EOTP - Welcoming Students to Online Learning

Rationale

Getting off to a good start in any learning experience means creating enthusiasm for the learning to come, clarifying expectations, and creating an atmosphere of trust and support (Boettcher & Conrad, 2016, p. 83). 

Practices

Learning Objectives

To launch a successful start to your course, we will discuss practices you can use to:

1. Ensure the course is student ready

  • Organize course content from a student’s point of view
  • Conduct a technology check

2. Ensure students start strong

  • Send a welcome message and relevant materials prior to class
  • Develop an online orientation module
  • Design a syllabus activity

3. Build community

  • Create an online introduction discussion forum
  • Build student-to-student relationships

Skeletal Outline

Download our skeletal outline to take notes on the key practices included in this module.

Course Demonstration

Select one or more of the three videos below that show instructors effectively demonstrating the evidence-based practices presented in this module. Please use these authentic demonstrations to consider how you might implement these practices with your students.

Ensuring Your Course is Student Ready

Download the transcript for this video.

Preparing Students for Success

Download the transcript for this video.

Building Community

Download the transcript for this video.

Expert Insights

In this video, José Bowen and Flower Darby, both scholars in online teaching and learning, discuss the nuances and research support for the teaching practices presented in this module.

Download the transcript for this video.

Common Challenges & Misconceptions

In this section, you’ll read about some common challenges and misconceptions associated with building community and effectively welcoming students to your online course.

1. Challenge: One of the aspects of face-to-face teaching that I really enjoy is the connections I see forming between students. They greet each other in the classroom, often sit in the same sections and become support systems for each other. I really struggle with creating this same environment in online classes.

Clarification

Creating intentional opportunities for students to get to know each other at the beginning of (and throughout) the course helps build trust and foster a sense of community (Conrad & Donaldson, 2011). Initial activities such as icebreakers also provide a low-stakes opportunity to engage with the technology of the course, which is particularly helpful to students who are new to online learning.

Suggestions

Create discussion forums that serve as fun and non-threatening icebreakers to ease students into the course, the course technology, and the learning community. Effective introduction activities should require that students try out the technology required to be successful in the course while also having the opportunity to share something personal about themselves, read one another’s entries, respond to entries, and perhaps find something in common with their peers. You can provide an introduction to model your expectations and, when possible, thank each student as they post and send a message that helps them know you read their message and are glad they are taking the course.

2. Challenge: In an online course, it is particularly challenging to show my teaching style and personality to create a welcoming environment in the same way I do in a face-to-face classroom.

Clarification

In face-to-face classrooms, teachers do many things, such as smiling, greeting each student as they arrive, making eye contact, and so on, to help students feel welcome. As Darby (2020) points out, you can “[a]pply that same principle to your online classes” by using plenty of visuals and multimedia, and by infusing your written and recorded announcements, instructions, and explanations with warmth and your unique personality (Section 9, para. 5).

Suggestions

Create a short video message to welcome students to the first module and establish a positive teaching and social presence from the start of your course. Ensure that your written communication conveys caring and presence. For example, Darby (2020) suggests that “at the end of a set of assignment instructions, you could write, ‘If you have any questions at all about what you are supposed to do on this assignment, please remember I am here to help. Reach out any time so I can support your success.’ That is more friendly, more caring, and more reassuring than, ‘Questions? Post them in the Q&A discussion forum’” (Darby, 2020, Section 2, para. 6).

3. Challenge: It is challenging to support students who are new to online learning because they often underestimate the time and effort required to succeed in this format (Bawa, 2016).

Clarification

Research shows that, in the first week of class, when teachers provide tools to make sure that students understand how to be successful in online learning and how to meet course expectations, students are more likely to persist and succeed (Darby & Lang, 2019; Hart 2012; Nilson & Goodson, 2018; Walton & Brady, 2017).

