Introduction

Too often online students feel isolated and disconnected from their instructors and peers in online classes. This disconnect can hinder their ability and desire to engage in the course. The good news is instructors have the ability to build relationships between students and with themselves through introductory videos and the discussion board.

Introductory Videos

As the saying goes, you never get a second change to make a first impression. Creating an introductory video at the beginning of the class helps students get to know the instructor. This video is an opportunity to set the tone and expectations for the course. Students want to know their instructor’s professional background, passions and teaching style. The written words on a syllabus cannot convey all the information necessary to satisfy the natural curiosity of students. Students need the combination of text, visual and aural communication in order to feel fully comfortable with the online environment. Introductory videos are an opportunity for an instructor to let the students know they are approachable.

There are several very user friendly tools, like VoiceThread, that can help produce simple, but effective videos. Other than building relationships between students and the instructor, these videos reduce student anxiety and potential frustration with the distance in an online environment.

Discussion Boards

Another way to promote a sense of community and engagement is to have students participate in weekly discussion board forums. The topics for these forums should be relevant to content, but not restricted to right or wrong answers. Discussions boards offer opportunities for critical thinking and exploration of a topic. Instructors can create open ended questions that allow for students to connect to the topic and make connections between the content and the world. It is also important to stagger due dates so students can post an initial response and then have time to respond to others each week.

In the end, incorporating even just a few of these ideas will improve student satisfaction, participation, and retention in online classes and programs. Creating multiple instances of continuous and open dialogue with online students is key.

The following sample rubric may be helpful for creating discussions:

Components (equally weighted)	Mastery (90 – 100)	Competency (80 – 89)	Developing (0-79)
Content	Accurate expression of facts and ideas	Mostly accurate expression of facts and ideas	Limited attention to expression of facts and ideas
Application to experience	Describes how the content is relevant to real life experiences	States the content is relevant, but does not show how specifically	Limited description of how the content is relevant.
Responses to others	Offers constructive, supportive and respectful comments to others	Respectfully responds to others	Limited responses to others

Reference: Stevens, D. D. & Levi, A. J. (2013) Introduction to Rubrics. Sterling, VA: Stylus

Additional Resources

First Day of Class Activity: The Interest Inventory | Faculty Focus. (2018, July 18). Retrieved August 20, 2018, from https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/effective-teaching-strategies/first-day-of-class-activity-the-interest-inventory/
Gaudreau, C. (2017, August 03). 9 Types of Feedback to Boost Student Engagement. Retrieved August 20, 2018, from https://elearningindustry.com/9-types-of-feedback-boost-student-engagement
Stevens, D.D., Levi, A.J. (2013). Introduction to Rubrics. Sterling, Virginia: Stylus Publishing.