A Case for Caring: Humanizing Student Experience (Part II)

In our last article, we built the case for caring by showing that care pedagogy positively impacts student learning, engagement, and retention (Massaglia, Kruzic, & Martin, 2025). Care is more than “being nice”; care is a deliberate, theory-informed practice rooted in educational traditions such as humanistic learning theory, ethics of care, and critical caring pedagogy (Chinn & Falk‐Rafael, 2018; Maslow, 1968; Noddings, 2012). To recap, care is not inflating grades, telling students what they want to hear, saying “yes” all the time, and/or solving their personal problems. Rather, care can be seen simply as being attentive to another’s needs (Noddings, 2012). At its core, demonstrating care is about treating the other person as a human being worthy of respect. It requires being human yourself, which involves humbling yourself and being vulnerable. Doing so will empower you to come from a position of care in all your interactions. While there is no “checklist for care,” there are strategies that we have found to be helpful in our classrooms, and we share them below in the hopes that you may see opportunities to demonstrate care in your own classroom.

 

Assume Positive Intent

A foundational way to foster an environment of care is by assuming positive intent. Rather than assuming a student is lazy or not prioritizing their schoolwork when they do not submit an assignment, instructors could instead consider that the student may have encountered a challenge that took precedence. In our experience, many times when students do not submit assignments on time, it is because they must prioritize their basic needs, such as personal safety, housing, and food.

When assuming positive intent, we approach students with curiosity and compassion rather than accusations or criticism. Instead of reaching out to a student to tell them their assignment is late, an instructor could choose to check in to see how they are doing and what support may be needed. We have seen this kind of outreach open up conversations when students share their struggles. From there, faculty and students can partner together to develop helpful solutions. By trusting and respecting our students, we can meet them where they are to guide and support them with their educational goals. Rather than requiring doctor’s notes or obituary notices, trust that the student is motivated to complete the work but is struggling to do so with other competing priorities.

 

Humanize the Educational Experience

Simply recognizing that the student with whom you are working is a human and demonstrating your humanity are crucial first steps in demonstrating care. Some strategies for doing this include using preferred names and pronouns, responding to messages quickly in a warm and empathetic tone, and customizing your messages rather than sending non-personalized generalized messages to the entire class at once. Students have expressed that individualized responses and outreach go a long way in helping them feel valued and like they are cared for as individuals.

While it can be challenging for those of us who were brought up in the “sage on the stage” era of teaching, showing vulnerability is important. Sharing personal experiences of when you failed or had a challenge can normalize the situation and help the student feel understood (Brown, 2015). Of course, if you have not had that experience (i.e., being homeless or suffering from addiction), do not falsely state you have or share a true experience that is not of the same magnitude. Simply saying “I am sorry you are going through this” can be really impactful. If you are teaching or supporting students online, show students there is a person behind the screen. You can help create a connection by including photos or videos that show you are more than your job. You could share images of yourself with your family, pets, or enjoying a favorite hobby that can help humanize you and build rapport with your students.

 

Provide Feedback

Mistakes are an important part of the learning process. Grade inflation is the opposite of demonstrating care for students. This practice is short-sighted and will not provide real growth opportunities. Additionally, not deducting points when appropriate diminishes the value of the student’s learning, the class, and a degree from the institution (Chowdhury, 2018). When we care, we can face gaps in knowledge head-on with the confidence that problems can be solved with grit and determination. It is important to consider how we deliver a message. Using a caring, empathetic, and development-focused tone is key. Rather than stating, “Zero points awarded because you failed to respond to your peers,” you could state, “Your peers benefit from your insight and perspective. I look forward to seeing your peer responses in the next unit.”

Taking the time to thoroughly read students’ work so that you can provide personalized and individualized feedback is essential. It is a basic human need to be seen and heard, and showing that you took the time to read the students’ work and provide constructive feedback demonstrates care. It is important to not just share what could be improved but to celebrate what the student did well to preserve their self-efficacy. Provide specific examples of things students did well and areas for improvement in the feedback rather than general templated feedback. This will help them learn and grow. Offering to talk with them about any questions they have about your feedback lets students know that you are committed to their success (Williams, 2024).

 

Communicate with Intention

“Communication is key” is a lasting statement for a reason. Meaningful communication goes beyond mere responsiveness to student messages. Intentional and thoughtful communication is essential for demonstrating care to students, as it helps build trust, foster relationships, and encourage their growth. 

