Cultivating Trust with Your Students

Trust is crucial to learning and teaching

Trust is not just a concept but a powerful tool that can transform the learning environment. As the cornerstone of a positive learning experience, trust fosters mutual respect, encourages independence, and accommodates diverse learning preferences. As Jones and Shah (2016) point out, trust is built on three interconnected components: the trustor, the trustee, and their relationship (p. 393). A lack of trust can lead to reduced motivation, heightened frustration, and increased academic misconduct risk. However, a trusting classroom promotes mutual respect, diverse working styles, and student agency, all fostering growth and satisfaction for instructors and students.

CULTIVATING SPACES OF TRUST

Teaching and learning spaces–whether physical classrooms, synchronous virtual learning spaces, or asynchronous digital spaces–are places where students and instructors face challenges, take risks and grow. Chew and Cerbin (2021) remind us that “learning is remarkably complex” (p. 17) and involves cultivating an environment conducive to student development, instructor adaptability, and “translating cognitive principles of learning into pedagogical practice” (p. 18).

Building upon Mayer, Davis, and Schoorman (1995) and other researchers, Felton, Forsyth, and Sutherland (2023) advocate for “trust moves”--teacher-initiated, context-sensitive adjustments to enhance trust and support learning. These trust moves fall into four key categories:

  1. Affect: Fostering emotional care and genuine respect for students
  2. Values: Demonstrating fairness, transparency, and consistency
  3. Identity: Building connection and empathy by acknowledging diverse student experiences
  4. Cognition: Ensuring clarity, preparation, and adaptability in teaching practices
Felten, Forsyth, and Sutherland (2023) provides a conceptual model for teacher-initiated trust based on dynamic adjustments or 'trust moves'Figure 1. Felten, Forsyth, and Sutherland (2023) encourage contemplation of these four areas to build flexible trust and adjust the teaching/learning environment to enhance trust and improve learning.

Strategies for building trust with students

Strategies for building trust with students
Principle Description
Affect (emotional care)
  • Address student concerns and anxieties, and be flexible when appropriate.
  • Treat students holistically, recognizing them as individuals with lives beyond the course.
  • Create an open environment where questions are welcomed and students’ voices, perspectives, and feedback are actively valued.
  • Dedicate class time to workshops, exercises, or study sessions that support skill-building and collaboration.
Values (fairness and transparency)
  • Explain the rationale behind your pedagogical decisions and assessment methods to ensure transparency.
  • Maintain consistent standards, provide clear instructions, and offer helpful guidelines to prioritize and support student development.
  • Practice fairness in assigning tasks, engaging with students, and evaluating their work.
Identity (connection and empathy)
  • Introduce yourself by sharing professional insights and, if comfortable, personal experiences to foster connection.
  • Promote group work to encourage students to build relationships and a sense of community.
  • Demonstrate empathy by acknowledging and supporting students’ diverse experiences, challenges, and needs.
Cognition (clarity and preparation)
  • Be well-prepared and organized for each class session, citing sources and acknowledging mistakes when they occur.
  • Clearly articulate your course design, learning outcomes, and how assignments align with those outcomes and assessment methods.
  • Communicate any changes to schedules or expectations transparently and promptly to avoid confusion.


The value of instructor reflection and feedback

Honesty, clarity, and communication are the building blocks of trust, so reflect honestly about yourself. Solicit anonymous feedback from your students and ask your peers for feedback. Ask yourself and others:

  • To what extent/how do I cultivate a learning environment of interpersonal care and concern? (Affect)
  • When do I demonstrate honesty, fairness, and transparency in the course? (Values)
  • How do I demonstrate appreciation for various learner identities/experiences in the course? (Identity)
  • What actions demonstrate my competence, skills, attitudes, humility, and adaptability? (Cognition)

You can become a more self-aware and transparent communicator by becoming more aware of areas for growth or moments of ambiguity, such as vague definitions, blurry or shifting standards, and weak assignment instructions. Engaging in this process will strengthen your role as a reliable guide and enhance the trust that underpins meaningful student learning.

Learn more: additional resources

Chew, Stephen L., and William J. Cerbin. 2020. “The Cognitive Challenges of Effective Teaching.” The Journal of Economic Education 52 (1): 17-40

Felten, Peter, Rachel Forsyth, and Kathryn A. Sutherland. 2023. “Building Trust in the Classroom: A Conceptual Model for Teachers, Scholars, and Academic Developers in Higher Education.” Teaching & Learning Inquiry 11

Jones, Stephen L., and Priti Pradhan Shah. 2016. “Diagnosing the Locus of Trust: A Temporal Perspective for Trustor, Trustee, and Dyadic Influences on Perceived Trustworthiness.” Journal of Applied Psychology 101 (3): 392-414

Mayer, Roger C., James H. Davis, and F. David Schoorman. 1995. “An Integrative Model of Organizational Trust.” The Academy of Management Review 20 (3). 709-34

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