Online Learning Post-COVID: Faculty Caring in the Eyes of University Students

The escalation in online learning post-COVID has created a pressing need to consider faculty-student interactions in a virtual environment. A sequential explanatory, mixed-method design was used to investigate university students' perceptions of faculty caring online following the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were 46 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in one of four programs offered either fully online or with a significant number of required courses offered in an asynchronous online format at the same university in a single semester. Results from the Student Perspectives of Caring Online Survey indicated participants' feeling strongly about effective communication, specifically a detailed class calendar with a schedule and due dates as well as clear instructions regarding expectations for online communications, as a faculty behavior that conveyed caring. Qualitative data supported this finding and indicated that empathy and support from faculty were also highly valued. Implications of findings for online teaching practices are presented.