Welcoming students to your online environment

The sudden move to online teaching caused by Covid-19 has left many higher education instructors and students struggling to adapt to new digital learning environments. Here, three remote-teaching experts share advice on creating a welcoming online learning space for students before answering questions about key challenges faced by instructors going digital. This webinar was filmed as part of a series produced by ACUE (the Association of College and University Educators) to help faculty with the digital pivot. If you’re in a hurry, browse the timeline below for the key topics covered and where in the video to find them.   

00:44 Flower Darby on how to welcome students into your online learning space 

03:13 Bring your voice and personality into your written communications to create a welcoming tone for students 

07:27 13:11 Kevin Gannon on what makes a welcoming space online for students; taking into account how students will interact with learning spaces asynchronously, when teachers are not there with them 

10:40 Making the learning space accessible and giving it a “human touch” with photos, audio and video alongside text. 

13:52 Michael Wesch on creating a short “welcome” video to introduce yourself the start of the course 

22:48 Advice to maximise and personalise online learning when you are teaching very large classes 

27:46 What to do when students have disengaged from the course 

31:56 How can you make online courses accessible for students with learning difficulties or limited technology? 

38:30 When to use synchronous or asynchronous classes 

44:29 What things can instructors do when teaching online that were not possible in the face-to-face classroom? 

This video was produced by the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE). 

Get more useful advice on designing and delivering remote courses via ACUE's online teaching toolkit