Small Moves, Big Impact: Building a Positive Climate in Online Classes – Faculty Focus | Higher Ed Teaching & Learning

When I think of a positive classroom climate, I picture a brightly lit classroom with students sitting around tables, a soft buzz of student discussion, and the teacher facilitating their learning. But I am old-fashioned. Those days are long gone for many of us who teach online or hybrid courses with asynchronous or synchronous components. 

One of the challenges that online instructors face is creating a sense of connectedness in which students feel present, “seen,” heard, and part of the learning community. We know student engagement and learning are enhanced when students feel connected—students to the content, students to the instructor, and students to each other. In online environments, social presence is when students perceive that others are real, accessible, and engaged. Researchers such as Garrison (2017) and Lowenthal and Dunlap (2018) have linked increased social presence to higher student satisfaction, stronger participation, and more meaningful learning experiences in online settings. Given this, I offer several strategies to increase social presence and improve your online classroom climate. 

First Impressions

The beginning of any course is an essential time for establishing a positive classroom climate. Professors can introduce themselves with a short bio, rather than a professional vita. A photo collage or short video introduction (think Reels on Instagram) can highlight personal and professional experiences and interests that connect you to the content, university, or your students’ experiences. 

There are several strategies for students to get to know each other, including posting a text-based introduction, a picture that has meaning for them, or a video introduction. Instructors can use tools within their institution’s learning management system or external tools, such as collaborative documents, to personalize introductions. I teach aspiring school leaders, and some of my favorite introductory prompts are to have students write about their favorite principal or their favorite supervisor. This type of self-disclosure prompt announces to the instructor and their classmates what they value in addition to their background and experiences. It creates a climate that allows students to show their authentic selves and take risks as they begin the course. 

Creating Community

Almost 30 years ago, Garrison et al. (1999) wrote that, in online environments, social presence can distinguish a collaborative community of inquiry from a simple process of downloading information. The same is true today, and instructors can use numerous strategies to promote a community of inquiry. One of the most powerful exercises to help people feel connected is to get everyone’s voice in the room. This can happen through a check-in question for synchronous sessions or a discussion prompt for asynchronous courses. These prompts can be personal, such as talking about your favorite animal or superpower, or more related to the course content. Instructors can also use reaction emoticons and thumbs up to help students feel appreciated and valued. 

A positive classroom climate is built and sustained when students feel comfortable expressing themselves and offering their unique perspectives. Discussion boards can be a great way to build knowledge by having students post and then respond to their classmates, but sometimes they can hurt authentic connections. A response such as “great idea” can squash connections, as it comes across as transactional and compliance driven. Rather, instructors can encourage and notice more organic and personalized responses. 

In Small Teaching Online, Darby and Flowers (2019) remind us, “It’s easy to forget that a name on the screen represents a human being who can benefit from your presence and benefit your learning with their presence” (p. 81). To combat this, instructors can design discussion prompts that encourage debate, allow students to share their perspectives, or discuss a real-life case or scenario without a single, correct answer. 

Creating community can be challenging with large groups. Whether through online discussions or breakout rooms in synchronous sessions, smaller groups can enhance students’ social presence and, thus, the classroom climate and learning. I have found that discussion groups of three or four students allow students to be exposed to the ideas of various classmates and enhance student-to-student learning. 

In many of my classes, students attend synchronous sessions every other week. After the first session in which everyone introduces themselves, I use breakout rooms once or twice per session. Usually, I let the computer assign the groups so that everyone has a chance to interact with different learners in the class. Then, during the sessions, I give a few extra minutes in the breakout groups so students can reintroduce themselves, have an opportunity to share, and check in with each other about burning issues. Allowing a few extra minutes in breakout rooms lets students share their authentic selves with each other and offer support. 

Sustaining Community

In a face-to-face classroom, instructors sustain a positive environment by showing up to class ready and energized. Within a virtual environment, instructors need to check in often and interact in small ways since “too much prolonged silence on our part is a sure way to kill the energy in an online class” (Darby & Flowers, 2019, p. 89). I’ll add that silence can also squash a positive learning environment. 

Instructors can use students’ names in their responses, participate in discussions with comments or simple emoticons, and provide timely feedback to let their students know they are present, too. Announcements and short videos are also great ways to connect with students. One of my colleagues introduces each module in her asynchronous classes with a short three-to-five-minute video overview, which her students report helps them feel connected to the class and provides them motivation and inspiration for the week’s learning. 

Enhancing a positive learning environment within an online environment only takes small moves: focusing on introductions, allowing for opportunities for real sharing, being present in discussions, and personalizing feedback. It’s never too late to leverage strategies to build connections, community, and a positive climate in your online classes. 

Amie Cieminski, EdD, is an associate professor and department chair at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colorado. Previously, she worked as a teacher, principal, director of professional learning, and school district administrator in several K-12 school districts. Amie teaches educational leadership preparation courses such as the principalship and instructional leadership as well as district level leadership, organizational change, and doctoral research classes for aspiring educational leaders. Her research interests include instructional practices; leadership development; and inclusive, equitable, and socially just leadership.  

References

Darby, Flower, and James M. Lang. Small Teaching Online: Applying Learning Science in Online Classes. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2019. 

Garrison, D. Randy. E-Learning in the 21st Century: A Community of Inquiry Framework for Research and Practice. 3rd ed. New York: Routledge, 2017. 

Garrison, D. Randy, Terry Anderson, and Walter Archer. “Critical Inquiry in a Text-Based Environment: Computer Conferencing in Higher Education.” The Internet and Higher Education 2, nos. 2–3 (1999): 87–105. 

Lowenthal, Peter, and Joanna Dunlap. “Investigating Students’ Perceptions of Instructional Strategies to Establish Social Presence.” Distance Education 39, no. 3 (2018): 281–298.