In an ever-changing world, we engage with our students in constructive ways, provoking thought, and encouraging critical thinking. For this reason, I find it helpful to share my own learning experiences with them, treat all students equitably by having clear course policies, and by offering low-stakes opportunities to demonstrate their developing knowledge.

Tell them your story

Something that stands out to me is that oftentimes students think that professors were born as professors and they had the life-long goal of being a professor. This might be true in some cases, but not for others. Students also might think that all of their professors were model dedicated students with 4.0 GPAs and high aspirations of contributing to society through education. Whatever your particular story may be, I encourage you to share it with your students, and provide them with your example of how your decisions lead you through life and got you to where you are today. I find that by sharing my non-linear academic and life journey, it sheds light onto the myriads of possibilities that lay before them as they continue their academic, personal, and professional journey themselves. By doing this, you become something other than the gatekeeper between them and a good grade.

Be equitable: Trust, but verify

The proverb “Trust, but verify” comes to mind when a student says their internet was out, or their hard drive ate their homework, or they had a flat tire on their way to the exam. Make sure you have a policy for making up assignments that is enforced across the board. I use a ‘make up form’ that students must complete and attach documentation and if there is documentation of a legitimate emergency, then a make up is possible, and if not, then it is not possible. I am sure to apply this policy to all students so that there is no perception of favoritism or bias. This also adds value to the assignments for those students who routinely submit their work on time despite having to sacrifice social time or sleep if they see that those that do not follow the rules don’t simply get a pass to submit something late. Also, recognizing that students have more than just one class, I typically offer more homework assignments than are required for the course, such as completing 13 out of the 14 assignments. This way, if there is one assignment per week in a 14-week semester, students can opt to skip one, or forget to do one without penalty. And for those students that submit all 14, one can count towards extra credit. 

Idea exploration with low stakes

Consider the learning objectives of the course and what you want students to walk away being able to do or understand at the end of the semester. Students can be bombarded with information and some of the only opportunities they have to showcase their knowledge is through high stakes assignments. I like to include opportunities for students to explore their current state of understanding of the course material and offer opportunities to revisit the material. I find useful the Voice Prompt feature in Connect that students either complete in pairs or individually. In this case, I reference the course reading for the day by posing a question for them to explore together (or individually), then record their discussion within Connect. I am not looking for a well-polished and complete answer, I merely expect them to think through their response. I score these on a five-point scale from prepared completion (5 points) to non-completion (0 points).

Ultimately, students’ grades are linked to their performance on the assessment measures of the course, but by building a rapport of trust with them, we can support their learning through their stages of knowledge development and foster their personal and academic growth.