Developing a Culture of Caring in Classrooms: Best Practices During a Global Pandemic and Beyond

Abstract

The past year has challenged educators in all directions, from switching courses to an online format overnight to addressing student needs within and outside the classroom, and many external factors have extensively affected student performance and engagement. In the United States, the COVID-19 pandemic and a myriad other sociopolitical movements highlight the need for faculty to go beyond educating and start building deeper connections with students. This article provides a rationale for providing an intentionally supportive classroom environment for public health students and outlines the benefits not only to the students but also to the faculty and institution. Furthermore, this article identifies necessary boundaries to caring, including setting appropriate limits and maintaining professional student–educator relationships. Creating an inclusive and supportive learning environment is important not only for training future health professionals but also for cultivating a culture of caring among the profession.

Rethinking Penalties for Late Work: The Case for Flexibility, Equity, and Support

“…There is no universal best practice for creating or implementing policies around late work. Previous papers have supported the notion of flexible deadlines supporting a caring classroom environment (Barnett & Cho, 2023;Kruger et al, 2022;Robinson et al, 2023). It is important to note that when discussing flexible deadlines, it does not mean "no deadlines," or a lack of consequences for not handing work in by the end of the semester.…”

Message from the Editor-in-Chief: Celebrating 10 Years of Pedagogy in Health Promotion: The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

“…Burke et al (2021) offer a harm reduction framework for dealing with student-educator relationships in difficult times. Developing a "culture of caring" in education benefits not only students but also faculty and the academic institution (Kruger et al, 2022).…”