Teachers don’t need to be perfect, but they do need to care

A recent article in University World News addressed the topic of what international students say makes a good lecturer. In the article the authors acknowledge that the characteristics identified were equally applicable to both international and domestic students. In other words, ‘a good teacher is a good teacher’ for all students. I couldn’t agree more!

A few years ago, I had the opportunity to conduct a survey with a group of approximately 80 final semester undergraduate students about what they considered the top three qualities of a university teacher to be, especially those attributes they believed impacted most on their learning.

There are, of course, formal university student questionnaires issued to students, usually at the end of a teaching semester. They provide students with an opportunity to offer feedback about their course experience, including about the teaching they received. However, these can be quite generic in nature and not deliver particular insights into the delivery and quality of the students’ learning experiences.

From experience, formal surveys that allow teachers to choose from a bank of questions those they consider resonate best with their course tend to provide feedback considered the most constructive from the teacher’s point of view.

However, that approach also has its drawbacks in that teachers may choose questions they predict will provide the most favourable responses. This may especially be the case when student survey evaluation results are counted towards the academic promotion process.

Good teachers

The exercise I was invited to conduct was independent of the formal student survey process. It was part of a broader consulting assignment for which I was gathering additional data for an internal curriculum review.

The qualities students shared were remarkably similar. They all agreed they wanted university teachers who were well organised, knowledgeable in their discipline and good communicators. On a more personal note, they wanted teachers who have a sense of humour, who are approachable, accessible and fair.

In follow-up discussions I asked them to try to sum up in a single word the quality that most succinctly combined their top professional and personal qualities. The word was CARE. Students want teachers who care. Ones who care about them as students, who care about the learning process and who care about their own self-development as a teacher.

The quality was expressed by students as follows: teachers who care…

• Make an effort to get to know their students.

• Encourage students to ask questions and take time to explain.

• Respond to student queries in a timely fashion.

• Create an encouraging, positive, ‘happy’ learning environment.

• Are current and up to date in their discipline and reflect this in the content they deliver.

• Present coherently organised classes and relevant learning materials.

• ‘Mix it up’ by including a variety of learning activities.

• Set relevant and appropriate assessment tasks.

• Provide meaningful feedback that progresses further learning.

• Listen to and act on apt student feedback.

There were some students who stated that they would learn and achieve good results regardless of the teaching received because they were self-motivated and-or very determined to succeed. But they qualified their response by adding that it made the learning journey much less enjoyable and often frustrating if they encountered boring, irrelevant lessons and unsupportive teachers.

Some students said they had in fact changed their enrolment where possible to avoid certain teachers who had an unfavourable, uncaring reputation.

Bad teachers

Students followed this up by expressing particular characteristics and-or behaviours they found the most frustrating.

They also included a mix of personal and professional teacher traits. Not surprisingly it was teachers:

• Whose classes were disorganised and lacking in preparation.

• Whose delivery was ‘dull and dreary’ despite the content being stimulating.

• Who failed to return assessment tasks prior to the following assessment task due date, depriving them of useful feedback to support improvement in future tasks.

• Who did not engage the students in any meaningful way, instead reading PPT slides which students commented they could just as easily have read in their own time.

• Who never bothered to learn student names even when classes were relatively small.

• Who failed to respond to student queries in a timely manner.

• Who were constantly late to class and-or late in posting expected materials and notes for students.

• Who enjoyed remarking that their course was the most important, relevant and difficult course in the degree with a 25% failure rate!

Students agreed that these unfavourable traits easily and quickly demotivated them and negatively impacted on their learning experience.

Teachers who care

When asked to share my own opinion about the qualities of a good teacher, I summarised my view into four broad areas:

• Building good relationships with learners;

• Making learning enjoyable, interesting as well as challenging;

• Demonstrating flexibility, adaptability and creativity; and

• Encouraging learners to love learning and to take ownership of their learning.

There are many factors that influence student perception about their university teachers, not least being context, expectations, experience and personality. Then there is the truth that some teachers are just more charismatic and charming than others, and seem to get away with doing things others can’t.

Students don’t expect all teachers to be the same. Students don’t expect them to be perfect. What they do want is teachers who are genuine and who care about the teaching-learning process and care about them as learners.

Dr Nita Temmerman has held senior university positions including pro vice-chancellor (academic quality and partnerships) and executive dean in Australia. She is an invited accreditation specialist with the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications and international associate with the Center for Learning Innovations and Customised Knowledge Solutions in Dubai. She is chair of two higher education academic boards, and invited professor and consultant to universities in Australia, the Pacific region, Southeast Asia and the Middle East.