Meaningful Connections
Whether it’s the isolation in an online class or the experience of being a commuter on campus, it is easy for students to feel disconnected from each other and their coursework. Yet, research in social constructivism shows that students learn best in collaborative environments. Collaboration builds trust and community, creates a sense of belonging, allows the sharing of different perspectives, and leads to creative problem solving. What can instructors do to foster a classroom environment that promotes connections through meaningful interactions?
Get to Know Students
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How to Get to Know StudentsBefore students can comfortably engage with each other, instructors need to first establish rapport with their students. There are multiple ways to get to know students throughout the course, whether it’s through writing or class discussions, but getting to know them prior to the start of the course is an effective way to build a solid foundation. Begin with a pre-course survey that allows students to state their preferred names, pronouns, how they feel about the course and any obstacles they may currently be facing. Creating a sense of belonging sets the stage for more meaningful interactions during the semester. ExampleCreate a copy and edit this pre-course survey to your liking by clicking on “Duplicate it” |
Break the Ice
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How to Design Interactions for Course ActivitiesInstructors will sometimes start the semester with an icebreaker, but students may need more than one icebreaker to get used to engaging with each other. In a face-to-face setting, incorporating short 5-10 minute group exercises to review material or share information are effective ways to start lessons. Ask students to share what they know about a topic, jot down what questions they had about a reading, write one item they thought was confusing, take a poll, or point to a specific passage they thought was interesting. In an online setting, breakout rooms can by used for synchronous classes to achieve the same effect. However, in asynchronous classes, the Discussion forum is usually the main place for students to discuss ideas. In addition to regular discussions, create an informal discussion forum for students to ask questions to each other or post relevant class-related content. |
Discussions And Debates
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How to Design Discussions and DebatesHaving meaningful discussions or debates helps to create interaction in the classroom. However, the traditional method of answering a question in a Discussion forum and replying to two classmates gets boring and doesn’t lead to genuine conversation. Examples |
Group Students to Problem Solve
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How to Design Successful Group ProjectsGroup projects are tricky because not all students commit to the work equally or have overlapping schedules. When grouping students, focus on lower stakes assignments and ensure that your class has a strong sense of community. Also, provide class time for students to collaborate and check in with each group to get an understanding of each person’s role and contributions. Create small groups (ideally 3 students) and think about whether to group randomly, by instructor’s choice or students’ choice. Project-based learning is a great way for students to collaborate to solve a particular problem by producing a product. Whether the product is meant to educate an audience or to solve the problem itself, project based learning allows students to think critically about real-world problems and develop solutions for a particular audience using appropriate means. |
