Teaching with Empathy First
When we switched to online teaching, some teachers forgot to bring their emotional intelligence with them.
Our latest research looked at higher education lecturers and found that many failed to recognise their students’ complicated emotions, such as frustration, anger, resentment and anxiety. Doing so impacted the learning and engagement of their students.
Students involved in the study said that some lecturers focused only on lecture content or on technology and did not pay attention to their interactions with students. Lecturers were rushing to cover the content without meaningfully connecting with the class – and it was ineffective.
When lecturers took just a few minutes at the start of an online lecture to engage students in a discussion around how they were coping, and to express authentic understanding and consideration of students’ emotions, the students felt comforted and supported. This helped students to get through difficult times and achieve better academically.
Unfortunately, not all lecturers did this. Students reported that many of their online interactions felt transactional and impersonal. They wanted a more adult relationship, where their lecturers put an effort into building connections with them.
It takes time, but it’s worth it.
Rushing to cover content without connecting with the class increases anger and frustration, and reduces participation.
On the other hand, playing games and having small, informal conversations increases feelings of joy and happiness and sets the scene for an optimal learning environment.
Making friends is difficult in an online learning environment, so students needed support to form friendships. Good lecturers were able to do this by providing opportunities for students to lead discussions and hear each other’s opinions. Discussion prompts and break out group activities were appreciated by the students we surveyed. Those students who were able to make friends experienced more positive emotions and better learning outcomes. These connections also worked to reduce fear and anxiety – particularly around assessments – and increase their belief that they could complete the course.
Beyond supporting students to feel connected, lecturers also need to practice patience and open communication in connecting with students.
Lecturers who communicated disappointments – like cancelled classes – early and with a rationale helped their students avoid feelings of helplessness. Students appreciated lecturers who were open with their own struggles and who would talk about their feelings. This helped students to develop empathy, an understanding of the broader learning environment and strategies to better cope with negative emotions. Practically, this approach also reduced student drop-out and increased commitment and motivation to succeed.
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How lecturers manage their emotions |
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| Lecturer behaviour | Impact on students’ emotions |
Impact on students’ learning and engagement |
| Do not rush when communicating with students (emails or online) | Reduces anxiety and ultimately anger | Increases willingness to persevere during difficult components of course |
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Handle students’ questions with more patience |
Helps students reduce the experience of a range of negative emotions | Students show greater problem-solving behaviours, and commitment to succeed |
| Avoid demeaning responses to students’ questions (verbal or non-verbal) |
Reduces negative emotions such as shame, guilt and embarrassment |
Improves the willingness of student to take more risks and to innovate |
|
Communicate struggles with students to nurture mutual understanding |
Helps improve coping mechanisms in students, particularly for negative emotions such as anxiety and frustration | Improves student performance |
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Take the initiatives to be open about their feelings and discuss them openly |
Helps students develop empathy and understand emotions; helps students develop strategies to better cope with negative emotions | Reduces student drop-out and increases commitment and motivation to succeed. |
How lecturers manage their own emotions is important and can have an impact on student learning and engagement during online learning.
There is a clear link between emotional intelligence and educational outcomes, and the COVID-19 pandemic threw this into even starker relief.
The study reveals the need for higher education lecturers to be aware of the emotional needs of students and bring their emotional intelligence into the online space. But it is certainly something for all teachers to keep in mind as elements of hybrid learning remain.
Image by Ricardo Esquivel