Building Strong Student-Faculty Relationships: Best Practices for Higher Education

Student-faculty relationships are a cornerstone of a thriving higher education experience. As noted in previous analysis (Puckett and Felten 2024), these relationships significantly contribute to learning, motivation, identity development, well-being, and graduation rates (Felten and Lambert 2020). When students feel connected to the campus community, they are more likely to be retained and excel academically, creating a beneficial environment for everyone.

The Importance of Student-Faculty Relationships

A strong student-faculty connection is integral to achieving academic success in and out of the classroom. Students face many complex challenges in higher education, from adjusting to a new environment to meeting ever-increasing academic standards.

Research indicates that student-faculty relationships are the most crucial connection within a collegiate community (Campbell & Campbell, 1997; Kuh & Hu, 1991). Nagda, Gregerman, Jonides, von Hippel, and Lerner (1998) point out that a lack of integration or isolation of the student within the institution is an important factor contributing to student departure. The effects of weak student-faculty contact have been repeatedly cited as a cause of student withdrawal from college. A sense of connection with teachers helps students feel like they belong at the institution.

Benefits of Positive Relationships

Academic Achievement and Engagement: Strong relationships between students and teaching staff result in greater academic achievement and engagement.
Support and Guidance: These connections help learners feel supported inside and outside of the classroom. Faculty members who eagerly help students overcome academic challenges and create a welcoming environment for getting advice or feedback are highly valuable to an institution.
Academic and Research Opportunities: Positive student-faculty connections can also facilitate greater academic and research opportunities. With the right support and guidance, students can more easily navigate new concepts, exercise critical thinking, and boost problem-solving skills.
Career Mentorship: The role of faculty and student connections goes far beyond the boundaries of campus. Teaching faculty have real-world experience and expertise in their fields, making them excellent mentors for individuals at the beginning of their careers. Students who feel connected with their instructors can capitalize on this professional network to find job opportunities.
Sense of Belonging: Community is essential in higher education. The connections between students and faculty play an important role in establishing a strong sense of belonging. Learners who develop meaningful relationships with their educators feel more supported and valued.
Mental Health Support: With the increased emphasis on mental health in higher education, instructors are responsible for fostering open communication and advising struggling students.
Collaboration: Healthy student-faculty connections also enhance collaboration for research initiatives, community engagement activities, and other academic projects. These relationships make students feel like they can get the advice, support, and feedback needed to succeed.
Leadership Skills: One of the principal benefits of faculty-student mentoring is that it develops leadership skills. Together, mentors and mentees can practice communication and decision-making.
Goal Setting and Career Exploration: Many students find the future abstract and uncertain. Mentors put their minds at ease, allowing students to explore their interests in a safe space. They assist in setting realistic goals, discussing potential career paths, and building professional networks. With mentorship, students can set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals.
Friendship and Support: Mentorship often results in trusted friendships. It’s normal for students to encounter challenges on their academic journeys. Mentorship goes both ways, offering students nonjudgmental guidance, support, and practical growth strategies.
Skill Enhancement for Mentors: Mentors sharpen and expand their skills while enjoying the fulfillment of enhancing the lives of their mentees.
Critical Thinking: Mentorship and the resulting student-faculty connection fosters an environment where critical thinking can flourish. Mentors help students develop problem-solving skills and teach them how to approach challenges constructively.
Lifelong Learning: The mentorship dynamic also cultivates a lifelong learning mindset. Students learn to articulate their thoughts and acceptably defend their viewpoints, while mentors benefit from new ideas and perspectives.

Strategies for Building Relationships

Colleges and universities can take steps to bridge the gap between learners and instructors.

1. Empathy and Understanding

Faculty can prioritize student well-being by understanding and addressing their needs. Some 18% of participants (328 individual entries) submitted something coded under “empathy.” A typical response is “Find out their needs, meet them there,” and another common answer is “Actively listen to them.” Advisors can aid in building this connection by helping students understand that they should get to know their professors, if only so that faculty can teach them better.

