Hello... Are You Out There?

Are You Missing The Boat with 

Your Online Students?

As the days roll by in an online class, you may have the feeling that you are all alone with nothing but a list of names and a cyber-stack of grading. 

How do you connect with students?  How do you let them know that you are sitting at your computer at 11pm trying to help them through the material because you care about them and what you teach?

The answer is very often just a click away

Most online colleges ask students to "say hello" the first week.

And most professors dutifully respond with a "nice to have you in class", and then get back to the 'important stuff' in the weekly discussions and assignments.

Hang on! 

You are missing the boat!  And that boat keeps sailing every week!

Making friends and influencing people 101 says:

Be interested.

Your class will get off to a far better start if you really read those "hellos" and give a  truly personal reply. If they have a dog- tell them about yours. If they are football fans, tell them your team. Find something in what they say to make a personal connection.

But beyond that:

(and this is important)

 as the weeks go by, go back and read those "hellos" and put a bit of what they said in your replies to them in discussion or in your assignment feedback.

"Bob, I remember reading in your bio that you work as....."
then find a way to tie that in to your response.

BAM! 

You have made a connection and made your student see that you know they are a real person

This is what makes online teaching creative, and personal, 

and just plain good!