Whether you are faculty or an administrator, we may often forget the power differential that exists in our interactions with students. While you may see yourself as a mentor, a student who is just getting to know you may see you as an authority figure, with all of the negative connotations that may come along with that title (Sidky, 2017). Minor comments we make could boost or crush a student’s confidence. Communicate with care.

Remaining intentional with your communications each day is critical. A commitment to not using punitive language or simply voicing that you care can have a tremendous impact. Students notice when you send personalized messages that make them feel like you see them as an individual.

A practical strategy for beginning a conversation with a student is to ask “What would make this meeting meaningful for you?” rather than “How can I help you?” This approach goes beyond the transactional nature of just providing a service; it implies that you want the student to get the most out of the conversation. Be prepared to actively listen and focus on the student’s needs.

 

Foster a Supportive Environment

In a world that is not always kind or fair, we have control over creating a caring space for our students. In opposition to intentionally showing care for students, we have heard colleagues say, “I want to prepare students for the real world!” We have been managers and directors in the “real world” outside of academia and have given a caring approach to our employees (and have received the same kind of grace from our supervisors). When we find ourselves in positions of power, it is up to us to create, in our own small way, the kind of world we want to live in. Perhaps, as our students go out into the “real world,” they will demonstrate care to their colleagues and employees as well.

Providing deadline extensions and the opportunity to resubmit work (when appropriate and possible) demonstrates care and appreciation for the student’s desire to complete the work necessary to learn (Hills & Peacock, 2022). While we might not all have the power to be flexible in accepting student work or rescheduling appointments due to emergencies, doing so can be a helpful way to provide much-needed (and appreciated) flexibility. If you are unable to determine your own late policy, advocating for a more flexible late policy that demonstrates the culture of care is helpful when working with new traditional students who have competing obligations.

 

Conclusion

Our students are facing a variety of challenges in their lives, including food and home insecurity, mental health challenges, caregiving responsibilities, work obligations, and more. They are juggling these responsibilities while working hard to earn their degree. When we, as faculty and staff members, approach our students as humans by being attentive to their needs, we can make a dramatic impact on an individual situation and the students’ lives. We close this piece by sharing four student quotes that demonstrate the value that care can have for students. You, no doubt, have your own examples as well. 

“Thank you for caring, in a world full of the opposite.”

“I am proud of myself which is pretty odd … thank you for all of your praise. I don’t have a lot of support so I really appreciate you. I have failed at a lot of things in my life, which is taking a pretty hard toll on me. I am going to make this work.”

“I no longer feel like an abject failure. Your class helped. … I have been applying what I have learned to help others.”

“I truly could not have done this without your support and encouragement. Talking through and processing not only the content, but also my emotions and thoughts about everything helped more than you know.”

By embedding care into our pedagogy, we contribute to a more humane and supportive educational experience—one that acknowledges students as whole people and empowers them to succeed.

 

References

Brown, B. (2015). Daring greatly: How the courage to be vulnerable transforms the way we live, love, parent, and lead. Penguin.

Chinn, P. L., & Falk‐Rafael, A. (2018). Embracing the focus of the discipline of nursing: Critical caring pedagogy. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 50(6), 687-694. https://doi.org/10.1111/jnu.12426

Chowdhury, F. (2018). Grade inflation: Causes, consequences and cure. Journal of Education and Learning, 7(6), 86-95. https://doi.org/10.5539/jel.v7n6p86 

Hills, M., & Peacock, K. (2022, July). Replacing power with flexible structure: Implementing flexible deadlines to improve student learning experiences. Teaching and Learning Inquiry 10. https://doi.org/10.20343/teachlearninqu.10.26 

Massaglia, V., Kruzic, M., & Martin, A. (2025, February 13). A case for caring: Humanizing the student experience (Part I). Odyssey, Journal of College and Character. NASPA. http://naspa.org/blog/a-case-for-caring-humanizing-the-student-experience-part-i

Maslow, A. (1968). Some educational implications of the humanistic psychologies. Harvard educational review, 38(4), 685-696. https://doi.org/10.17763/haer.38.4.j07288786v86w660

Noddings, N. (2012). The caring relation in teaching. Oxford Review of Education, 38(6), 771–781. https://doi.org/10.1080/03054985.2012.745047

Sidky, G. (2017). The power game: Power dynamics between the teacher and the students in a graduate seminar. English Language Teaching, 10(5), 179-188. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v10n5p179

Williams, A. (2024). Delivering effective student feedback in higher education: An evaluation of the challenges and best practice. International Journal of Research in Education and Science, 10(2), 473-501. https://doi.org/10.46328/ijres.3404