Welcome to Digital Dialogues! 

Teaching Tip

This week is a guest post from Kristen Atkinson ahead of her amazing department training session this coming Wednesday!

Building Community in an Online Environment

K. Atkinson, MSW, Ph,D

As you’re reading this, fall term is newly underway and students are busy navigating the many expectations of their new courses and instructors. They are buying books, learning the ropes of their field agencies and organizing their hectic schedules. Staff and faculty are equally busy orienting incoming students, re-building courses and negotiating new constraints on fieldwork. Many of us are doing all this while juggling family needs, work demands and the realities of self-care amidst a global pandemic and widespread social unrest.

Feelings of uncertainty, fear and anxiety are common at the start of a new semester; for many of us, the impact of COVID-19, systemic racism and political divisions might also show up as frustration, anger and grief this fall. Community – that sense of belonging among people of shared interest and identity – can serve as an antidote to the isolation and stress of the current moment. In fact, recent research in higher education shows that building community can reduce classroom anxiety, increase active participation in learning and improve academic outcomes (Elliott, Gamino & Jenkins, 2016).

Creating community virtually – and in the context of our new norm – might feel a bit daunting. Yet, we need only draw upon established community building principles and our collective creativity to lay the foundation for a supportive, engaging and dynamic learning community.

Community Building Principles:

Focus on relationships and connections- this is about getting to know each other and attending to each others’ needs within the learning community. In the classroom, we can develop these connections through icebreakers, check ins, individual and small group meetings, establishing class agreements and collaborating on projects. Outside the classroom, taking time to attend to relational aspects of our work with students and each other can help deepen our sense of belonging and shared purpose.

Build trust- to build trust we need to be reliable, authentic, non-judgmental and generous with our time and attention.  We can also intentionally use ourselves in moments of vulnerability and bravery or by sharing practice stories with students and each other.

Model community values- empathy, kindness, mutuality & a focus on strengths are just a few of the values inherent in community building (and of course, congruent with social work). Acknowledging how power, privilege and oppression show up within our work as faculty, advisors, field instructors and staff provides us opportunities to see each more fully and support each other toward an anti-oppressive practice.

Virtual Practices to Build Community:

While community building online might feel less familiar to some of us, there are several easy-to-use tools at our disposal.

• Most of us are likely familiar with the process of creating classroom agreements during synchronous time; in asynchronous classes we can use discussion boards, Flipgrids (short recorded videos where students respond to a prompt or topic) or google docs to share and collectively refine these important community guidelines
• Canvas discussion boards, Zoom break out rooms and Microsoft Teams all allow for small group options in which students can get to know each other, share ideas and collaborate on learning activities. Tools such as peer reviews in Canvas or Hypothes.is encourage interaction, as well as the exchange of ideas about critical course content.
• Creating a clear communication plan provides students guidance on how to engage with you and each other and makes your preferences and practices explicit to them. Communications plans should address your preferred method of contact, response time and approach to feedback on student work.
• More broadly, the tone you set within course documents, discussion boards, assignment feedback and emails communicates your attitude toward students. To build community, focus on language that acknowledges strengths, growth, care and concern.
• Bring in outside resources and build spaces for student engagement that are free from content or assessment; these might be “café” discussion boards, social media pages, attendance at webinars and virtual events or access to campus resources and support services (Wehler, 2018).

Resources

If you are interested in more resources to help you build community in your online class, check out these great articles:

• Five Ways to Build Community in Online Classrooms
• A Social Justice Approach to Building Community in Higher Education Today
• A Checklist for Building Community in the College Classroom
• Creating Community in the College Classroom

Additional Department Support

1.      Becky has drop in hours on Tuesday 4-5, Thursday 1-2, and Friday 9-10.  Just drop in to her Zoom room to connect and ask any question, big or small.  These sessions are first-come, first-served, so plan ahead, and feel free to make an appointment if these times don’t work for you. Email at [email protected] for the Zoom link.

2.      We have a weekly lunch-time session with different department experts presenting informally on online teaching topics on Wednesdays from 12-1.  Feel free to sign up for as many as you’d like this semester. Our next three topics are:

• August 26th: Creating Community in Online Learning! Presented by Kristen Atkinson
• September 2nd: All thing Videos! YuJa! Canvas! Lights! by Becky Cottrell
• September 9th:  Discussion Boards- Practicing direct practice skills, having difficult conversations, and more! Presented by Ann Obermann