By Toby Brooks and Doug Dendy
In an age where apps track everything from steps to sleep cycles and where artificial intelligence can generate convincing essays in seconds, it may seem almost quaint to rely on a 3 x 5 notecard and a pen to facilitate classroom communication. Yet after nearly two decades each in higher education faculty roles, we have found that this simple approach has produced some of the most significant impact in our teaching.
In the past, faculty might have turned to a mobile survey tool or logged attendance in a spreadsheet. Post-COVID-19, however, the need to cultivate authentic, bi-directional communication has only grown (Avcı; Garrad and Page; Marler et al.). In that context, the power and value of a personal, handwritten system has come into clearer focus. What we call the “communication card” has become, in our experience, one of the most analog, unpretentious, and surprisingly transformational tools in our teaching toolkits.
What we call the “communication card” has become, in our experience, one of the most analog, unpretentious, and surprisingly transformational tools in our teaching toolkits.
At the beginning of every class session, a blank notecard is distributed to each member of the class. Every student is asked to write their name and a praise or gratitude on the front of the card along with any concerns on the back. The prompt is simple: “I care about you. Let me know if there’s anything in your world you’d like me to know about.”
In a state or secular institution, this practice can be framed as an opportunity to share a gratitude and/or a concern. In a faith-based institution, it can be presented as an opportunity to share a praise and a prayer request. Gratitude exercises like this or variants on the theme (i.e., “three good things,” etc.) have demonstrated the ability to potentially reduce the incidence of depression and anxiety in some populations (Petrocchi and Couyoumdjian; Schienle et al.). Regardless of setting, the card is a tangible means for faculty to open a dialogue with each student in the hopes that they feel seen, valued, and appreciated. By adding in the “if there’s anything in your world you’d like me to know about,” we seek to extend a genuine invitation for students to share whatever they feel led to communicate.
In practice, responses may include a question about the course material, a comment about the class, or—more often—something deeply personal. In faith-based contexts, students are specifically told that the instructor will pray over each card individually and by name each time a card is submitted, so each is encouraged to include a prayer request if they choose. Cards are then collected and reviewed. When a student’s comment warrants a reply, a personal, handwritten note is created and delivered at the next class session on a fresh notecard or sealed envelope.
Simple. Analog. And profoundly human.
A Gentle Disruption of Routine
Like most faculty who have taught for any length of time, we have experimented with numerous systems for tracking attendance, soliciting questions, and keeping communication lines open. From digital gradebook sign-ins to QR codes and course management messaging systems, we have tried a host of options. While convenient, these methods often lacked soul. What they gained in efficiency, they tended to lose in intimacy.
The notecard, by contrast, slows the moment down. It provides students with a tangible pause. It is a quiet breath before each class session to reflect, to reach out, or simply to be present. It also reinforces that our classrooms are not merely transactional spaces where information is dispensed. Instead, they are intended as transformational spaces where presence matters.
[O]ur classrooms are not merely transactional spaces where information is dispensed. Instead, they are intended as transformational spaces where presence matters.
This small act of reflection resonates with recent scholarship on contemplative pedagogy, which emphasizes intentional stillness and reflection in learning environments as a means to enhance focus, deepen learning, and foster emotional resilience (Grace; Chapman). Such analog practices may also serve as an antidote to the cognitive overload and information fatigue so prevalent in digitally saturated learning environments (Barbezat and Bush; Zajonc).
excited to share a triumph.
Building Belonging and Trust
One of the unintended but deeply welcome consequences of the notecard practice has been the trust it cultivates. Students often share things on those cards they might never feel comfortable putting in an email. From mental health struggles to worries about a parent’s cancer diagnosis to hopes for landing that first job interview, the range and depth of the notes are often stunning.
[W]e have watched a stronger community take shape.
In return, we seek to honor their vulnerability with our own. We write back encouragement. When and where appropriate, we offer prayer. We remind them that they are not alone. Over time, we have watched a stronger community take shape. Many of our courses are designed in lock-step cohorts, with students taking many or even all of their courses together. Ironically, despite the familiarity and the sheer amount of time spent together, students often fail to really see one another and be seen. The connection card shifts this dynamic. It is not a practice built on anonymous digital engagement but rather one that models and requires genuine human interaction.
Paul exhorts the Galatians to “carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” (Gal. 6:2 NIV). In our classrooms, the notecard has become a small but meaningful way of living out this calling.
This sense of belonging echoes research in higher education emphasizing the importance of connection, particularly in fostering persistence and retention among students (Strayhorn). When students feel seen and heard, their academic motivation and emotional resilience improve (Tinto). This is an abridged version of this article. To read more, subscribe to Christian Educators Journal.
Works Cited
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Barbezat, Daniel P., and Mirabai Bush. Contemplative Practices in Higher Education: Powerful Methods to Transform Teaching and Learning. John Wiley & Sons, 2013.
Chapman, Laura Roche. “Contemplative Pedagogy: Creating Mindful Educators and Classrooms.” Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups, vol. 6, no. 6, 2021, pp. 1540–53, doi.org/10.1044/2021_PERSP-21-00065.
Garrad, Traci-Ann, and Angela Page. “From Face-to-Face to the Online Space: The Continued Relevance of Connecting Students with Each Other and Their Learning Post COVID-19.” Frontiers in Education, vol. 7, 2022, doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2022.808104.
Grace, Fran. “Learning as a Path, Not a Goal: Contemplative Pedagogy—Its Principles and Practices.” Teaching Theology & Religion, vol. 14, no. 2, 2011, pp. 99–124, doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9647.2011.00689.x.
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Robson, L., et al. “Student Experience of University Communication.” INTED2016 Proceedings, 10th International Technology, Education and Development Conference, Valencia, Spain, 2016, pp. 6118–24, doi.org/10.21125/inted.2016.0452.
Sadler, D. Royce. “Formative Assessment: Revisiting the Territory.” Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 1998, doi.org/10.1080/0969595980050104.
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Shahade, Satya. “The Campus Communication Crisis: Why Students Ignore Emails & What Universities Can Do About It,” HootBoard, 17 Apr. 2025, about.hootboard.com/education/campus-communication-crisis-students-ignore-emails-universities-can/. Accessed 4 Sep. 2025.
Strayhorn, Terrell L. “Exploring the Impact of Facebook and Myspace Use on First-Year Students’ Sense of Belonging and Persistence Decisions.” Journal of College Student Development, vol. 53, no. 6, 2012, pp. 783–96.
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Uddin, Shahadat, and Michael J. Jacobson. “Dynamics of Email Communications Among University Students Throughout a Semester.” Computers & Education, vol. 64, 2013, pp. 95–103, doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2013.01.014.
Zajonc, Arthur. “Contemplative Pedagogy: A Quiet Revolution in Higher Education.” New Directions for Teaching and Learning, vol. 2013, no. 134, 2013, pp. 83–94, doi.org/10.1002/tl.20057.
Toby Brooks, PhD, MBA, LAT, ATC, CSCS, is director of the Academy for Teaching & Learning and a clinical professor in the Department of Health, Human Performance, and Recreation at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. He is passionate about identity, resilience, and purpose-driven education with research interests in the scholarship of teaching and learning and in a variety of factors related to optimizing human performance.
Doug Dendy, PT, ScD, is an associate professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences and the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Lubbock, Texas. He is a recognized expert in pediatric physical therapy with research interests in various aspects of mitigating injury risk and enhancing performance, particularly in young athletes.
