Share Paper: Stop, Collaborate, and Listen: Facilitating Community, Connection, and Communication in the Online Classroom

  1. Susie Gronseth, University of Houston, United States
  2. Jingyuan Fu, University of Houston, United States

Abstract: Collaboration can be the “social glue” in online courses, building community among learners and linking course content and 21st century skills. It is a crucial element to facilitating meaningful and engaging learning experiences, but the physical distances that separate instructors and students make interpersonal connection and communication quite challenging. Collaborative technologies can help forge bridges across those gaps as they enable faculty to more fully carry out the social, managerial, pedagogical, and technical roles that are involved in facilitating learning online. Further, collaborative technologies connect learners together to jointly work toward common goals and objectives and create demonstrations of their ...