Toyin is a teaching-focused lecturer in Accounting and Finance. She was recently awarded a Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA). Since 2021, she has been a member of the Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Committee at AMBS. Toyin is passionate about promoting inclusion, fostering a sense of belonging, and reducing the attainment gap. This blog highlights her ongoing work on relationship-building in the classroom and offers some preliminary insights on its benefits and challenges.

The Role of Social Interaction in Student Success

Social interaction can serve as a powerful tool with which faculty can connect with student thereby establishing relationships that promote trust, respect and care, that positively impact student success and well-being. More importantly, social interaction enhances the creation of conducive learning environments to facilitate the building of sense of belonging, enhance classroom engagement, increase retention rate and reduce attainment gap, particularly, for students from underprivileged and under-presented groups.

Implementing Pre-Lecture Engagement

I used the downtime usually around five to ten minutes before the commencement of lectures to establish relationships with students enrolled in an undergraduate module, Introductory Financial Reporting. This is a first semester module that typically accommodates approximately 300 students from diverse BSc programmes. Given the course’s compulsory nature for some first-year students and optional status for certain second-year students, as well as the mix of backgrounds—ranging from those with prior A-level financial accounting experience to those encountering the subject for the first time—the cohort exhibits a wide spectrum of diversity. This diversity encompasses variations in prior accounting knowledge, university experience, and ethnicity to mention a few. Recognising this, I sought to proactively engage with this multifaceted student body to foster a more inclusive and supportive learning environment.

On the first day of the lecture, I set the stage by informing students that I would be moving around during idle time to engage in random conversations with them. Additionally, I highlighted the benefits of these informal exchanges. The conversation starters I employ are diverse, ranging from inquiries about their weekend experiences, their thoughts on the course, whether this is their last lecture for the day, how their day is unfolding, their impressions of Manchester, and their general well-being. I delve into specific topics, asking about their comfort levels and challenges within the course, and I inquire about their plans for the week or any upcoming holidays. The aim of this approach is to foster a more interactive and inclusive learning environment from the very beginning of our academic journey together. Hence, the interaction provides me with the opportunity to identify challenging topics and concepts for students, assess their learning progress, offer constructive feedback, guide them to university resources when additional assistance is needed, address any pressing questions, enhance my understanding of their individual needs, and gain insights into the class dynamics.

Challenges and Reflections on Interaction

The feedback shows that the idle time interactions foster trust, care, openness, and a friendly learning environment, promoting inclusive classroom and enriching the university experience for students. However, challenges such as personality traits, classroom architectural design, and class size could hinder relationship building. Personally, I self-identify as an introvert; I tend to avoid conversations whenever possible. I am the type of person who prefers sitting in the far corner of the room and typically won’t initiate conversations unless spoken to. So, it takes me some time to fit in. But to engage in interaction during the idle time, I must make my way through the crowd of students engaged in background conversations, moving between those walking and settling down, to reach students at their seated locations. Reflecting on my experience, I consistently face the challenge of initiating interactions in every class. It doesn’t come naturally to me, even after several classes. However, I overcome this hesitation through my determination to seize the benefits of fostering connections with my students. The hesitation to engage usually intensifies, especially on days when I am not feeling my best. During such moments, I often position myself near the entrance of the lecture hall and greet my students with a warm smile. While some respond with smiles, others might greet me with a friendly ‘hi, Toyin’.

Beyond my personal traits, the architectural structure of the lecture halls presents another challenge. Specifically, the allocated teaching rooms for this course are typically tiered lecture theatres spanning two floors, designed to accommodate the course’s large number of students. Consequently, manoeuvring around the classroom proves challenging, and engaging with individuals in the middle seats becomes even more difficult. Yet another challenge stems from the sheer number of students enrolled in the course, as it proved impractical to engage with everyone during the idle moments throughout the semester. Despite encouraging students to raise their hands if they wished to have a chat with me before class, only a portion seized this opportunity. Introverted students, much like me, might not take advantage of this initiative.

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