2. Open Communication

Open communication is the first step in connecting faculty and students. Learners need to know how to reach their instructors outside of class. Office hours are a great way for students and educators to get time one-on-one. They offer a time and place to discuss complicated concepts from class and deepen relationships. When faculty and students feel comfortable openly expressing their thoughts and feedback, it creates a supportive and trusting environment. Advisors who work with distance-learners can help their advisees build relationships with faculty, even if those relationships must take place over a physical distance. Morris and Finneagan (2008) report that faculty presence online and faculty participation are important to online students.

3. Building Student Collaboration

Building student collaboration into the course structure was the second most common technique described by faculty. Approximately 17% of participants shared a practice in this category (303 individual responses). This broad category includes everything from "think-pair-share" to long-term group projects. When students have opportunities to work together, they learn about each other and discover ways to work together even though they’re different. Assign seats, and change them often to encourage collaboration.

4. Individual Interactions

Individual interactions were the third most common category of responses, accounting for roughly 16% of participants (289 total). Many submissions mentioned either requiring students to attend office hours or creating opportunities for informal chats to emphasize the importance of meeting with students one-on-one.

5. Personalization and Adaptive Learning

Another tip for strengthening the bond between an institution’s faculty and students is to emphasize the value of personalized interactions. Students can easily fly under the radar in today’s academic landscape, especially in virtual classes. Personalization and adaptive learning approaches are increasingly commonplace in higher education because they are more engaging and impactful. Every learner is different.

6. Sharing Personal Stories

The final significant category, accounting for 14% of responses (253 participants), involves faculty sharing or inviting students to offer personal stories. Many faculty mentioned making themselves appear more “human” to students by recounting stories from their own education: “I like to share my background with students and let them know that in many cases I have been through what they are currently going through in their educational journey.” Many also highlighted the importance of creating opportunities for students to share pieces of themselves with their instructor or their peers, such as when one participant stated that they prioritize “creating consistent opportunities for students to share personal and professional experiences, and ideas about the learning topics.” This category is distinct from a traditional icebreaker or first day of class “get-to-know-you” activities, which are coded separately. Advisors can facilitate conversations between students and faculty members by reminding students that their teachers were once students themselves. Encouraging students to share their concerns with faculty members can give students a different 'take' on a problem.

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7. Mentorship Programs

A proper mentorship program is a fantastic way to bring faculty and students closer together. The first is assigning each learner a specific instructor to meet with periodically. During these meetings, instructors and students will review current coursework and create a strategic plan for the future. Mentorship programs can also be less structured, allowing students and professors to create professional relationships organically. These mentor-mentee relationships can also inspire more individuals to connect on a deeper level with a teaching faculty.

8. Professional Development for Faculty

When a higher education institution’s faculty has the tools they need to succeed, they can refine their methodologies, expand their understanding of new teaching concepts, and ultimately improve student experiences. Some popular examples of professional development opportunities include training, conferences, workshops, and online learning platforms.

9. Recognition and Appreciation

Another way for higher education institutions to facilitate strong and meaningful connections between faculty and students is through recognition. Shed light on their accomplishments, particularly in terms of how they give back to their students. Encourage teaching staff to recognize their students, too. In addition to spotlighting the successes, faculty can also benefit from recognizing when students are struggling with their coursework. Early intervention can help a student get back on the right track for academic success. Faculty appreciation initiatives can also be a helpful tool in bringing together faculty and students. Urge an institution’s students to recognize the instructors making a difference in their lives.

10. Collaborative Projects and Community Initiatives

A college or university can encourage its students and teaching staff to enhance their relationships through collaborative academic projects or community initiatives. These types of projects incorporate elements of mentorship, allowing students to learn from instructors in real-world experiences. Working on these initiatives allows instructors to demonstrate professional collaboration and teamwork, helping students gain valuable working experience.