Suggestions

Create a video that takes your students on a tour of their course. Put yourself in your students’ shoes by navigating your course as if you were a student in order to identify unclear navigation paths and to check links. You may consider asking a colleague or teaching assistant to conduct this check to uncover any areas of confusion. Throughout your online course, use menus, modules, folders, and other organizing structures to help students progress through the course and “[a]im for a good mix of navigational approaches so students experience neither scrolling nor clicking fatigue” (Darby, 2020, Section 4, para. 7).

It can also be helpful to provide suggestions about the amount of time it typically takes students to complete certain tasks. This can help students to have a better understanding of expectations and to plan their time.

4. Challenge: I teach a launched, online, asynchronous course, and I am not sure how I can implement any of the module practices.

Although many of the practices in this module focus on using the beginning of the course to welcome and inspire students about your course, this can also be done at the beginning of modules or units of study. For asynchronous courses, record a short video welcoming students to an upcoming module. Share your interest and background in the content of the upcoming module. If you have experience in the field, consider sharing how you used the skills from the module in your work. Add a short commentary discussing how the content from the module is connected to students’ interests and future goals. For a synchronous online course, set aside a few minutes at the beginning of a new module or unit to discuss your interests in the topics that you and your students will be studying.

It is also possible to build student-to-student relationships at any time in the course. Consider setting up study buddies for an upcoming exam or assignment by asking students if they would like to join a study group. Based on the responses, create groups of students and provide them with an online space to meet. You may even offer to meet with them once or twice to get them started.

For additional suggestions on how to implement the practices highlighted in this course, please see the implementation resources.

Observe & Analyze

In the Observe & Analyze (OA) section, you’ll view the video depicting developing practice, where an instructor implements some of the module practices effectively while other practices may need slight adjustments or improvements. Analyze how well Dr. Walsh helps his students start strong to inform the discussion with your peers.

Watch

Download the transcript for this video.

Implementation Resources

  • Online Instructional Practices

  • F2F Instructional Practices

  • Additional Resources

This section includes resources to support your implementation of the practices presented in the module.

Download the online instructional practice implementation resources for this module.

Ensure the course is student ready

Organize course content from a student’s point of view

Online students can become confused, frustrated, or disengaged if they find it challenging to navigate the course learning environment. When students use a lot of cognitive resources figuring out how to access course materials, they have little left for the content itself.

Download a resource on organizing course content.

Conduct a technology check

Check through your course to make sure all links are working and that you are familiar with any changes to the technology tools you use in your course. This is also a good time to see if you need to update any of the technological resources.

Download a resource on conducting a technology check.

Ensure students start strong

Send a welcome message with relevant materials prior to class

Welcoming students prior to the first class and sending materials they need to successfully begin their class establishes positive teaching and social presence from the start of your course. One of the best ways to get an online course off on the right foot is to establish your social presence with a personalized video or message.

Download a resource on sending a welcome message.

Develop an online orientation module

Students taking online courses often underestimate the time and effort required to succeed in this format (Bawa, 2016). Therefore, the purpose of an orientation module is to make sure that students understand how to be successful online, how to use the different features of the course, and how to meet course expectations. Create a video that takes students on a tour of their course.

Download a message on developing an online orientation module.

Assign a syllabus activity

Use a syllabus activity to help students learn how to engage in the online platform, understand course expectations, and learn how to access key information about the course.

Download a resource on assigning a syllabus activity.

Build community

Create an online introduction discussion forum

Creating intentional opportunities for students to get to know each other at the beginning of the course helps build trust and foster a sense of community (Conrad & Donaldson, 2011). These initial activities also provide a low-stakes opportunity to engage with the technology of the course, which is particularly helpful to students who are new to online learning.

Download resources on student introductions and responding to introductory posts.

Build peer-to-peer relationships

In face-to-face classes, interactions occur spontaneously, but in online courses, you must design productive interactions in advance (Nilson & Goodson, 2018). Meaningful student interactions, in both synchronous and asynchronous online courses, encourage student engagement and persistence. “Student-to-student interaction helps create new learning. It’s not enough for students to work with your content. It’s not even enough for students to work with you. They must work with each other, too, to learn and succeed in our online classes.” (Darby & Lang, 2019, p. 81).

Download a resource on building peer-to-peer relationships.

