Identify Unique Needs and Circumstances of Online Learners

<aside> 💡 Through identifying the unique needs and circumstances of online learners, they gain a sense of belonging and feel empowered to take an active role in their educational and personal growth.

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Specific Techniques

• Begin your course with an optional “getting to know you” questionnaire (Samuel, 2022).
• Establish pathways to private conversations.
• Identify and prepare resources based on the learner’s unique needs and circumstances.
• Include and call-out available student support resources in the course syllabus, as well as invite learners to share additional resources.
• Share anonymized information about the class to elicit further openness from learners about their needs and circumstances.

Overview

Welcome online learners into an environment that provides them with a sense of belonging and encourages them to articulate their own needs in a confidential, yet empowering way.

This ongoing practice allows learners to express their unique needs, preferences, and identities, fostering trust, personalized support, and a strong instructor-learner relationship. Instructors can begin with a welcoming questionnaire and are encouraged to share their personal responses with the learner as a model of authenticity. In addition, instructors can continue to evaluate learners' work and needs to further provide support to learners. This continuous engagement contributes to sustained learner success and a thriving scholarly community.

This practice benefits all learners within the course by providing support to those who have and those who have not disclosed that they need additional support and resources.

How to Implement the Practice

Course Modality Considerations

Asynchronous

Synchronous

Hybrid

References and Additional Resources

References

Additional Resources

Contributors

DW Wood, Leticia Velasquez, Anita Crawley, Channelle James, Sally Baldwin, Casey Woodson