PSYC87624 Part 1: Building Rapport Through Class

Psychology

PSYC87624

Building rapport with your students is one of the initial steps of effective instructors. Do you recall how your college instructors built rapport with you in the classroom? Maybe your instructors initiated the process of building rapport with class introductions. How might an instructor’s approach differ in the online classroom? How might instructors continue to build rapport while responding to some students’ tendency to share inappropriate information online? Whether online or in-person, these initial interactions are just as helpful to college instructors as they are to students. As the instructor, your first interaction with students sets the tone for your classroom environment. What type of environment do you want to create in your class? Will it be safe and nurturing, formal and professional, or maybe a different description comes to mind for you? How might you honor that environment when responding to students?

Part 1: Building Rapport Through Class Introductions

For Part 1 of this Assignment, review and study this week’s Learning Resources. Consider how your introduction might build rapport with students in your own psychology course. Then think about the value of first impressions and their impact on student perception of instructors, particularly with respect to class introductions. Finally, reflect on how your introduction is one of many strategies for initiating online student engagement. 

Assignment 

Submit an introduction of yourself to your online psychology class. Your introduction should include the following:

A brief description of your educational/professional background

A brief description of your geographic origin, personal interests, and/or hobbies

A brief explanation of the goals and expectations for the course

A brief statement to encourage students to respond with their own introductions

• A brief conclusion to your introduction that includes the following question to your students: What do you think of when you hear the word “psychology”?
• In a separate paragraph from your introduction, include the following:
• An explanation of the type of environment you are trying to create in your classroom and how your introduction fosters that environment.