Student views of instructor-student rapport in the college classroom

Getting medieval on education

“…It should also be stressed that students should be allowed to advocate their own position on an argument and should be assessed not on that opinion but only on how well they defend it. Eliminating the fear of instructor bias allows students more freedom of introspection and in general has produced higher-quality work, as students generally put more work into something they believe in rather than something they are assigned or believe they must defend for fear of consequences (Webb and Barrett 2014). This is as relevant today with the rise of political and social tribalism as it was in the medieval period with the orthodoxy of the Catholic Church.…”

“…6 It should be stressed that this only works when the students trust their professor will not treat students who disagree with their own view differently either in class interaction or through grades. This trust cannot be assumed and must be built up throughout the semester (Webb and Barrett 2014). My students also admitted they put more thought and effort into their papers when they get the opportunity to advocate for their own views and beliefs.…”

Building and Maintaining Rapport to Engage Students

“…If you're not familiar with this literature, building good rapport with students has been linked to many benefits, including lower anxiety, increased motivation, and greater learning (Coupland, 2003; Frisby & Martin, 2010; Frisby & Myers, 2008; Webb & Barrett, 2014a,b). Rapport has also been proposed as a key feature to fostering a positive classroom experience for students (Schrodt & Witt, 2006).…”

“…There are many ways to define rapport (see Webb & Barrett, 2014a,b), but the general consensus in the literature is that rapport involves a pleasant, personal connection, relationship, or interaction built on mutual trust and harmony (Faranda & Clarke, 2004; Gremler & Gwinner, 2000). What this looks like in practice is a genuine interest in each individual student.…”

Teachers’ and Students’ Perceptions of Excellence in Teaching in Colombia

“…Similar to our findings, studies in different countries have also found that students and faculty agree that characteristics such as being knowledgeable and respectful are key qualities of excellent teachers (Keeley, Christopher, and Buskist ). Other researchers have found that possessing the verbal communication skills to convey their knowledge is a key indicator of excellence in teaching (Khandelwal ; Webb and Barrett ). However, our results seem to differ from studies that indicated that, unlike faculty, students tended to favor the interpersonal qualities to describe excellent teachers (Buskist et al.…”