'I Am Happy and Grateful to Feel So Appreciated' - Students Give Thanks to Faculty

“This last semester has been different, to say the least, and has required a lot more on my end to be creative, engaging, effective and still meet my learning outcomes, and it was wonderful to see the appreciation directly from those who mean the most: my students,” said Yasmine Saleh '91, associate professor of practice of clinical psychology.

On the last day of classes, students surprised Saleh with handwritten notes to express their gratitude for her ongoing support in online learning despite the unusual circumstances.

“When the students asked me at the end of the class to stop sharing my screen since they had something that they wanted to share with me, I had no idea what was going on, and I was genuinely very surprised,” she said. “This was unexpected and SO appreciated, after all we have been through together.”

Keeping them Virtually Engaged

“[Online learning] requires thinking and planning to ensure effective learning while still making sure that students have a sense of [belonging] and no one feels left out or disengaged,” affirmed Saleh.

Saleh’s strategy to keep her students virtually engaged includes: setting expectations and planning the course well in advance, making sure to keep the workload reasonable, prerecording lectures, not exceeding the original planned class time, flexibility with deadlines and having students decide what works for them.

“This made the whole experience even more rewarding and fulfilling and every difficult point so much more meaningful and worthwhile,” she said. “I am so happy and grateful to feel so acknowledged and appreciated, and I was very close to tears — which is not an easy thing for me.”