you to accept their feedback with an open mind and willingness to learn.

Instead of fearing or dreading the results of your end-of-course evaluations, look forward to discovering the many reasons why you are succeeding as the course instructor. If there are developmental areas discovered, welcome the real-time feedback and its potential to help elevate how you teach. All feedback received from your students provides you with a first-hand perspective of how you are perceived and the effectiveness of your instruction. With a student-centered focus, or putting students first in all you do, it is likely end-of-course evaluations will be a reflection of the transformative experience you’ve created for your students.

About Dr. Johnson

Dr. Bruce A. Johnson has 35 years of experience teaching and training adults. The first half of his career was spent in the field of Corporate Training and Development, with his last role as Manager of Training and Development.

Then in 2005, he made a transition into the field of distance learning. Over the past 18 years, he has been an online instructor, Faculty Development Specialist, Faculty Director, Faculty Development Manager, and Dissertation Chair.

Dr. Johnson is also an inspirational author, writer, and educator. His life mission is to teach, mentor, write, and inspire others. He has earned a PhD in Postsecondary and Adult Education, a Certificate in Training and Performance Improvement (TPI), a Master’s in Adult Education, and a Master of Business Administration (MBA).

As a scholar practitioner, Dr. J was published in a scholarly journal, and he has been a featured presenter at an international distance learning conference, along with presenting at three faculty conferences. He has also published over 230 online articles about adult learning, higher education, distance learning, online teaching, and mindset development. Dr. J published three books related to higher education, including two about online teaching.

Getting Down to Business: A Handbook for Faculty Who Teach Business.

Transform Adult Education: Expert Teaching Strategies for Educators.

Transform Online Teaching: Expert Strategies and Essential Resources Every Educator Needs.

Come join Dr. J’s new group, Motivation for Transformation:

• Any time of the day, visit this group to find your source of motivation, to be inspired and more importantly, have your mindset transformed: Motivation for Transformation

Dr. J offers transformative resources:

Please visit the Books page and Store page for transformative resources: Dr. J’s Books

You can also find Dr. J on the following social media sites:  Instagram

       

Three Strategies to Help Students Develop an “I Can Attitude”

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Teaching adult students is a rewarding experience as I have found them to be goal driven and motivated to learn something they can apply to their lives or careers. When they make an investment in a degree program it is usually done with an expectation it will be of benefit in some manner, whether immediately or upon graduation. When I am engaged and highly involved in the class, students believe they are receiving something of value – and this motivates me to perform my best as an educator.

I know it is natural for some students to lose interest in the course topics, discussions, or assignments over time. If I have established a good relationship with them, and I have been responsive to their requests and questions, I am able to help keep them engaged during times when they are not feeling highly enthusiastic. There are also going to instances when students struggle with aspects of the class that should seem self-explanatory or easy to understand. For example, I have watched students get sidelined with writing assignments when they simply cannot think of a starting point or topic to begin writing about, and their academic writing skills are so under-developed they reach a point where the only option may be to completely give up.

When students reach this point, they may express “I can’t” – either through their direct words or indirect actions. These students present a challenge for me as an educator; not for me to question my career choice, rather it challenges me to be a better educator and help these students succeed.

I know this form of expression represents their frustration and there is an underlying issue which must be addressed. While I may never know the exact cause of the issue, I must try to help turn the phrase “I can’t” into “I can” or at the very least, turn it into “I will try” and encourage them not to give up.

How Students Express “I Can’t”

Students may express “I can’t” several ways without stating those words. Using a written assignment as an example, students have told me what they submitted is the best they can do, they worked hard and should have earned an “A” letter grade even though the requirements were not fully met, and they put in the minimum effort needed because that is all they know how to do. In other words, they are stating they cannot do better because they either do not know how to perform better, they were not encouraged to do so, or they have performed in this manner long enough that it has become a matter of routine.

There are also other indirect methods in which an “I can’t” statement may be expressed. You can tell students have this mindset when their performance begins to decline with class discussions or assignments, you find mistakes are repeated even when helpful feedback has been provided to them, or they are starting to miss assignment deadlines.

For any educator, it may be difficult to determine if the reason for any of these issues is a matter of “I can’t” or “I won’t” – or if there are any other underlying causes. What makes these situations even more challenging is that students may not be very receptive or open to receiving help, once they have reached this level of frustration.  

Regardless of the reasons, direct or indirect statements of this nature may be an expression of “I can’t do better than this right now” – until someone helps them to “do” otherwise or encourages them change their frame of reference. You do not have to know the actual reasons why help is needed for your students; you only need to acknowledge they are struggling and then try to help them.

Consider Your Perspective as an Educator

Any time you have students who are no longer able to realize their full potential, and you sense a lack of resilience when they are faced with challenges, it is helpful to first conduct an internal self-assessment of your expectations. For example, are you familiar with class discussions and assignments, and what should constitute a strong level of performance from your student? You have read responses and papers long enough to know what constitutes marginal, acceptable, and outstanding work on the part of your students.

However, if you have been working with those same learning activities long enough that your personal tolerance level for what you consider to be subpar responses and papers may be quite low now. You may have reached a point that you expect all students to make an above average effort, which may not be possible for all students to achieve.

For example, the best effort a student puts in may only be an average discussion response or written paper. That is their best, until they learn how to perform better with time and practice. This is the reason why it is helpful to re-examine your expectations, to determine if you expect too much from students, or if you can do more to help them reach their full potential.

