Students care that you care: Nine lessons learned on student-faculty interactions in higher education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37134/jrpptte.vol15.1.5.2025Keywords:
higher education, immediacy, international students, Korea, phenomenology, student-faculty interactionsAbstract
How can professors connect better and interact more with students in a higher education context? This paper attempts to answer this question and reports on lessons learned through the pursuit of phenomenological research on student-faculty interaction experiences of international students enrolled in Korean universities, through which 17 foreign enrollees were interviewed. This paper is based on the qualitative findings of a phenomenological study investigating student-faculty experiences for international students. In light of empirical findings and insight from literature, this reflective essay presents nine concrete lessons that can guide educators’ efforts to establish, develop, and maintain meaningful relationships with university students, including foreign enrollees. Such insights are meant to offer new ideas and avenues toward more frequent and meaningful interactions between professors and students in a higher education setting.
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