Connections Part 3: Environment

Open conversations and connections occur when the environment is welcoming. In a brick and mortar classroom, that open atmosphere doesn't have to be (and rarely is) fostered quickly. The trust level and spirit of the room develops more slowly. However, in an online learning experience, conversations need to happen right out of the gate and that openness is promoted on the first day of class. How the class is visually formatted online, what questions are waiting on the class discussion boards on opening day, how reasonable the class expectations are via the syllabus, and the writing tone of the teacher are the most important points for a vibrant learning environment.

Once those initial connections are established, I liken the next step to an image of herding sheep. Sheep know the direction in which they are supposed to go for all life's basics, but someone or something needs to prod them gently to keep them on track. So too do online students of every age need prodding and that prodding comes in the form of teacher and classmates.

Nothing promotes the online classroom better than the discussion area. Lest the colloquialism "out of sight, out of mind" comes true, regular and meaningful interaction is the best indicator of a classroom being alive and successful. Teacher syllabus instructions setting a minimum of responses per school day or week, combined with how many fellow students they need to respond to per discussion is the loom on which critical conversations are woven.


Students will readily talk about feeling as if no one knew they were even "there" in an online classroom. That's not an online, classroom-based learning environment, but rather a self-study course. In fact, if constructed thoughtfully and based on best practices and content standards, the discussion area that starts out with students meeting the minimum is transformed into a lively, interactive, and foundational experience to support the class goals.

I have often likened the online teacher to the wizard behind the curtain. The next post will conclude this Connections series with the spotlight on how the role of the teacher has changed for online education . I will talk about what it takes for a teacher to feel as connected to students and as integral to their learning successes online as they felt they were in person. Come back and join the conversation, won't you? See you in part 4.

For scholarly follow-up on the effects of the learning environment in online classrooms, check out the research paper, "Factors that Influence Participation in Online Learning" by Vonderwell and Zachariah, Journal of Research on Technology in Education (2005).

Also, Ken Graetz, Director of eLearning at Winona State University presents thought-provoking and parallel research-based information on the impact of learning environments online and on-the-ground in "Chapter 6: The Psychology of Learning Environments " from the book Learning Spaces, Diana Oblinger, Editor, Educause (2006). You can download the entire chapter and more.