SUPPORTING STUDENTS-Seeking Human Connections When All We’ve Got Are Virtual Ones,by Adva Waranyuwat

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SUPPORTING STUDENTS

Seeking Human Connections When All We’ve Got Are Virtual Ones

Strategies for Advising Students During Disruptive Times

by Adva Waranyuwat

April 1, 2020


As educators, we’re facing a steep learning curve as we work through the mechanics of teaching online in our new COVID-19 reality. But we can’t forget how difficult this is for students, too. They’re learning to interact with us—and each other—through internet connections only. They’re trying to digest and absorb complicated content and concepts through unfamiliar online learning platforms. And they’re doing all of this while settling into new routines in their home spaces. In short, we are all adjusting.

Layer on top of this the psychological and emotional barriers that are emerging for all of us in virtual environments. We have lost physical proximity and the cues that come with it. The absence of nonverbal communication also means that we’ve lost a critical ability to show and receive care and attention.

So, as you’re interacting with students, whether in your virtual classrooms or in an advisory setting, you can’t lose sight of these new cultural and physical realities. Students may be dealing with any number of cultural and physical barriers—six of which I’ll mention below. As educators, we have to be ready for the consequences of these barriers, which are very likely to surface as we work with students. I’ll also offer some suggestions for how to mitigate the effects of these barriers, based on my experience advising students at Olin College. Finally, I will offer some sample language to use with students as you navigate this new landscape together.

6 Barriers That Students Are Now Facing—and That Educators Should Heed

Inequities are magnified. While inequities exist everywhere, college campuses have at least some equalizing effect when it comes to giving students access to safe spaces and resources, access to you as faculty, and access to study and learning spaces. The physical infrastructure of a campus and the organization that comes with it all serve as stabilizing forces in students’ lives. That is now gone, so preexisting inequities are magnified. Also, students who have difficult home situations can put those situations behind them while they’re on campus—they can cultivate new identities for themselves. This new virtual setup might feel like a spotlight on students’ home lives that they never asked for.

Noticing a discrepancy in performance impacts performance. Students having only the context of physical classes to base their school schema upon will notice all the ways they are falling short of their typical performance. This might magnify the stress they feel about classes and successfully completing the semester. As with many things, this will most adversely impact those students who already struggle academically. Furthermore, students—particularly undergraduates—have a picture in their minds of what college is like. Reconciling that picture with this new remote one, especially in a household that is less conducive to productive learning, might be a great challenge for some students.

Reactions might be more pronounced. As faculty and support staff, we are trying to balance the many parts of our lives that we’ve always juggled. Until recently, we had the built-in benefit of physical and social geography that enabled us to separate our responsibilities. Not anymore. The same is true for students. So in these difficult times, the stress might become more intense. If students are having connectivity issues, for example, they might get anxious and think any number of things: my instructor and peers will think that I’m skipping class; they will wonder what is wrong or they will make assumptions about me or my home life; I’m going to fail because I can’t go to class; I’ll never have reliable internet and I won’t get an internship or job or get into grad school. As instructors and advisors, we need to be mindful of this sort of tendency and know that as things settle in, “this too shall pass.”

Instructors are different from advisors. Students who are feeling intimidated and isolated within this new system might be more sensitive to the authority of an instructor versus the support of an advisor. Students who were already practicing avoidant behaviors at least had the benefit of being packed into a class or discussion section where avoiding people is not so simple. Avoidance is often the first and most predictable response to stress—so if a student is struggling in your class, you can infer that they might not participate as readily. The difference now is that it’s not just because they didn’t understand the assignment that students are struggling. It could be because their parents are yelling at each other, or they had to take care of their siblings or their own children, or they’re stressed about money. Because the struggles may now be much more personal, a student might feel even less inclined to come forward for help because they don’t want to have to explain their personal lives to their teachers. This is where an advising rather than instructional mindset can be a critical link for you to help students acclimate to school as a part of their home life.

Families don’t know how your college works. Some families will be understanding and fine, but some families might see students online with their “friends” and think that they are goofing off or not working. Any time students are connecting with peers, who actually play a very important support role for students, they might need to justify, minimize, or explain this behavior to their family. That’s not the case with an advisor. If a student is meeting with an advisor, parents or families might be less inclined to judge the meeting and will leave students alone. In this way, advisors can play a more reliable support role for students. Also, just like it’s hard to tell a work story to someone who doesn’t understand your workplace, students may prefer to talk about school with an adult from school—not with their parents or family members. This is a role you, as an advisory instructor, can play.

