A challenging aspect of online classes is the isolated sense that students can sometimes feel, somewhat disconnected from their instructor and even fellow classmates. Instructors continually discover innovative ways to build student community in their online courses. From encouraging online study groups via social media tools, to interacting via the online “Student Lounge” in the LMS, there are numerous methods to facilitate students engaging with one another to build crucial online learning relationships.
One method that came to light in a recent Faculty Technology Forum was an instructor who used an assignment for students to get some basic PowerPoint skills as well as introduce themselves to one another. He set the example by sharing his own PowerPoint-built profile in the doc sharing portion of the course. This PowerPoint file also contained an overview of course expectations.
This first step achieves a few purposes- not only does it outline and introduce the course, it also allows students to get an idea of what their subsequent profiles should look like and achieve. Students then build their own slide shows to introduce themselves and share with the rest of the class via doc sharing. According to the instructor, each student self-introductory presentation is viewed by at least three other students.
Using this simple but effective assignment, students get a chance to better know some of their fellow online classmates whom they may never meet in person. Definitely a step toward building an online student community within an asynchronous learning format.
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