Here’s a link to a blog post that briefly explains some of the techniques being used in an online communications class at British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT).
Designing an Online Communications Course to Span Cultural Divides
The post doesn’t go into much detail, but one of the things I noted was how the instructor purposefully employs strategies to help the students feel a sense of connection and community. Here’s a quote:
Immediacy behaviours such as “Start with a smile” are prevalent throughout the course. Immediacy behaviours are the nonverbal and verbal behaviours such as smiling and telling funny stories that enable people to feel socially closer to each other. Teacher immediacy behaviours have been shown to increase student learning and satisfaction.
One of the biggest difficulties that distance learning students face is overcoming the sense of isolation they feel from the instructor and from other students in the class. What strategies do you use to help connect with your students so that they feel like they are part of a class and not just clicking through links on a page by themselves?