Walking into a classroom on the first day of a semester can be intimidating, especially for new professors. A room full of strangers looks at you, expecting so much, including a masterful demonstration of your disciplinary expertise. If I as a faculty member can can admit that this experience has been daunting, especially in the early years of my teaching career, imagine what a room full of strangers feels like for some students.
For years, I assumed (wrongly) that the students in my classes knew each other. Certainly, I thought, they had certainly spent time together at orientation, sporting events, and the student union. That perspective ended quickly one afternoon when a student shared something that surprised me.
“I don’t know anybody in this class.”
This humble admission changed my view of the classroom experience. This undergraduate student had been in a small class with about 12 other students for more than half the semester and hadn’t spoken with anyone. They had settled in the back row each morning, sat through the lectures and occasional breaks, and left each day, without speaking with anyone.
Loneliness is a well-documented problem in our country. In 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General described a national loneliness epidemic, and Americans report having fewer close friends than they did a generation ago. National survey data also suggests that loneliness is a significant problem for our students. And a popular smart phone app in China, which is marketed to students and young professionals, even directs users to check in each day to confirm that they’re still alive.
While instructors can’t fix all of this, we can push back—at least a little. In “Educating for Friendship,” Justin D. Klassen encourages faculty members to build opportunities for connections among students into their coursework. He describes a field trip that offered students the chance to connect in ways they hadn’t in the classroom. One student commented, “Obviously, I’ve seen you guys all semester, but I hadn’t really seen you. Just being together like that is what will stick with me. I learned I should do it more.”
Each semester provides opportunities for all of us to foster student connections like the one this student described. As professors, we can’t (nor should we) play the role of friendship matchmakers; however, we can create an environment where students can connect organically.
Each semester provides opportunities for all of us to foster student connections … As professors, we can’t (nor should we) play the role of friendship matchmakers; however, we can create an environment where students can connect organically.
I’ve asked a few students which classroom elements or practices help them connect with others most easily. The most common answer from my small sample of about 25 students was group projects. Even as students admitted to feeling some hesitation to work in groups—not everyone carries their share of the workload—they also said that they had made some personal connections as a result.
Of course, many practices and assignments can encourage student conversations; the best options depend heavily on the culture of the course. I’ve found that ungraded class exercises can be an easy element to add. I’ve often given students a prompt, which they can talk about in their small group before sharing with the class. I’ve also directed them to interview a classmate or someone on campus with a few simple questions.
Some students may find such additions especially helpful. Commuter students make up about half of undergraduates at many four-year institutions, and they are often looking for ways to be included. They may feel separated from other students who live on campus and miss out on some of the conversations in the dorms and dining halls that lead to natural friendships.
Students from underrepresented backgrounds are also less likely to feel a sense of belonging than some of their peers. Classroom activities or assignments can help lead to a better sense of belonging, which typically leads to higher levels of satisfaction with their colleges or universities.
Students who take courses online may also benefit from such activities. Discussion boards are a common way to encourage students to talk, but the conversations they generate might not be as engaging as they could be. I’m confident that colleagues who work more in this space have excellent examples of prompts or assignments that foster connections among students who live in different geographic places.
Not only are these kinds of connections useful pedagogically, they also help our students develop friendships, which are a critical element in their vocational journeys. As Paul Wadell writes, “Human beings are inherently and inescapably social beings who need to live in deep, intimate, enriching relationships with others.” Through these relationships, he continues, “we grow as human beings,” for such friendships “draw us out of ourselves.” In this way, as we live vocationally, we learn about who we are becoming so that we can contribute to overall human flourishing. Our deep gladness is best experienced when we use it to invest in others. Sometimes those “others” become good friends who join us for our life journey.
This kind of belonging helps students emotionally, socially, and academically; it also leads to their experiencing less stress and anxiety. Of course, academic learning is the primary goal of a college-level course, but helping students build connections along the way can also be beneficial—long after grades are turned in.
And I am happy to report that there is a happy ending to the story of the student who didn’t initially meet anyone in my class. They returned the next year, engaged with their peers, completed the course successfully, and went on to graduate—and the connections they made along the way contributed to their vocational journey.
Brian Bowman is an assistant professor of communication studies at Campbell University and a NetVUE Faculty Fellow and consultant. He co-facilitates a faculty cohort at Campbell that explores questions of vocation and calling. His areas of academic interest include media messages and media literacy. He was a member of the 2022 cohort of NetVUE’s Teaching Vocation Exploration seminar.