Sense of belonging
Breaking the ice:
- Use regular ice-breakers – not only in Week 1. Check for great examples here.
- Ask students to physically move around the room and introduce themselves to others while recording the name of each person they meet and one interesting thing about them.
- Try to learn the names of students and encourage them to learn each other’s names. Student name tags or table plates are a good idea! Check out more ideas here.
- Learn about your students’ personal and professional interests and encourage them to learn the same about each other.
Being approachable:
- Make yourself approachable to students.
- Add a small bio, photo or small video about your self on the vUWS page (consult first with your unit coordinator).
- Let students know when and how to contact you if they have questions while encouraging them to find answers to some standard questions themselves (e.g. assessment due dates).
- Allocate time for students to talk about their academic progress with you after class or during a pre-set time.
- Know where to refer students if they experience non-academic issues. For a list of Western’s services, see here.
Developing a rapport with students:
- Developing a rapport means creating trust, understanding and good communication between you and your students.
- Use a positive tone of voice and open body language.
- Ask open-ended questions to encourage students’ input.
- Chat with students about general topics at the beginning of class or during the break, such as:
- How are they settling into university?
- What do they like or dislike about the experience?
- How is it different from school/work?
- What else is happening in their lives (hobbies/jobs)?
Encouraging peer-learning:
- Peer-learning is students working together in formal or informal groups.
- Include Think-Pair-Share or small group discussions in each class to encourage collaboration and team work. For more ideas, check here.
- Prompt students to form informal study groups – either face-to-face or online.
- Help students build team work skills and strategies. See for helpful resources here.
- Find out here if your unit has a PASS session, and encourage students to join if it does.
- Explain the difference between genuine collaboration and collusion, which is a serious academic misconduct. You can refer students to the Academic Integrity FAQ and the Academic Integrity Checklist.
Modelling respectful conversations and attitudes:
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As teachers, we are important role models for students, whether intentionally or otherwise.
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Model a respectful attitude towards different approaches and perspectives, including and validating those of students.
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Require students to respect you and their fellow classmates/peers.
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Introduce students to the Student Code of Conduct.
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Agree with students on the guidelines for interaction and discussion in your classroom – click here for examples of discussion guidelines for humanities and SCEM disciplines.
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Address any violations of classroom rules respectfully but firmly – ask unit coordinators for advice and support if needed.
Seeking students' feedback:
- The more people contribute to a community, the more they feel like they belong.
- It’s important for the student voice to be heard and to value student input.
- Ask for students’ feedback throughout the semester, not only at the end of it. For example, you can use the format of a one minute paper.
- Decide on what kind of feedback you want. It can cover students’ experience of class, reflect on their progress and/or areas for improvement.
- Reflect on the feedback you get and discuss what can be addressed with the unit coordinator.
Curiosity Box
Do you know about peer-mentoring programs at Western Sydney University? Annually, these programs engage over 1000 students in volunteer and paid leadership roles and reach over 15,000 of their peers with individual phone conversations, informal group catch-ups, planned mentoring sessions and structured learning sessions.
Some examples include: