TUESDAY TEACHING TIP: Student-Centered Language

Small shifts in our tone can signal care, reduce anxiety, and foster a sense of belonging—especially for first-generation and historically marginalized students. Warm language enhances student motivation, trust, and engagement. Research shows that inclusive and supportive syllabus language is linked to better perceptions of the instructor and stronger student–instructor relationships

This week, we challenge you to start the quarter on a positive note. 

Here’s one way to do it 

• Include a brief welcome message on Camino that affirms students’ ability to succeed in your course. Open the course early! You might also start a Discussion in Camino where you introduce yourself and ask the students to reply to the post introducing themselves in a short paragraph before the first day of class.
• Check your syllabus or send it through AI to change cold and commanding phrases into exciting invitations. For example, 
  • Replace: “You must submit assignments on time,” with “To help you stay on track, please aim to submit assignments by the due date.”
  • Use collaborative phrasing like “Let’s work together to…” or “You’re encouraged to…”
• Learning Objectives should be student-centered with the student as the main actor, not the course or the faculty.
  • Replace: “This course will expose students to the subject matter of …” with “Students will be able to apply … “ or “You will be able to apply the framework of this subject matter of …”
• Invite students to your office hours. Instead of only listing the time, add a sentence such as, “students are welcome to meet me in … “ Bonus suggestion - hold office hours in central meeting places like Benson or the library where students are often otherwise spending time!

WANT TO READ A LITTLE MORE?

• Gurung, R. A. R., & Galardi, N. R. (2021). Syllabus tone, more than mental health statements, influence intentions to seek help. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Psychology, 7(2), 121–130.
• Harnish, R. J., & Bridges, K. R. (2011). Effect of syllabus tone: Students' perceptions of instructor and course. Social Psychology of Education, 14, 319–330.

Upcoming Events:

• October 3rd, 2:15 - 4:15 p.m.: Bryan Dewsbury: Beyond content - Education for the whole student
• October 16th, 12 - 1 p.m.: CAFE: AI & Academic Integrity
• October 21st, 12:15 - 1 p.m.: CAFE: Social Justice Teaching

DID YOU DO IT?

Let us know how it went. We would love to hear your feedback about how you implemented today’s Tuesday Teaching Tip in your classroom. Click here to fill out our 3-question survey. The survey is anonymous, but if you choose to enter your name, you’ll be entered in a drawing at the end of the quarter to win a new book from Faculty Development!

This week’s Tuesday Teaching Tip was prepared by Sumana Sur, Diana Morlang, Loring Pfeiffer, and Patti Simone on behalf of Faculty Development.

Missed a teaching tip? Read them all here. 

And check out our full calendar of CAFEs and other Faculty Development events.