Relationships important for success

While this article by Bergin & Bergin (Attachment in the Classroom – DOI: 10.1007/s10648-009-9104-0) talks about students in k-12 and their attachment to parents and teachers as an important part of what it takes to succeed, it might be logical to extend what they say into higher ed as well and perhaps using social networking or other “old school” technologies the recommendations that are put forward might be adapted.

Bergin and Bergin recommend:

Teachers

• Increase warm, positive interactions with students
• Be well prepared for class and hold high expectations
• Be responsive to students’ agendas by providing choices
• Use reasoning rather than coercive discipline that damages relationships
• Help students be kind, helpful and accepting of one another
• Implement interventions for difficult relations with specific students

Schools

• Provide a variety of extracurricular activities for students to join
• Keep schools small
• Keep students with the same teachers and/or peers across years
• Decrease transitions in and out of the classroom.
• Facilitate transitions to new schools or teachers

In higher ed, I think all the teacher points are transferable (even discipline, which is an increasingly sticky issues on many campuses). For schools, higher ed might want to consider ideas like (these are not supported by any research, rather they are from my own observations/understandings):

• Develop and maintain small student cohorts, supported by faculty or departmental advisers
• Teach core/required courses with permanent staff rather than sessionals
• Increase the contact options with instructors/advisers
• Facilitate transitions to grad school or other undergraduate programs

The last point might be the kicker in this day were students are perhaps taking one part of their degree on a traditional campus while attending a different institution online. If the institution somehow figures out that it is not the one and only academic destination for the student, and rather it is a point on the journey, it may find that students will feel far more attached than they would otherwise. The institution that best facilitates the development of networks for students is likely going to be the one that is remembered later by the students. Those networks will help the students succeed while attending and they may help the institution later through alumni funding.