As time drags on, we drag too. As the pandemic persists, you might notice strain and weariness occurring in both you and your students. Sourcing inspiration and getting motivated to prioritize work in the face of global trauma may become increasingly challenging, especially when you’re working remotely. Even if students are “meeting” with people all day long, they can feel quite lonely because of the unnatural way in which we are forced to interact online. Your state of mind as an instructor or advisor is a clue to your students’ state of mind. When you feel isolation or strain, your students are likely feeling it, too. If you are feeling particularly drained about your own work, it may be the perfect opportunity to take a step back, check in with students, be transparent about how hard this situation is, and commune around this shared experience.

“Let students know that when you speak with them as an advisor, it is different from when you speak to them in class. As an advisor, you are there to help students understand their academic landscape and to help them as they make decisions within that landscape.”

What Educators Can Do to Help

As educators, we are in a unique position to help our students. We wear multiple hats all the time, but not always explicitly. It’s important to distinguish our role as an advisor from our role as an instructor.

Let students know that when you speak with them as an advisor, it is different from when you speak to them in class. In advisory moments, you aren’t assessing students’ performance, and you don’t have specific learning or content goals that you want them to internalize. As an advisor, you are there to help students understand their academic landscape and to help them as they make decisions within that landscape. It’s also wise to make yourself more regularly available to individual students and to your student roster as a whole. Approaching your students as an advisor might be your best bet, particularly for students who are struggling in class. They’re more likely to avoid an instructor than an advisor. If particular students were already on your radar before you left campus, make special effort to meet and check in with them now.

The best way to circumvent existing inequities is to openly offer your time to everyone. For those who don’t respond, don’t be afraid to reach out explicitly offering this support. I can’t tell you how many students have been extremely happy to get a check-in from me and really want to maintain some sort of non-class connection. It means a lot to them. If you have the time and resources, set up a regular check-in with all your students and keep those conversations light. If a student sounds like they are having a hard time, send a private chat asking them for an individual meeting.

Use This Language in Case You Get Stuck

Here are some specific ideas for starting conversation when you’re advising students one on one.

Use general check-in questions, but also be specific:

How are things going with school right now? Is anything surprising for you about this setup or how classes are going?

What’s on your mind these days?

Are you keeping up with friends or is it hard to maintain that connection?

What are you learning about yourself in terms of being able to focus and establish a schedule?

What is a day in your life like now? How do you occupy your time these days?

Is there anything that you feel particularly excited to work on or think about? Do you have space to build that into your life?

For those who are struggling academically, lean into that conversation with questions like these:

I know that [class name] has been tough for a lot of students. How are you feeling in that class?

If you have a high level of trust, ask: Have you been submitting your work on time? How many assignments have you had? Do you know the deadlines?

What do you think will be the biggest challenge for you in [class name]?

What are some of the fears that you have about [class name]?

Do you feel able to access support resources? What do you think will be helpful?

Advising student groups in the US is trickier because of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), so keep things broad and general and make a statement that you don’t want to go into personal performance issues. Instead, state that you are hoping to get a general picture of how things are going for the group.

Here are some ideas to help you start a group conversation:

Ask what the students think of the grading system and how it might impact their classes in light of the remote learning setup.

Ask if there any activities or projects that people might be struggling to work on from home.

Learn how different classes are doing things and how it’s going broadly.

Get updates about coronavirus that the students may or may not have.

Do a collaborative activity like co-drawing on the whiteboard in Zoom or talking about a current event topic or issue.

Tell your students how this situation is hitting you and your family; normalize some of the concerns listed above (for example, it’s normal to have strong reactions to things because we are under more stress).

Have students share any funny or heartwarming memes they have seen or clips of shows that they are enjoying lately; share any of your own.

During this difficult time, the intangible element that so many of us seek is human connection—yet all we’ve got are electronic means. This connection is extremely challenging to achieve digitally. Remember that, in this way, we are not so different from our students. Recognizing contextual clues and psycho-emotional barriers—and responding with an advising approach—is a good step toward finding and nurturing that connection with your students.



Source:https://hbsp.harvard.edu/inspiring-minds/seeking-human-connections-when-all-weve-got-are-virtual-ones