11. Social Events and Gatherings

If a higher education institution is interested in new ways to enhance faculty-student connections, social events may be the perfect idea. Whether a college or university hosts these meetups virtually or in person, students and teaching staff can connect on common interests that extend past the course curriculum and work.

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Department Gatherings: Consider hosting special events for each department. For instance, the English department may have poetry slams or coffee with an author.
Cultural Activities: Allow faculty and students to bond over cultural events, like international food, art, or speakers. These special events bring a campus together and encourage the celebration of each other’s unique backgrounds.

12. Extracurricular Activities

When teaching staff engages with students in extracurricular activities or clubs, it creates a strong sense of community. Promote active participation in the student body. Incentivize them to attend campus events, including theater, sports, speakers, and seminars. These events offer a valuable opportunity for students and faculty to have informal interactions that break down barriers, enhance communication, and establish a sense of camaraderie.

13. Small Group Instruction

One tactic every faculty member can utilize to get to know their students better is small group instruction or activities. Smaller groups typically mean more time for individualized attention and care from the professor.

14. Targeted Mentorship

Mentorship is even more powerful when you target the right students. Developing effective mentorship programs for students at risk can keep them engaged and on track to completion. The best way to identify these students is through data.

Course Registration: Start with course registration, analyzing which students have not signed up for courses.
Reduced Help-Seeking Behavior: A consistent reluctance to ask for help can be a sign of disengagement. Look for students who rarely seek assistance even when facing academic challenges.

Additional Strategies for Faculty

Learn Names Quickly and Correctly: Value student diversity and identity by learning names quickly and pronouncing them correctly. Only use nicknames if students prefer them; never create a nickname for a student, because this strips him or her of the identity that is embedded in a name.
Show-and-Tell: Help students feel they’re more than just another student by allowing them to bring in something that represents them, their culture, or some activity that they enjoy doing.
Post Student Pictures and Student Work: Remind older students that you value their work by posting pictures and student work.
Find Small Ways to Connect: Use circle time for students to share compliments, weekend activities, or how they are feeling.
Simply Listen: Taking time to make small talk can help break down barriers to learning.

Strategies for Students

Visit Office Hours: Check the syllabus for instructor’s office hours and visit at least twice a semester. Prepare a question or topic to discuss.
Participate in Class: Respond to questions, ask your own questions, and engage in discussions.
Communicate Clearly via Email: Begin emails by stating who you are and what class and section you are in. Describe your question or concern clearly and concisely.
Reach Out When Absent: Inform your instructor if you will be absent and assure them you will get the notes from another student.
Be Familiar with the Syllabus: Avoid asking questions whose answers are readily available on the syllabus.
Write Your Name on Everything: Always include your full name, class name, section number, and date on assignments.
Get Involved: Participate in research studies or join clubs led by professors.
Keep in Touch After Class: Maintain relationships with professors even after the class is over.

Ethical Considerations and Boundaries

It is crucial to acknowledge the inherent power imbalance between faculty and students. Universities often have specific policies in place to address potential conflicts of interest and ensure ethical conduct. For example, the University of Michigan has SPG 601.22, which prohibits Covered Teachers (including Faculty Members, Graduate Student Instructors, and Undergraduate Students Responsible for the Delivery of Course Content) from having a Covered Relationship (sexual, romantic, amorous, and/or dating) with any Learner (undergraduate, graduate, professional, non-degree, and visiting students, as well as Postdoctoral Research Fellows) in a class, lab, field, or other setting in which the Covered Teacher has Academic or Supervisory Authority over the Learner. Faculty Members are subject to broader prohibitions than other Covered Teachers. These policies are in place to protect students' interests and maintain a fair and respectful learning environment.

The Role of Advisors

Advisors can play a vital role in facilitating conversations between students and faculty members. They can help students understand the benefits of building these relationships and offer practical advice on how to approach faculty. Advisors can remind students who feel negatively towards interacting with a particular teacher that people behave differently in groups than in one-on-one situations. Advisors should tell students that the most fruitful conversations with faculty center on learning, rather than grades.

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