Linking Relationships to Retention | Origin: EL201
This is a general discussion forum for the following learning topic:
Online Communication: Engaging and Retaining Online Learners --> Linking Relationships to Retention
Post what you've learned about this topic and how you intend to apply it. Feel free to post questions and comments too.
Tinto's module has been in practice for many years and continues to be a module to review and learn from. It makes sense to work to cultivate a relationship early on with students and find ways to offer an open door policy or open channels of communication. In particular, being a new freshmen on a larger or busy campus can be overwhelming and intimidating.
I have learned out of this module to have a strong working alliance with the students and faculty. To be open and honest, make sure I have empathy. I need to make sure the students know that I am reachable.
When your students feel safe they will open up to you and you can better teach them by understanding their needs
Building a strong professional relationship with the students benefits the students, instructors, and the school as a whole. A strong relationship can allow students and instructors to feel safe and comfortable speaking with each other, asking questions, and asking for help when needed. Without this the students may hesitate to get the most out of their education.
Building professional relationship with students improves trust, engagement, and learning. It supports confidence and patient safety while maintaining clear boundaries, fairness, accountability, and respect in clinical practice.
Relationships make the students want to come to school which is the basics for complrtion
When you are able to build strong relationships with your students it will help with retention rates.
This module reinforced how critical relationships are to student retention. When students feel connected—to faculty, staff, and the institution as a whole—they’re more likely to stay engaged, persist through challenges, and ultimately succeed. It highlighted that even small, consistent interactions—like checking in, learning students’ names, or being approachable—can make a meaningful difference in a student’s sense of belonging.
how important it is to be emotionally available but maintain the student instructor relationship.
I know there is work to be done to improve climate at my campus. I see ways that I can use my real world experience to interact with the students to build a good working alliance.
I learned how important strong working alliances are for student success, especially in online settings. The distinction between a customer‑service mindset and a helping‑profession mindset helped me see how meaningful, supportive relationships directly influence retention and campus climate.
I plan to apply this by communicating with warmth, being proactive in reaching out to students, and creating interactions that build trust and clarity around goals. Strengthening these one‑on‑one connections will help students feel supported and more engaged in their learning.
The important things that I learned are that we as educators need to set the tone for the class whether the class is online or in person. This will help with student retention, confidence in performance of technique as well as in the content they are taught.
Comment on Vicki Hoppe's post: Being available to answer questions is very important to the students.
The most important and relevant thing I learned with this module is the difference between Customer Service and the having a professional supportive relationship with the students.
Empathy in education is defined as the capacity of instructors, staff, and administrators to proactively recognize and act sensitively (compassionately) to a student's perceptions, emotional needs, and experiences. Creating a supportive environment allows students to be visible as human beings, not as robotic agents that digest new knowledge. We need to consider our behavior with the goal of not only enhancing students’ engagement and learning process, but to also handle them gently to promote their mental well-being. I am reminded of a saying that incorporates the need to “walk a mile” in a person’s “moccasins.” It is attributed to a poem, “Judge Softly” by Mary T. Lathrap (dated 1895). We do not know the burdens that our students and other members of the learning community experience, so being empathetic is a necessary part of being humane.
Faculty and students need to have a mutual supportive and open communication in order to create a positive learning environment.
This institution is focused on creating a positive learning atmosphere for students where they feel supported and free to ask questions
Comment on Ricky Crayton's post: Agreed, and taking the initial steps can support and motivate those who are a little more reserved about asking for help. I find meeting them where they are is a good approach.
Reinforces how students who feel supported and connected and a sense of community are more likely to succeed and grow.