This section includes additional resources to support your implementation of these and similar practices in a face-to-face course.

Implementation Resources

Download or print the following resources to practice our techniques for leading the first day of your class:

Resources for Further Reading

  • Lang, J. (2008). On course: A week-by-week guide to your first semester of college teaching. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
  • McKeachie, W. J. (2002). Teaching tips: Strategies, research, and theory for college and university teachers (11th ed.). Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.
  • Nilson, L. B. (2010). Teaching at its best: A research-based resource for college instructors (3rd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Consult a comprehensive list of references for this module.

Community Connections

References

INSTRUCTOR CREDENTIALS

Beth O. Anish, PhD
Associate Professor of English
English Department
Community College of Rhode Island

LaWanda Baskin, PhD, FNP-C
Assistant Professor of Nursing
School of Leadership & Advanced Nursing Practice
The University of Southern Mississippi

Tena Boehm Morgan
Adjunct Accounting Instructor
mCLCTL Division
South Mountain Community College

Julie Candio Sekel
Adjunct Instructor
School of Humanities and Global Studies
Ramapo College of New Jersey

Kelly Fitzsimmons Burton, PhD
Philosophy Faculty
Communication, Language, and Humanities Division
Paradise Valley Community College

Debora Herold, PhD
Senior Lecturer
Department of Psychology
Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis

Kelly Lester, EdD, MFA
Director, Center for Faculty Development and Professor of Dance
The University of Southern Mississippi

Gina M. Londino-Smolar
Senior Lecturer, Forensic and Investigative Sciences Program
Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology
Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis

Alyson Snowe, PhD
Assistant Professor
English Department
Community College of Rhode Island

Lindsay Wright, PhD
Assistant Professor and Program Coordinator, Child and Family Sciences
School of Child and Family Sciences
The University of Southern Mississippi

EXPERT CREDENTIALS

José Antonio Bowen, PhD
Former President, Goucher College
Former Dean, Miami University and Southern Methodist University
Author, Teaching Naked

Flower Darby
Assistant Dean of Online and Innovative Pedagogies
Northern Arizona University
Author, How to Be A Better Online Instructor and Small Teaching Online: Applying Learning Science in Online Classes

MODULE REFERENCES

Bawa, P. (2016).
Retention in online courses: Exploring issues and solutions—a literature review. SAGE Open, 6(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244015621777

Boettcher, J. V., & Conrad, R.-M. (2016).
The online teaching survival guide: Simple and practical pedagogical tips (2nd ed.). Jossey-Bass.

Conrad, R. M., & Donaldson, J. A. (2011).
Engaging the online learner: Activities and resources for creative instruction. Jossey-Bass.

Darby F. (2020).
How to be a better online teacher: Advice guide. Chronicle of Higher Education. https://www.chronicle.com/interactives/advice-online-teaching

Darby, F., & Lang, J. M. (2019).
Small teaching online: Applying learning science in online classes. Jossey-Bass.

Hart, C. (2012).
Factors associated with student persistence in an online program of study: A review of the literature. Journal of Interactive Online Learning, 11(1), 19–42. http://www.ncolr.org/jiol/issues/pdf/11.1.2.pdf

Nilson, L. B., & Goodson, L. A. (2018).
Online teaching at its best: Merging instructional design with teaching and learning research. Jossey-Bass.

Walton, G. M., & Brady, S. T. (2017).
The many questions of belonging. In A. Elliot, C. Dweck, & D. Yeager (Eds.), Handbook of competence and motivation: Theory and application (2nd ed., pp. 272–293). Guilford Press.

Report

Harassment or bullying behavior
Contains mature or sensitive content
Contains misleading or false information
Contains abusive or derogatory content
Contains spam, fake content or potential malware

Block Member?

Please confirm you want to block this member.

You will no longer be able to:

  • See blocked member's posts
  • Mention this member in posts
  • Invite this member to groups
  • Message this member
  • Add this member as a connection

Please note: This action will also remove this member from your connections and send a report to the site admin. Please allow a few minutes for this process to complete.

Report

You have already reported this .