Helping Students Develop an “I Can” Attitude

Whenever a student expresses “I can’t” to you in some form, either directly or indirectly, you should begin with a diagnosis to determine if it is a matter of “I won’t”, “I don’t know how”, “I’m not sure where to begin”, “I’m uncertain I can”, I am unable to find resources”, “I need help but I do not know how to ask for assistance”. In other words, look beyond the initial statement or what you believe the reactionary condition may be to determine if the underlying cause can be ascertained as you can better assist the student when you address problems rather than symptoms.

Whether or not you can learn about the underlying issue, you can still attempt to work with your students to help lessen their anxieties and change both their perspectives and outcomes. The following are strategies you can implement to meet this goal.

Strategies to Assist Students: The most important starting for working with students who seem unable to complete a task or activity is to ensure you are approaching your response to them from a position of empathy and genuine concern for their academic well-being. They will be able to tell from the perceived tone of your voice, along with anything you post in an online classroom or send by email, whether you are going through the motions or truly care about them. Your attitude also determines the amount of effort you will put into trying to assist them, and how willing you will be to try to find solutions for them.

Strategy #1 Immediate and Direct Contact:  Often when I worked with faculty in my role as faculty development specialist, I recommended they offer one-on-one contact with students through an outreach method such as an email. However, when a student has reached a point where they are stuck – waiting for a reply and attempting to schedule a meeting can take time and further escalate their frustration.

One approach I’ve used is to contact the student immediately by phone as most of my classes have been taught online. If I am unable to reach the student, I will leave a detailed request and provide times when I am available, making a genuine offer of assistance. I also add the student’s name to my calendar, and check on them again, to ensure I have received a response and if not, I will continue my direct attempts. Some schools I worked for only want communication to occur through the learning management system. If that’s the case, I use messaging for contact. I can also set up a Zoom meeting for a one-on-one discussion.

Strategy #2 Consider the Student’s State of Mind: Whenever a student appears to be frustrated, or they are unable to meet any of the course requirements, they are not going to have a positive frame of reference and it may extend towards you as their instructor. What I never want to do is to push back at the student or argue with them about the issue they are concerned about and instead, I will acknowledge their concerns as being valid and express interest in resolving them.

Even if the reason why they cannot complete a task is invalid, there is something involved that has created a barrier and this is what I want to help them get past somehow. The more I can work with students, the more they will be willing to work with me.

Strategy #3 Provide Immediate Assistance: Another helpful strategy is to provide assistance when you respond to them, rather than wait until you can speak with them. As an example, if I am providing feedback for a paper and I notice the same errors are being made from week to week, and I have provided detailed feedback before, I will write a personalized message with my notes to the student that includes a list of recommended resources and an offer to speak one-on-one. I can also utilize the same approach for an online class discussion, if I read continued minimal responses.

I can post a general classroom announcement and offer tips and resources. I can also contact the student, request a time to speak with them, and ask for their feedback first about class discussions to gauge their perspective before I try to assess what I believe the issue might be. If they believe they are meeting the necessary requirements, I can discuss strategies for creating substantive and engaging posts. The purpose of these strategies is to be proactive and develop a connection with my students, which goes beyond just sending an email asking to speak with them.

Students Who Cannot Progress

It is not uncommon for students to experience sticking points as they progress through a course. If they can be resilient and persist on their own, they will find a way to resolve any challenges encountered – sometimes with and without the help of their instructors. But when students remain stuck, and they cannot progress any further with a task or learning activity, this is when they are likely to express their inability to complete the requirements either directly or indirectly to their instructors.

As an educator, you always have a choice as to how you will approach these students. You may allow these students to continue and expect or hope they will figure it out on their own, you may demand compliance, or you may choose to empathize with them and provide assistance. Students will be more likely to discover their ability to resolve challenges experienced when they change their perspective about the learning process.

This is something you have an ability to influence through any action or inaction taken when you discover they are struggling. Changing “I can’t” to “I can” will take some effort, and I know the work of an instructor already takes significant time; however, the result for your students is a renewed sense of accomplishment, self-belief, and self-worth. One of the most important academic lessons any student can learn is the power of the words “I can”, as a result of your encouragement, empathy, and willingness to spend time with them.

About Dr. Johnson

Dr. Bruce A. Johnson has 35 years of experience teaching and training adults. The first half of his career was spent in the field of Corporate Training and Development, with his last role as Manager of Training and Development.

Then in 2005, he made a transition into the field of distance learning. Over the past 18 years, he has been an online instructor, Faculty Development Specialist, Faculty Director, Faculty Development Manager, and Dissertation Chair.

Dr. Johnson is also an inspirational author, writer, and educator. His life mission is to teach, mentor, write, and inspire others. He has earned a PhD in Postsecondary and Adult Education, a Certificate in Training and Performance Improvement (TPI), a Master’s in Adult Education, and a Master of Business Administration (MBA).

As a scholar practitioner, Dr. J was published in a scholarly journal, and he has been a featured presenter at an international distance learning conference, along with presenting at three faculty conferences. He has also published over 230 online articles about adult learning, higher education, distance learning, online teaching, and mindset development. Dr. J published three books related to higher education, including two about online teaching.

Getting Down to Business: A Handbook for Faculty Who Teach Business.

Transform Adult Education: Expert Teaching Strategies for Educators.

Transform Online Teaching: Expert Strategies and Essential Resources Every Educator Needs.

Come join Dr. J’s new group, Motivation for Transformation:

• Any time of the day, visit this group to find your source of motivation, to be inspired and more importantly, have your mindset transformed: Motivation for Transformation

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Please visit the Books page and Store page for transformative resources: Dr. J’s Books

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