Practice Category: Social Connectedness
Social connectedness refers to the creation of bonding relationships. Feelings of connectedness are a contributing factor to students’ social belonging and are essential elements of student satisfaction, academic success, and retention in their own right. Students who feel a sense of social connectedness are more likely to have better social and academic experiences during college, including higher emotional wellbeing, and better health. In this section you will find practice recommendations that can help encourage students’ connectedness with instructors and peers.
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Addressing an Identity Threatening Incident
Guidance on a straightforward and practical approach for addressing identity-threatening incidents in a way that promotes students’ identity safety and social belonging, and builds connection and trust.
Practice Categories: Belonging Identity Safety Social Connectedness Trust and Fairness
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Supporting Self-Efficacy by Integrating Self-Relevance and a Sense of Purpose into Your Course
Approaches to help students see their coursework as relevant to their own experiences and their future goals.
Practice Categories: Belonging Identity Safety Self-Efficacy Social Connectedness
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Creating An Attuned Assessment Wrapper
Resources for bookending (or “wrapping”) key assessments with practices that help students prepare for, and debrief their performance in a way that emphasizes potential for growth, connects to resources, and does not inspire identity threat.
Practice Categories: Growth Mindset Culture Self-Efficacy Social Connectedness Trust and Fairness
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Encouraging Connections in the Classroom
Approaches for encouraging connections between students and the instructional team, and among students.
Practice Categories: Belonging Identity Safety Self-Efficacy Social Connectedness
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Creating a Belonging Story
Guidance on developing and adapting a brief exercise to help students understand that belonging concerns in college are normal, and not a signal that they do not belong or cannot succeed.
Practice Categories: Growth Mindset Culture Belonging Self-Efficacy Social Connectedness
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Creating a Wise Feedback Framing Statement
Guidance on delivering critical feedback in a way that engenders trust, increases academic engagement, and helps close academic outcome gaps; most effective when implemented on all significant assignments or assessments.
Practice Categories: Growth Mindset Culture Identity Safety Self-Efficacy Social Connectedness Trust and Fairness
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Ensuring Classroom Identity Safety
Approaches for creating classroom learning environments where students from diverse identities feel welcome, valued, respected, and as though they are recognized as having the potential to succeed; most effective when implemented continuously throughout the term.
Practice Categories: Belonging Identity Safety Social Connectedness Trust and Fairness
