How do I establish a strong student-instructor rapport?

A strong online course should plan for opportunities for three kinds of student interactions: student-instructor, student-student, and student-content. While all three are important, student-instructor interaction has been identified as the most important when it comes to student success. However, with a little creativity and intentionality, finding ways to connect with your students in meaningful ways is achievable!

Instructional Solutions

• 1.  As you are creating the course schedule, don't think only about what your students will do and when—think also about when and how you will interact with your students. Creating an instructor presence plan involves carving out time to post weekly updates with reminders, grade both formative and summative assessments, interact with students on discussion boards, and respond to emails. Additionally, you'll want to plan for the spontaneous. This paradoxical notion involves making sure that you will have time to post updates and assignment wrappers for the whole class and create additional content in response to your students' needs. Setting a schedule and establishing a pattern early in the semester will help your students understand what to expect of you. Proving to your students that you are engaged and active in the course will motivate them and make them feel more invested in their work (Darby, 2019).

• 2.  When designing and delivering an online course, think about our very diverse UWG student body. We have students of all ethnicity, religions, ages, and abilities. As you are selecting learning materials and creating assignments, think about ways in which you can make your course as accessible and inclusive as possible. 

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