Humanizing Your Online Course
Online courses can feel impersonal, but intentional strategies create connection and belonging—key drivers of engagement and learning.
Why It Matters
A strong sense of community boosts confidence, participation, and persistence. Social presence—your visible, authentic engagement—helps students feel they matter.
How to Humanize Your Course
- Show Yourself: Share your enthusiasm for the subject, personal insights about yourself (e.g. a photo of your pet), and short video introductions.
- Be Present: Post regular announcements, respond to discussions, and use audio/video feedback.
- Invite Student Voice: Encourage introductions, use collaborative activities, and other ways of connecting learners to each other.
- Create Inclusive Spaces: Acknowledge diverse backgrounds and experiences; set clear expectations for respectful, discrete interaction.
- Build Community: Contribute to discussion forums to model active participation and engage others e.g. “Leyla, what do you think about Jose’s perspective, it seems quite different than yours”.
- Honor Names: Use correct pronunciation and preferred names in all interactions. You can ask people directly how to pronounce their name or invite them to do so in an introductory post. This Hear My Name tool can be helpful to anyone who wants to hear how a name might sound, or to record how they pronounce their name.
- Build Connections: Check in with students individually; offer support when they fall behind. Offer kudos for particularly resonant discussion posts or assignment submissions, as well.
- Progressive Stack: Highlight contributions from quieter students in summaries and announcements.
- High Expectations with Compassion: Maintain rigorous standards while showing empathy and flexibility.