Instructional Support and the Student-Teacher Relationship in Higher Education

Instructional support for students and high-quality student-teacher relationships in higher education settings are necessary for student achievement and well-being in any classroom setting. These aspects may be even more important in an online setting. Student perceptions of the learning environment are a valuable lens to understand effective teaching in a classroom or online. Consideration of students’ perceptions of their instructors and the structure of their online classes during the transition to emergency remote learning (ERL) during the COVID-19 pandemic is key for stakeholders in undergraduate education as the demand for and enrollment in online courses climbs post-pandemic. The lessons we can learn from student reports of online course support, instructor competence and commitment, and their learning satisfaction and dissatisfaction can inform and improve instruction. Additionally, lessons from the crisis highlight the importance of the emotional aspects of teaching and learning, which are also inherent in psychological and social theories of motivation. Findings from both quantitative and qualitative analyses from data provided by students (N = 935) in an introductory undergraduate Communication course center on the pivotal role of the instructor and how students perceive interactions with their instructor. Student perceptions of the learning environment are directly related to their basic psychological need satisfaction. Differences between classrooms with easy versus difficult transitions are investigated.