Leveraging Course Design for Student Engagement and Success

Student interaction with peers and especially faculty creates a sense of belonging and increases overall student engagement, perception of the program, and retention and persistence to graduation. For large classes, and especially in the transition to online teaching in the COVID era, there is a demand for low-effort, or “light touch”, strategies that faculty can use to connect with students and promote increased academic performance and student engagement. This presentation showcases the effects of personalized emails in a large, undergraduate junior level physiology course on academic success outcomes, including student perceptions of faculty engagement, participation in academic resources, and academic performance.