"I Feel More Engaged When My Teacher Knows My Name": Exploring Personal and Emotional Connection in Online Learning
Location
Logan, UT
Start Date
8-13-2025 11:00 AM
Description
Understanding how to effectively engage students in online teaching is crucial for creating an impactful virtual learning experience. Despite extensive research on online education, a gap remains in understanding the techniques that instructors use to foster strong student connections in virtual classrooms. This study observes the personal and emotional strategies in 10 exemplary Canvas courses at Utah State University, using a non-participatory observation research method, complemented by a literature review. Following this phase, I conducted in-depth interviews with 12 to 15 USU faculty members to further explore the personal and emotional strategies they use to engage students online. The expected findings likely reveal additional nuanced practices that faculty employ to build rapport, foster trust, and enhance student motivation in virtual classrooms—practices that may not be visible through course content alone but are crucial to student experience and success.
"I Feel More Engaged When My Teacher Knows My Name": Exploring Personal and Emotional Connection in Online Learning
Logan, UT
Understanding how to effectively engage students in online teaching is crucial for creating an impactful virtual learning experience. Despite extensive research on online education, a gap remains in understanding the techniques that instructors use to foster strong student connections in virtual classrooms. This study observes the personal and emotional strategies in 10 exemplary Canvas courses at Utah State University, using a non-participatory observation research method, complemented by a literature review. Following this phase, I conducted in-depth interviews with 12 to 15 USU faculty members to further explore the personal and emotional strategies they use to engage students online. The expected findings likely reveal additional nuanced practices that faculty employ to build rapport, foster trust, and enhance student motivation in virtual classrooms—practices that may not be visible through course content alone but are crucial to student experience and success.