Methods to enhance community through messaging in the online classroom
Abstract
This descriptive educational practice paper details how instructor-initiated messaging can be implemented to enhance community and student–instructor connection in the online classroom. Messaging such as e-mails, announcements, alerts or phone calls is often used as a way to inform or clarify course content or expectations, remediate or encourage student performance, or to build community. Messaging is a deliberate form of instructor-initiated one-way communication that is not included in the body of the course content when the course was designed. In this paper, various types of instructor-initiated messaging will be described. Dimensions of messaging, such as level of personalisation and whether the message is public or private, will be explored. Additionally, a use case will be presented from an economics department in a large public university. Instructors and online administrators can use this information to systematically develop and integrate messages into online courses to enhance community.
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Author's Biography
Karen Gebhardt PhD is the Director of the Online Economics Program in the Department of Economics and Division of Continuing Education at the University of Colorado Boulder, USA. Karen is deeply committed to student success through supporting excellence in online learning to improve student learning outcomes and enhance retention and graduation. As an award-winning teacher, Karen has instructed courses in all modalities and has taught internationally in Europe and Asia. Her current research focuses on improving grades and completion rates in higher education, developing community and belonging in online spaces, and using innovative courseware in distance education.
Kelly Mckenna PhD is an Associate Professor in the Adult Education and Training Graduate Program in the School of Education at Colorado State University. She is a Fulbright Scholar, past Presidential Leadership Fellow, Faculty Institute for Inclusive Excellence Mentor and repeat Global Teaching Scholar with Semester at Sea. She completed her PhD in educational technology and earned a Master’s degree in education and human resource studies with a specialisation in adult education and training. Kelly has been the recipient of multiple teaching awards and has experience with face-to-face, blended and online instruction. Her scholarship is within the field of adult and higher education, with research objectives aimed to support lifelong learners in their educational and occupational endeavours by creating optimal learning environments and facilitating successful experiences for all learners. She focuses on distance education with attention to technology-enhanced teaching and learning and online learning communities.
Citation
Gebhardt, Karen and Mckenna, Kelly (2024, September 1). Methods to enhance community through messaging in the online classroom. In the Advances in Online Education: A Peer-Reviewed Journal, Volume 3, Issue 1. https://doi.org/10.69554/NLBO3123.
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