The following strategies related to practicing the 4 connections in the online teaching environment were generated during faculty discussion in spring 2020 at Lake Washington Institute of Technology. If you would like to add your own suggestions and experiences to this page, please email Sally Heilstedt (Sally.Heilstedt@LWTech.edu).

How have you or will you schedule one-on-one meetings with students?

When?

One week of classes dedicated to one-on-one meetings every quarter
Online after scheduled Zoom sessions
While other students are in breakout rooms
Staggered regular online class sessions with work sessions/help sessions - all are recorded so students can learn from other students' questions
Asynchronously - send video or message to each student with time and expectation to respond

"Where?"

Weekly journal entries with individualized responses from the professor
Weekly feedback assignment in Canvas
- Sample questions: What areas of the topic for the week were difficult for you? What issues are you having?
- Faculty are able to make changes to content in response to feedback, in addition to addressing students individually.
- Students communicate that they feel less alone, that someone is listening.
Zoom (see above for different uses)
Live chat, using a tool like Microsoft Teams to which all students have access (and can download the app)
Should we provide a variety of options? Consensus: Great to offer more when students are tech savvy and to limit options when students need more help with navigation - finding the right balance for you and your students can be challenging.

Other Topics Discussed

The following points tackle common struggles faculty have in implementing one-on-one meetings. The ideas shared here are applicable to online instruction and to face-to-face classes.

Focusing One-on-One Meetings

Exam or project review
Guiding questions
Assignment draft review - address skills assessed (e.g., writing) and check in less formally about how the students are doing
Skills checks - after the first skill check, schedule extra time for feedback to focus on what brought students to the program and their background. In future skill checks, focus on goals for clinicals, skill building, etc.
Ask "How do you feel about your progress in the class?" Students share and/or faculty go through their work with them in Canvas.

Signing Up for One-on-One Meetings

Canvas page (editable by teacher and students)
Sign Up Genius (https://www.signupgenius.com/)
Google Doc
Calendly (https://calendly.com/)
Microsoft Bookings

Meeting with Groups of Students

Assign students to groups that meet regularly in breakout rooms, giving students the opportunity to get to know one another.
When groups meet regularly and become comfortable with one another, it can help when the instructor wants to meet with the groups (vs. individually)

Student Clubs

Student clubs provide an additional way to connect with students outside of the classroom.