PAUSE: Praise

Considering the concepts shared in previous chapters can remind us of what students need from their instructors and the opportunities that are available to them. First, students need eclectic instructors who use necessary resources to support students without a one-size-fits-all approach. Eclectic instructors use the vast resources in their areas of influence to remind students of their strengths and to support their forward progression with academic skills—most specifically, in our case, writing. Likewise, instructors understand that their students are adults and bring with them a variety of beneficial experiences. By learning the backgrounds of their students, online instructors can use that to their advantage and help students make connections they may have yet to think of or create connections to support students’ learning. Instructors also recognize that students with skills gaps may struggle with their heutagogy; therefore, supporting students’ efforts to fill those gaps is crucial. Through a pedagogy of care, instructors can seek to support students as they gain, strengthen, and master skills. All of these contribute to building a rapport with students to build a bridge over the virtual distance of online education (Minnick, 2023).

Second, students need validation that they belong and that they do bring something to the table that will help them persist. Rendón (1994) found it possible to bring students into the academic community socially and professionally through feedback and interaction. By including the Validation theory within a pedagogy of care, faculty can continue personal learning environments that invite students into the conversation that reinforces their belonging, persistence, and guides them into understanding the expectations in their courses. This validation can be given through feedback. Including this perspective allows faculty to honor the backgrounds and skills that students bring to the classroom while supporting the skills needed to cover any gaps or continue building upon the exhibited strengths. By helping students identify their strengths through praise, faculty validate the reinforcement of skills before providing support with areas of opportunity.

In addition to Rendón’s (1994) validation theory, instructors can consider the theory of mattering and marginality (Schlossberg, 1989). Entering a college or university, especially in a remote environment such as online higher education, can be a massive transition for adults who are also parents and working full-time. First-time online students can feel overwhelmed and a bit out of place. This leads to a feeling of marginalization, which can negatively impact a student’s ability to engage and persist through their courses (Rayle & Kyo-Yi, 2007). If students feel they matter to an online university (i.e., to their instructors) through positive experiences and feeling noticed, they are more likely to persist. By considering the five characteristics of mattering (Schlossberg, 1989), faculty can structure their feedback in a way that provides validation while demonstrating that students do matter and are important.