Teaching with empathy: a practical guide for university educators

Imagine standing in front of your students and seeing more than just faces. You see individuals, each with their own stories, challenges and aspirations. This is the foundation of empathetic teaching, connecting with students not as a collective but as individuals.

As a nursing lecturer, modelling empathy is especially important because my students will one day care for patients in deeply personal and often vulnerable moments. By demonstrating empathy in my teaching, I not only enhance their learning experience but also set an example for the compassionate care they will provide in their future practice.

• Yes, empathy can be taught – here’s how
• Managing empathy fatigue as a teacher
• Using empathy in the classroom can have a great impact on learning

In this article, I’ll share practical strategies for fostering empathy in your teaching style, grounded in personal experience and tailored specifically for educators of nursing students studying a Bachelor of Nursing and academic staff across all disciplines.

Why empathy matters in education

Empathy isn’t just a “nice to have” in education, it’s transformative. Empathetic teaching improves student engagement, reduces anxiety and fosters a supportive learning environment, research consistently shows.

For nursing students, empathy goes beyond the classroom. By incorporating it into our teaching, we not only enhance academic outcomes but also prepare students to connect with patients on a human level, ensuring better care and improved health outcomes.

How to bring empathy into your teaching

Empathy in education often feels like an abstract concept. How can we make it tangible, actionable and, most importantly, effective?

1. Get to know your students

Understanding your students’ challenges and goals is the foundation of empathy. For nursing students, these challenges often include balancing clinical placements, part-time jobs and personal responsibilities, all while navigating a demanding curriculum.

• How to do it: Start the semester with an anonymous survey. Ask about students’ preferred learning styles, their clinical placement schedules, work commitments (for example, night shifts or casual nursing roles) and other responsibilities.
• Why it works: Small changes can both acknowledge students’ reality and model the empathy they’ll need when managing patient care. In one semester, I discovered many students were juggling night shifts as healthcare assistants. Adjusting assessment deadlines by a few hours or offering flexible submission windows gave students other options to manage their time and stay engaged in their studies. 

2. Create safe spaces for communication

For nursing students, feeling heard and supported is essential for their academic success and for fostering the emotional intelligence needed to provide compassionate patient care.

• How to do it: Begin classes with open-ended questions such as: “What’s something that helped you learn this week?” or “What’s one challenge you’re facing in this course?” Create an environment where students feel comfortable sharing without judgement, emphasising that their feedback informs your teaching approach.
• Why it works: These check-ins can uncover insights that drive meaningful changes. For example, after a student expressed confusion about a topic, I introduced peer-led online study groups. These groups provided significant support for their learning and engagement, with students meeting asynchronously to review the recorded tutorial together.

3. Offer flexible learning options

Empathetic teaching recognises that students learn differently and have diverse needs, mirroring the variety of patients they will encounter in nursing practice.

• How to do it: Use a variety of teaching methods – teaching by stories, visual aids, discussions, hands-on activities – and offer different assessment formats, such as videos or presentations.
• Why it works: Just as nurses adapt their communication style to meet the diverse needs of patients, whether through verbal explanations, visual aids or demonstrations, educators can be flexible in how they address the learning needs of students. In a communication course I teach, I redesigned a case study assessment to be submitted as a video instead of a written essay. This approach better supported non-traditional learners and significantly increased student engagement. 

4. Give personalised feedback

Feedback is more effective when it acknowledges effort and provides actionable suggestions, just as timely and specific feedback is crucial in nursing practice to ensure improvement and growth.

• How to do it: Be specific in your feedback. Instead of writing: “This needs improvement”, try: “You’ve done a great job framing the issue. To strengthen your argument, consider adding examples from [specific source].” Or you could say: “For your next assessment, I have two things for you to consider…” This approach mirrors the constructive feedback you’d give a nursing student during a clinical placement, such as: “Your assessment of the patient was thorough. For your next evaluation, I have two things for you to consider. First, try to include a more detailed explanation of your rationale for the interventions; second, ensure you address all aspects of the patient’s care plan.”
• Why it works: A student once shared how much they appreciated feedback that highlighted their strengths, just as a nursing student values recognition of their competencies. This type of positive reinforcement helps students build confidence and motivates them to approach future assessments with a greater understanding of how to improve their practice.

5. Show empathy beyond the classroom

Empathy also extends to how you communicate in emails, set course rules and support students outside formal teaching.

• How to do it: Use clear, conversational language in emails, and respond promptly to student concerns. When setting course rules, consider including flexible options, such as allowances for unexpected life events.
• Why it works: When a nursing student shared personal challenges, I offered a brief extension. This approach showed that their situation was understood and valued and allowed the student to submit their best work, mirroring the compassion and understanding we encourage in clinical practice.

Overcoming challenges to empathy

Empathy in teaching doesn’t need to be time-consuming or complex. It isn’t about grand gestures but about making students feel heard through everyday interactions. Small, meaningful actions can have a big impact. Simply remembering a student’s name or asking about their day can make them feel seen and valued. 

Ultimately, empathy is a skill that grows with practice. Start small, stay consistent, and you’ll see both your teaching and your students thrive.

Dianne Stratton-Maher is a senior nursing lecturer in the Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences at the University of Southern Queensland, Australia.