A major component of my teaching philosophy centers around the self-determination theory of motivation and in particular the component of relatedness and belonging.
Creating a sense of relatedness and belonging within a community of learners helps students have positive relationships, positive experiences, value learning, and engage with their peers and their learning environment.
The greatest challenge to achieving this was convening a phase 1 medicine course (AEB) in 2020 completely remotely during the start of the pandemic. Understanding the importance of achieving this an intentional plan to create this sense of belonging was created and integrated into the course structure and curriculum. It involved multiple avenues of communication, support, and activities. The success was evidenced in a survey where high portion (77%) of students reported having positive relations with staff and an improved well-being.
Creating a sense of relatedness and belonging has become even more important as students have returned to the classroom after (for some) years of distance learning at critical points in their secondary and early tertiary learning. In the courses that I convene I have a diverse group of students, from various degree backgrounds, and especially for ANAT2511, a mix of undergraduate, master's students, and exchange students. I have developed a series of strategies from ice breaker activities (which have also been integrated into a number of Medicine phase 1 SGS classes), resources used as touch points for students at various points during the course to evaluate stress levels, and social activities (including visits from my dog) which assist with breaking down barriers between students and staff in order to enhance communication and provide opportunities to identify students at risk.
A key to the success of these activities and resources has been the breaking down of barriers between students and staff and between students, and their informal and relatable content accelerating the forming of relationships.
This success is evidenced through emails from students after course completion saying "I really appreciate how much you cared about the entire cohort and would go the extra mile to help us. I have never felt properly cared for in any of my other courses. I also find anatomy super challenging and felt like you motivated us in just the right way", and "I felt such a sense of belonging in your class and it was clear you wanted us all to do well which is something I haven’t experienced at uni before. It made the course so much more enjoyable, and I actually looked forward to class which is unheard of!".
And myexperience scores of 100% in ANAT3131, and 98.1% in ANAT2511 for students reporting feeling like they were "part of a learning community".
The success is also evident in MFAC1521, a medicine course of over 300 students. Convening a medicine subject, where you are not their teacher, do not have the same interaction with students, and also a very short time with them, provides challenges to creating this sense of belonging and ability to break down barriers in order to best support the students. However, the myexperience report comments directly relate to the success of my strategies including "course convenor was nice and encouraging to students", "convenor was really supportive and proactive", "convenor is nice, very engaging and caring", and "cool convenors", and "Anneliese's dog" mentioned as part of the best things about the course.
