One conceptualization that may guide college instructors toward excellence in their teaching is that they should strive to bring PEACE to their classes. Beyond the wonderful notion of making their classes welcoming, inclusive, and safe learning spaces, PEACE is an acronym that reminds instructors to bring Preparation, Expertise, Authenticity, Caring and Engagement to their classes and students (Saucier, 2019; Saucier, 2022; Saucier et al., 2022; Saucier et al., 2025).
It may be relatively easy for instructors to understand that they should use their Preparation and Expertise as the intellectual and instructional foundations for their teaching, and that they should use Caring and Engagement as the personal and interpersonal foundations for their teaching (Abrami et al., 1997; Lowman, 1995; Meyers, 2009). Consequently, it may be relatively easy for them to envision and enact ways to demonstrate those characteristics to their students.
Authenticity, however, may be harder for instructors to understand and demonstrate.
How Authenticity Holds PEACE Together
Authenticity, while potentially being the most elusive component of PEACE, may be the key to holding PEACE together. Preparation becomes meaningful when it reflects genuine care and adaptability. Expertise is more relatable and respected when instructors are honest about their limits and continuously learning. Caring is most powerful when it is felt and expressed with sincerity. Engagement thrives when it is fueled by genuine passion and interest in the subject and students. By being authentic, instructors achieve a more integrated demonstration of the PEACE framework, where the components combine to create a more trusting, effective, and connected learning environment.
The Importance of Instructor Authenticity
Authenticity highlights how embracing one’s true self can lead to deeper connections, trust, and lasting impact. Authenticity can manifest in many ways, including through vulnerability, empathy, and transparency. Honest vulnerability allows instructors to present themselves as they truly are—flaws, fears, and all. Without vulnerability, authenticity can feel shallow or incomplete. Empathy allows for interpersonal understanding and connection. Transparency allows for disclosure and trust. When instructors demonstrate Authenticity to their students, they may inspire the rapport and interpersonal connections that allow their students to better engage in the learning space, have more positive experiences, feel more supported, and achieve greater success.
But demonstrating Authenticity is not easy. Some obstacles include instructors fearing judgment or rejection, feeling pressure to conform to professional norms or roles, cultural expectations, insecurity and the imposter phenomenon, lack of emotional awareness, and fear of vulnerability (e.g., Meyer, 2009; Palmer, 1997; Strachan, 2020). Accordingly, we offer practice advice to help instructors bring Authenticity to their teaching in their efforts to support their students’ learning and success.
Demonstrating Authenticity in Our Teaching
To be authentic and to demonstrate vulnerability, empathy, and transparency, we must be real life human people, not brilliant robots. This presentation of ourselves and our humanity can be aided by several specific teaching behaviors and practices. We offer four recommendations for how instructors may demonstrate Authenticity in their teaching:
1. Creating a Space for Vulnerability
We should make our classrooms safe spaces in which our students can focus on learning in an “oasis” away from the rest of their personal and professional responsibilities and challenges (Saucier, 2019). We should explicitly describe our classrooms in this way to our students. We should reinforce them for sharing their experiences and validate their contributions and questions. Doing so will encourage them to be present in the moment to engage in their learning.
2. Sharing Our Stories
We should share our relevant stories and experiences with our students as they relate to the course content, our personal growth, our process of learning, and our challenges with our students. Through our honest, positive, and intentional sharing, we can better connect with our students (Lannutti & Strauman, 2006; Solis & Turner, 2016) and inspire them to learn with us.
3. Modeling the Growth Mindset
The growth mindset (Dweck, 1999, 2006) is the understanding that where we are now is not where we will be, that we can improve our knowledge and skills through practice and effort. This is a valuable perspective for our students to have, and we should model the growth mindset. We may do so by being honest about our challenges, discussing how we worked to learn our content successfully, and admitting when we do not know something (and either finding the answer or discussing how we would find answer with them; Saucier et al., 2021).
4. Celebrating Imperfection
We should acknowledge that neither we nor our students are perfect. We should model how we learn from our mistakes. We should employ empathetic course policies that allow for reasonable grace in grading, attendance, and late work (Saucier et al., 2022). We should encourage and celebrate personalization and risk-taking in our students’ work. We should discuss failure, validate the frustration it produces, but recognize the lessons we learn from it.
Conclusion
Authenticity may be the key to bringing PEACE to our classes and we offered practical recommendations for how instructors may demonstrate their Authenticity to their students. These recommendations are not comprehensive. They will require intentional effort and investment on the part of instructors. They may be uncomfortable at first. But when instructors intentionally demonstrate their Authenticity to their students, they will better support their students’ learning and success by bringing PEACE to their classes.
Donald A. Saucier, PhD, (2001, University of Vermont) is a University Distinguished Teaching Scholar and Professor of Psychological Sciences at Kansas State University. Saucier has published more than 100 peer-reviewed journal articles and is a Fellow of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues, the Society for Experimental Social Psychology, and the Midwestern Psychological Association. His awards and honors include the University Distinguished Faculty Award for Mentoring of Undergraduate Students in Research, the Presidential Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, and the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues Teaching Resource Prize. Saucier is also the Faculty Associate Director of the Teaching and Learning Center at Kansas State University and offers a YouTube channel called “Engage the Sage” that describes his teaching philosophy, practices, and experiences.
Tareque Nasser, PhD, (2010, University of Alabama) is an Associate Professor of Finance and the Duensing Business Teaching Scholar at the Kansas State University College of Business Administration.
References
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Dweck, C. S. (1999). Caution-praise can be dangerous. American Educator, 23, 4-9.
Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. Random house.
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Lowman, J. (1995). Mastering the techniques of teaching (2nd ed.). Jossey-Bass.
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Saucier, D. A. (2019, September 9th). Bringing PEACE to the classroom. Faculty Focus. Retrieved from: https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/philosophy-of-teaching/bringing-peace-to-the-classroom/
Saucier, D. A. (2019, September 19th). Engage yourself in your classroom. The ‘Q” Blog Association of College and University Educators (ACUE) Newsletter.
Saucier, D. A. (2022, February 23rd). Bringing PEACE to support all students. Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved from: https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2022/02/23/professors-should-learn-about-respond-students-unique-experiences-opinion
Saucier, D. A., Jones, T. L., Schiffer, A. A., & Renken, N. D. (2022). The empathetic course design perspective. Applied Economics Teaching Resources, 4(4), 101-111.
Saucier, D. A., Renken, N. D., & Schiffer, A. A. (2021, November 1st). Five strategies for mastering the art of answering questions when teaching and presenting. Faculty Focus. Retrieved from: https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-and-learning/five-strategies-for-mastering-the-art-of-answering-questions-when-teaching-and-presenting/
Saucier, D. A., Renken, N. D., Schiffer, A. A., & Jones, T. J. (2025). What GTAs need: Implications from a survey of the goals, concerns, and questions of graduate teaching assistants. Journal on Centers for Teaching and Learning, 16(1), 141-162.
Solis, O. J., & Turner, W. D. (2016). Strategies for building positive student-instructor interactions in large classes. Journal of Effective Teaching, 16(1), 36-51.
Strachan, S. L. (2020). The case for the caring instructor. College Teaching, 68(2), 53-56.
