Classroom Climate
Welcoming and Inclusive Environment
Classroom climate is fundamentally an interpersonal experience which regulates the learning experience and is established whether you are intentional about it or not. Students feel more invested in the class and their learning if they feel like they belong and are a member of a learning community that cares about them and their ideas. “In terms of college, sense of belonging refers to students’ perceived social support on campus, a feeling or sensation of connectedness, and the experience of mattering or feeling cared about, accepted, respected, valued by, and important to the campus community or others on campus such as faculty, staff, and peers (Strayhorn, 2019, p. 5)”. Social support and your actions (and the actions of students’ peers) should signal to students that they belong..
Welcoming Space 
The following suggestions will help you be intentional about creating the climate you desire – one that supports all students in their learning. Research indicates that students appreciate co-constructing the learning environment.
- Use students’ names and pronounce them correctly – use name tents or seating charts in large classes
- Co-create class norms with your students, and establish a system to adhere to them
- Connect the content to the lived experiences of a variety of students
- Incorporate practices that create a sense of belonging for students, including international students, students of color, and students of all gender identities and all abilities
- Incorporate Principles of Community into your class
- Do not ask individuals to speak for an entire group of people
- Ensure inclusivity and cultural awareness in your non-verbal communication, language, and symbolic representations
- Be intentional about your first day of class
Strategies to Support Students
The following are strategies you can use to support students’ sense of belonging in your course:
- Tell students outright that they belong.
- Some students experience imposter syndrome. Your affirming comments and support for their learning lets them know they deserve to be in your class. Take their questions seriously. Consider if you are inadvertently sending signals that might be interpreted as a confirmation of their status as an imposter.
- Incorporate activities that build a community of learners so that all students feel like they belong in your class.
- Identify microaggressions and confront them. Refer to your class norms or the CSU Principles of Community as needed.
- Be sure your content represents contributions from a wide range of backgrounds so that all students can see themselves as belonging to the discipline.
- Do not ask individuals to speak for an entire group of people.
- Make content accessible for all learners.
Additional Considerations for Teaching Online
While most of the information on teaching effectiveness pertains to both RI and online classrooms, following are a few key points for online courses.
Set up your online class to aid your students in being successful:
- The most basic way to increase success in your course is to ensure that students can find your content. If materials are consistently and logically organized, students can focus on learning the course content rather than on finding material in the course. Review Distribute Course Materials and Readings to set up modules in Canvas.
- As you create your modules, review use Student View often, to see how your course works for your students.
- Along the same lines of course and module organization, make sure your files are in order within the learning management system (LMS). See Files for more information.
- The navigation links in the LMS are to the left of the screen and guide students to items such as modules, announcements and assignments. Review Select your Navigation Links to set these up in your course.
- The lack of visual or other in-person cues in online interactions can lead to misunderstandings and failure to respect social norms. Give students an explicit guide to constructive online interactions, such as Netiquette: Ground Rules for Online Discussions, or develop a netiquette guide with your students.
