The first entirely-online semester of Carleton under COVID-19 has just ended, and students have come away from it with mixed reviews.
For some, adjusting to the online setting has been difficult, and have relied on their peers to help them get through it. However, for most students, the people who play the biggest role in ensuring a good university experience are their professors—particularly the ones who base their teaching on building and maintaining relationships with their students.
When looking closely at what did and didn’t work with online schooling in my experience, I realized communication was important. Professors who were able to express the material and their thoughts clearly and with a level of inspiring enthusiasm was especially important.
Students take courses to learn, often taking courses in subjects in which they have no background knowledge—adding them to their course cart because the course title or description made them genuinely curious. A single negative experience with a professor due to poor communication can make the student lose interest in the course entirely and even in extreme circumstances, lose interest in the field of study.
Luckily, this is not something I had to deal with this year. My political science professor in particular spoke with such confidence and passion that he actually made me want to do the readings and almost forced me to talk to him during his office hours to continue the discussion. I felt myself wanting to build a relationship, which got me to engage even more with the course content.
Speaking of office hours, another sign of a great professor is one that makes time for their students in the form of office hours and even beyond, strengthening the relationship between them and their students. When you need their assistance, they are attentive listeners and are able to assist you with ease and clarity.
A major issue students have faced during online schooling is the feeling of isolation and believing that they are alone in their struggles, as discussion with others is often more difficult online. My best professors made me feel as though I wasn’t alone in my stresses. Being able to just sit down and talk to them made me feel welcome, which is something I believe is essential for instructors who care about the relationship they have with their students.
Additionally, another big contributor to a successful student-professor relationship is the professor ensuring that their students are all treated equally. Expecting excellence out of everyone and not playing favourites makes everyone more engaged, and though viewing a professor as having some kind of favouritism is subjective, it does happen—and it can have serious consequences for the learning of their students.
Students who observe their instructors playing favourites may experience feelings of alienation, resentment, and a toxic class dynamic as a result. Especially in a university setting when this is the start of people’s real-life careers, favouritism can make them second guess their intellect and strengths.
One of the things that impressed me the most about Carleton were my instructors’ and TAs’ attitudes towards treating each student with the same level of dedication and respect, regardless of their prior knowledge—or lack thereof—of a given subject. I never felt looked down upon when requesting extra help or asking seemingly obvious questions, which made me feel as if they cared about the relationship I had with them, making me want to engage with the course more.
Perhaps the most striking thing I noticed from my top-tier professors was their ability to acknowledge the personal, sensitive aspects of their students’ lives. Due to the lockdowns and mandated social isolation, many students are facing physical and mental health issues that go beyond the classroom, whether it directly affects them or their families or friends.
Professors are going above and beyond by helping students deal with these problems. Even if it is virtually, supporting your students is an incredibly appreciated and important aspect of being an educator. Many students look to their professors as mentors, a role they should take just as seriously as their curriculums.
Reaching out to specific students whose grades have suddenly dropped and cancelling assignments or evaluations in light of sudden situations are signs of a professor who cares about the relationship they have with their students, and thus are signs of an exceptional professor.
Being a great professor requires a great many things, and making a semester comfortable for students requires a significant amount of skill and effort. Fortunately, I have been lucky enough to have a great group of professors who hit all the marks in terms of making their courses accessible, engaging, and a light in the dark tunnel of digital schooling—rendering my pandemic experience much different than it could have been.
Featured graphics by Sara Mizannojehdehi.
