2.1.3 How well did the instructor demonstrate concern for your learning and growth?

Why this teaching practice matters:

• Loving and serving is one of the principles of the BYU-Idaho Learning Model.
• Research has shown a strong relationship between an instructor’s care for students and student success. [1, 5, 11, 14]
• This principle is emphasized in widely used teaching quality frameworks. [10, 13, 15]
• Students are more likely to engage, persist, and seek help when they feel that their instructor notices them and cares about their learning. Demonstrating concern does not require lowering expectations; rather, it involves creating an environment where students feel supported, respected, and encouraged to improve.

Student examples of this principle in action:

• “They know my name and would say hi out in public.”
• “They have made themselves available to me outside of class to help me understand the topics being learned. They have been prompt in answering emails and questions.”
• “They recognize when I am not in class and ask how they can help me improve.”
• “Those instructors that give individual and personal feedback on my assignments help me feel that genuine concern and desire to succeed.”

Ways to triangulate your data:

• Consider how often you acknowledge student effort, invite questions, provide encouragement alongside guidance, and communicate high expectations with support.
• Look for instances where you reached out to students who missed class, fell behind, or struggled on an assessment, and consider how consistently those practices occurred across the course.
• Invite a peer instructor or SCOT to come observe a class session with attention to approachability, responsiveness to questions, tone, and how students are treated when they struggle or make mistakes.

Ideas for improvement:

• Small actions—such as learning student names, inviting questions, or acknowledging effort—can signal that students and their learning matter.
• Reaching out when students miss class, fall behind, or perform unexpectedly poorly can help surface issues early and support learning before challenges compound. The BYU-Idaho mentoring dashboard can be a useful tool for this effort.
• Clear communication about office hours, timely responses to questions, and openness to one-on-one conversations can help students feel supported in their learning.
• Demonstrating concern includes holding students to meaningful standards while offering guidance, encouragement, and resources to help them meet those expectations.
• Talk with or observe other instructors to learn ideas for signaling care in ways that are sustainable and appropriate for different course contexts.