| Online Courses:
Building Community |
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Take advantage of the opportunity
to meet a group of your students at
the Distance Learning Orientation session(s).
It is a great way to start building
community from the start.
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| · |
Post daily Announcements and require
all students to read them.
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| · |
Include a “Thought for the Day,”
usually inspirational and/or motivational,
in the daily Announcement. Share personal
aspects of your life that students can
relate to; they seem to appreciate this
and begin to view the instructor as
being “human.” Studies show
that instructors who form “friendships”
(much along the lines of Socrates and
Plato, united in seeking truth and growth)
experience less academic honesty in
their classrooms.
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Use several (but not so many that
they become a source of stress) Discussion
Board assignments that promote collaboration
and group communication.
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| · |
Suggest that the class meet for lunch
or dinner.
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| · |
Some courses may be more effective
if offered as a hybrid, with one or
two face-to-face meetings. For example,
job interviews and oral presentations
present wonderful opportunities for
such in ENG 114.
|
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