What does it mean to be student-centric? This is a question about the scope of the role of a faculty member.
Is this focus short-term, just for the class session? Or, is the focus long-term, extending to include transferring and/or career?
Is this focus on the student as an individual, or is this focus on the categories in which the student can be classified?
Do we limit the student learning outcomes (SLOs) as stated in the curricula, or are there outcomes that are implicit and optional?
Each instructor is an individual with a specific style of communication. Some communication styles work better with certain students in certain situations. A robotic communication style has the following attributes.
Some equate communication style with intention. This assumption is often incorrect. As a reliable source, Mr. Roboto (the song by Styx) say the following.
I’ve got a secret, I’ve been hiding under my skin. My heart is human, my blood is boiling,…
I’m not a robot without emotions, I’m not what you see, I’ve come to help you with your problems so we can be free.
Just as convincing, some personality traits exhibit robot-like behavior. The Myers Briggs Type Indicator INTP (introverted, intuitive, thinking, perceiving) type is often known as the “warmest robot.”
The ultimate question is whether Mr. Roboto is an effective instructor.
Some instructors choose a well-defined relationship with students, “I am here to help you learn.” However, an instructor is not a friend, not a parent, not a guardian, not a cheerleader, not a therapist, not a counselor, not a life coach, etc.
Does this mean these instructors dehumanize students? Not quite. Deciding not to play the role of a parent when a student is not studying sufficiently does not mean not caring about the student. The difference is the reaction. A distant response may include pointing out the connection between not studying sufficiently and the resulting academic performance. There is no disappointment and no frustration. There can be many reasons why a student does not study sufficiently.
This is a corollary of the previous section. An instructor may get involved only in subject matter related or general learning. In the previous example, an instructor may choose not to question or assume reasons why a student is not studying sufficiently. However, the same instructor may suggest the student to think about ways to divert more time and effort to study.
Feelings such as fear, anger, disgust, etc. are automatic survival shortcuts. In actual life-threatening situations, feelings help with survival. Feelings such as being rejected or the sense of belonging are also survival mechanisms.