Creating online learning communities
Do unto students as they would have done to them
Maha Bali offers practical advice on building equitable learning communities online no matter what students’ bandwidth or synchronicity of the class
Creating a welcoming and inclusive online learning community
Creating a sense of community among students is vital for effective online teaching. Here, Miral Gibson explains how fostering this welcoming online learning…
Well-being pedagogies: activities and practices to improve the student experience online
With many concerned about the mental health effects of learning remotely, Elena Riva shares helpful practices that can boost student well-being in the online teaching and…
Think-pair-share: how to structure online classes
When students discuss ideas and learn from one another, they absorb far more, which is the rationale behind the think-pair-share teaching model. Here José Guzman explains…
How I fostered multilingual student discussion in asynchronous online classes
Ioannis Gaitanidis explains how designed his asynchronous online teaching to foster the same level of spontaneous student discussion as his in-person classes
The power of peer to peer: how and why to encourage your students to learn from each other
Peer-to-peer learning brings major benefits for students and instructors. Here, Zachary Walker explains how to encourage your students to learn from each other and…
How to offer students a rewarding university experience online
Successfully teaching online is just one part of the battle to serve students remotely. Here David Woolley talks about what more universities can do to give students a fulfilling…
Soft skills: how to promote student collaboration in online environments
Online collaboration is not an innate skill for most students but something that instructors must cultivate. Hugh McFaul explains how he did this through careful design of …
Virtual exchange: supporting online collaboration to benefit all learners
Virtual exchanges enable group work between students in different locations, but studies show varied learning gains. Irina Rets and Bart Rienties use research to…
Developing students’ confidence and sense of belonging online
With most students new to online learning, many may lack the confidence to actively participate in group classes. Georgina Blakeley offers her tips on fostering a sense of…
Socio-emotional learning online: boosting student resilience and well-being
The Covid-19 crisis has led to worsening mental health and increased stress among students. Kathleen Chim talks about how the Open University of Hong Kong has tried to …
Forum-based online teaching to improve student engagement and motivation
A key challenge with online learning is maintaining student engagement and motivation. A forum-based teaching system, in which all students could see and compare their work …
The art and science of online discussion forums
Online discussion forums are an effective way to ensure remote students engage critically with their subjects but require careful thought and planning by instructors, as…
Experiment, test, refine: work with students to shape online courses
If you want to improve teaching, speak to the learners, explains Pat Tissington, who advocates using student feedback to continually experiment and…
