Online Learning

Build community

Create a sense of belonging, community, and support.

As part of the What Works Well in Online Teaching (WWWOT) series, Tara Montague shares strategies for building community in her online courses.

Practices

A major part of our college mission is to deliver access to quality education in a collaborative culture of diversity, equity and inclusion. Instructors are advocates for a just and inclusive college climate, regardless of individual differences, beliefs, or identities. A major step toward supporting this goal is to create a sense of belonging, community, and support. Here are the essential practices for this category.

Essential Practices
  • Create a welcoming, engaging learning environment where students feel a sense of connection to the instructor, other students, and the course.
  • Apply strategies to promote diversity, equity and inclusion as well as culturally responsive teaching.
  • Implement classroom discussion guidelines for civil discourse that respects the diversity of the group.
  • Show instructor presence in discussions and other collaborative activities through participation or feedback, and monitor discussion activities in regards to tone, relevance and appropriateness.
High-Impact Practices for Continuous Improvement
  • Evaluate culturally responsive teaching strategies for effectiveness and relevance. Make changes to courses accordingly.
  • Encourage course participation through engagement in course related resources on campus or in the community.
  • Foster a sense of community through group projects, discussions, and peer feedback opportunities.
  • Encourage collaboration on projects and assignments when it supports learning outcomes.
  • Encourage students to use images, audio, video, or other media in discussions or projects.

Examples for any online course

  • Use a video introduction to personalize your presence in the course.
  • Personalize your course shell using an instructor introduction page, weekly announcements, instructor videos, module introductions, etc.
  • Model respect for social, cultural and linguistic differences.
  • Adapt your communication style accordingly to provide a safe and supportive learning environment.
  • Be culturally sensitive when using humor or idioms in the course.
  • Vary course content to reflect diversity, such as with images and names used in examples, etc.
  • Develop a community agreement on student interactions, for example having students create a set of Ground Rules together.
  • Provide positive feedback to where students are encouraged to learn and challenge different perspectives.
  • Summarize student responses from assignments or discussions to reflect the diverse thoughts of the classroom community.
  • Facilitate study groups through discussions, Zoom, Google docs, Zoom Whiteboard, etc.
  • Offer opportunities for students to provide additional resources to further the learning objectives.
  • Provide announcements and share resources offered to students by the college to connect students back to the larger campus community they are part of.
  • Consider embedding a tutor or librarian within your online class.

Examples for online courses with scheduled meetings

  • Discuss camera use and ways it can build community. Offer alternatives such as the use of avatars for those who are unable to use a camera.
  • Begin a synchronous session with a brief mindfulness prompt. Ask students to reflect on what causes them to “tune out” during a live session and what helps them stay engaged during live sessions.
  • Invite students to share a favorite non-explicit song in the chat, then compile the responses into a class playlist to play when they arrive for class or return from breakout rooms.
  • Conduct a group game at the beginning of the session with Kahoot! or another ice breaker activity.
  • Offer multiple ways for students to engage, such as using reaction emojis, the “raise hand” feature, or typing a response in the chat.
  • Use polls or quick check-ins to ensure everyone feels included and understood during live interactions.
  • Monitor and read student responses in the chat to ensure diverse perspectives are highlighted and create opportunities for all students to contribute equally, regardless of background.
  • Use Google Slides, Zoom Whiteboard, or Hypothes.is for synchronous collaboration and to engage diverse voices.
  • In live sessions, provide opportunities for students to share their projects or presentations in real-time. Offer quick synchronous tutorials on using various media tools.
  • Encourage live peer feedback on assignments and projects during designated synchronous review sessions.
  • Organize optional synchronous “field trips” (e.g., virtual tours of campus resources or educational websites, guest speaker Q&A sessions) that connect course material to campus and real-world contexts.

Resources

Laying the Foundation for Building Community
Equity, Inclusion, and Cultural Responsiveness
Practical Strategies for Connection
Tools for Synchronous Engagement