DRIVER 2

Supportive Instructor & Course Interactions

A key lever for improving equitable student experience is equipping instructors with the knowledge, skills, and tools needed to create an inclusive and supportive classroom environment. Instructors create and communicate the “mindset culture” of their classes through the norms, policies, procedures, and messages in the classroom, as well as in their interactions with students (Murphy & Reeves, 2019).

For example, if instructors make statements implying that some students do not have what it takes to pass the course (i.e., communicating their fixed mindset beliefs about students’ abilities), it raises questions in students’ minds about whether they belong in the course and can succeed at the institution. However, if instructors communicate their growth mindset beliefs about ability—that all students can improve their knowledge and skills with effort, learning, and effective strategies—and provide the resources and strategies to do so, students believe that they can succeed in the course (Boucher et al., 2021). Importantly, faculty’s mindset beliefs and practices relate to student performance in their classes: on average, all students tend to perform better in STEM classes taught by instructors who self-report more growth than fixed mindset beliefs (Canning et al., 2019). These psychological experiences, in turn, predict better course engagement, interest in STEM, and course performance (Muenks et al., 2020).

The institutions in the SEP cohort focused deeply on engaging instructors to use classroom practices that communicate that all students are able to learn and grow their abilities and that all students are valued in the instructor’s classroom. Browse the library below to learn more about these practices.

Three students on computers and laughing together

CHANGE IDEA

Revising syllabi to improve student experience

Instructors can communicate a growth mindset and promote a sense of belonging on the first day of class through the course syllabus and by taking a growth mindset approach to discussing course expectations.

Three students on computers and laughing together

Students working on their computers

CHANGE IDEA

Establishing expectations

When instructors take a growth mindset approach to communicate about course expectations, they communicate an institutional growth mindset about students’ abilities, which in turn has been shown to bolster student engagement, and improve student learning and academic outcomes.

Students working on their computers

Student holding books walking through a classroom

CHANGE IDEA

Creating student-centered course policies

Student-centered course policies promote equity in courses by communicating respect and taking into account the diversity and complexity of students' lived experiences.

Student holding books walking through a classroom

Three students sitting at a table hanging out

CHANGE IDEA

Conveying effective social belonging messages

Feeling valued and connected to others in one's learning community (i.e., having a sense of social belonging) is positively associated with student well-being, academic engagement, and performance.

Three students sitting at a table hanging out

Students at graduation wearing their cap and gown

CHANGE IDEA

Conveying effective growth mindset culture messages

People who have a growth mindset about ability believe that it is malleable and can be improved with effort, feedback, and using effective strategies for learning.

Students at graduation wearing their cap and gown

Graduates throwing their caps into the air in celebration

CHANGE IDEA

Creating a belonging story

Social Belonging is the feeling of being valued and connected to others in one's learning community. Experiencing social belonging in college is positively associated with academic engagement, social integration, and retention.

Graduates throwing their caps into the air in celebration

Happy student raising arm to answer question while attending class with her university colleagues.

CHANGE IDEA

Ensuring classroom identity safety

An identity safe classroom is one where students from diverse identities and backgrounds feel welcome, valued, respected, and as though they are recognized as having the potential to succeed.

Happy student raising arm to answer question while attending class with her university colleagues.

Student reading a book in the library

CHANGE IDEA

Creating an attuned assessment wrapper

A psychologically-attuned assessment wrapper guides students in their preparation for, and debriefing of, a key assessment like an exam, in a way that communicates potential for growth, includes suggestions for this improvement, and does not inspire identity threat.

Student reading a book in the library

Students sitting together at graduation ceremony wearing caps and gowns

CHANGE IDEA

Supporting financially stressed students

It is estimated that more than 50% of undergraduate students in the United States experience basic needs insecurity -- including food insecurity, housing insecurity, or homelessness -- while in college.

Students sitting together at graduation ceremony wearing caps and gowns

Group of students in a lecture hall during class

CHANGE IDEA

Addressing an identity threatening incident

An identity threatening incident is an incident that makes an individual feel unsafe as a result of their membership in a particular identity group or provokes social identity threat -- the worry that one will be viewed in terms of their social group stereotypes, and not as an individual.

Group of students in a lecture hall during class

Engineering student working and listening to music

CHANGE IDEA

Supporting self-efficacy by integrating self-relevance and a sense of purpose into your course

When students find self-relevance in their courses – that is, the coursework is personally meaningful as it connects to a core motivation to help others, one’s community, or society – they experience a sense of purpose toward the work.

Engineering student working and listening to music

Students in production making a film

CHANGE IDEA

Encouraging connections in the classroom

Students who feel a sense of social connectedness are more likely to have better social and academic experiences during college, including higher emotional well-being, and better health.

Students in production making a film

Students celebrating graduation

CHANGE IDEA

Creating a wise feedback framing statement

A Wise Feedback Framing Statement is a brief statement that instructors can include along with comments on key assignments and exams that conveys that the instructor is providing feedback because they have appropriately challenging standards for the course, and believes the student is capable of meeting them.

Students celebrating graduation

Students laughing and having a good time completing their work

CHANGE IDEA

Getting student feedback on classroom experience

Institutional leaders understand that measurement is key to meaningful change. With institutional resources and bandwidth increasingly limited, it is more important than ever to use data to understand the return on investment for any new initiative.

Students laughing and having a good time completing their work

Two students analyzing data on the computer screen

CHANGE IDEA

Establish communities of practice to engage faculty

Institutions in the SEP formed communities of practice to bring together groups of instructors with a shared commitment to improving the university through use of evidence-based strategies to improve student experience.

Two students analyzing data on the computer screen

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