The Mentor Is In: At All Times, Be Consistent In the Classroom

By Bruce A. Johnson, Ph.D., MBA

What does consistency mean to you or your work as an adjunct instructor? Is this a measurable quality that should be considered or is it in action state that you can occasionally monitor? These questions can be addressed from the perspective of your students and their experience in the classroom. Every school has standard operating procedures that instructors are expected to uniformly implement. While uniform procedures may establish a standard for the school it does not ensure that an instructor’s interactions will be consistent. As students become familiar with their instructor’s teaching style and develop a working relationship with them they will begin to develop a perception of how responsive the instructor is to their needs, the type of feedback they will receive, and more importantly they will observe how consistent the instructor is with their follow through, their follow-up, and their implementation and administration of classroom policies.

Consistent Actions
An instructor’s consistency in the classroom is a culmination of their actions and interactions, which includes consistent communication, tone, feedback, and responsiveness. Communication with students requires professionalism and the need for emotional and social intelligence on the part of the instructor, with all interactions. This means that a consistent, responsive tone will produce a much stronger connection with students than a reactive, defensive, or overall negative tone. Consistency in feedback means that the instructor is providing timely, uniform, and meaningful feedback on a regular basis that students can rely upon for guidance. All of these actions, whether they are generally consistent or often inconsistent, have a direct bearing on students’ responsiveness to the instructor’s classroom facilitation.

Consistent Policies
An area of classroom facilitation where students often experience inconsistency in their instructor’s actions is administration of classroom policies and procedures. Students are likely to make requests for an exception to certain policies, such as the late policy, believing that their special circumstance will warrant an exception. Some schools provide flexibility with policies, typically for extenuating circumstances; however, it is important to consider the cumulative effect of your decision. Administering these policies fairly to all students is a means of maintaining order in the class. Inconsistent policies may establish an expectation for future actions and ultimately lead to frustration for the students and their instructor when the same exceptions are not made and the rules are later enforced.

Consistency & Credibility
The culmination of an instructor’s actions, whether those actions are frequently consistent or occasionally inconsistent, determines whether an instructor will establish or undermine their credibility with students. Students develop a perception of credibility about their instructor over time based upon their interactions and working relationship, which establishes a level of trust and belief in their instructor’s ability to effectively facilitate the process of learning. Students expect to find a consistent learning environment, which includes an expectation that their instructor will apply the policies and procedures fairly and uniformly.

How Do You Know?
While consistency cannot be measured, it is a general approach to classroom facilitation that can be monitored through self-reflection and a review of the end-of-course surveys. As you reflect upon facilitation of your class and the feedback received from your students, do you believe that students have a perception of you as someone who is reliable and fair? From the students’ perspective, are you someone they can trust to establish uniform classroom policies? Your consistent actions will help to develop strong working relationships, maintain uniform implementation of school policies, and establish your credibility as someone who can effectively manage the process of learning.

About the Mentor: Dr. Bruce Johnson has had a life-long love of learning and throughout his entire career he has been involved in many forms of adult education; including teaching, training, human resource development, coaching, and mentoring. Dr. J has completed a master’s in Business Administration and a PhD in the field of adult education, with an emphasis in adult learning within an online classroom environment. Presently Dr. J works as an online adjunct instructor, faculty developmental workshop facilitator, and faculty mentor.