How To Help College Students Feel Like They Belong From Day 1

Students’ perception of their learning environment starts before they even enter the classroom. How an instructor communicates about class expectations, outlines the support they will provide students, and makes available resources in a course syllabus can shape students’ views not only on the course, but also perceptions of themselves as learners.

There’s a growing body of evidence showing that instructors can take easy but impactful steps to better support students – even before the course starts. The Student Experience Project (SEP), which the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities and Coalition of Urban Serving Universities co-lead with others, recently explored the impact revising course syllabi can have on how students perceive their learning environment.

The result? In a study involving nearly 300 instructors revising course syllabi using evidence-based practices at six public urban research universities, students found that revised syllabi were considerably more supportive and clearer than those that hadn’t been revised. Asked to rank a sample of 74 syllabi for how supportive and clear they are, students reported revised syllabi were 25 percent more supportive and 8 percent clearer than unrevised syllabi – creating a more welcoming learning environment for students. Students indicated that they would be more likely to take a course when the syllabus included statements and policies helping students navigate challenges like textbook affordability, balancing school and outside responsibilities, and seeking support when struggling academically.

Now the SEP is making available tools to help to instructors everywhere apply the lessons from this promising research to their own courses. The SEP launched an online syllabus revision module with recorded videos to demonstrate practical tips for developing syllabi to create an environment where all students can learn and grow. It also unveiled a syllabus review guide to help faculty revise syllabi that empowers students to overcome hurdles that are an inevitable part of learning. Additionally, the SEP released a workshop facilitation guide to encourage institutions to convene faculty to exchange ideas, get peer feedback on syllabi, and debrief the revision process. And it launched a set of first day practices designed to promote student belonging, equity, and growth on the first day of class after revising their syllabi. By putting research into practice, the SEP is giving instructors the tools to better serve their students.

And it’s not just students who valued the syllabus revision process. Over 90 percent of instructors said they would recommend the syllabus revision training to a colleague and 90 percent reported the training helped them incorporate a growth mindset into their syllabus. Some faculty reported overhauling their syllabi for the first time in over a decade, realizing the importance of intentionally conveying their belief in students’ abilities to succeed.

Many instructors are eager to find other ways to foster a growth mindset in their courses. That’s why the SEP is working with institutions to scale up and study the impact of other evidence-based practices for increasing student belonging. This includes efforts such as reviewing course policies to promote equity, delivering feedback in ways that foster trust and academic engagement, increasing avenues for collaborative peer learning, and highlighting the work of diverse scholars.

The SEP has convened faculty at six universities to foster a sense of belonging and a growth mindset, both in the classroom and the wider campus, and is collecting data every three to four weeks from 12,000 students on their experiences in the courses while also tracking their academic performance in. This summer, the SEP will unveil data on the impact of these practices while also releasing critical new resources for instructors and institutions seeking to improve learning environment for students.

This work comes at a critical time. The pandemic created extraordinary new obstacles to teaching and learning, leaving many students to wonder if they would be able to succeed in college. As instructors and institutions seek to help overcome these setbacks, new tools for creating a welcoming learning environment can play a key role – not just in creating a better learning environment for students, but also ensuring more students finish college with a life-changing degree in hand.