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UGA Online Faculty Create Community in the Online Classroom

UGA Online Faculty Create Community in the Online Classroom

Creating community in the classroom is an essential part of the educational experience. Our online faculty members, as seen in the video, work hard to build those relationships in the online classroom. In fact, many of our online faculty members believe that the sense of community is even stronger in online classes than in ones on campus, and they thoroughly enjoy teaching in the online environment.

“I think what I like about teaching online is that I actually feel more connected with my students online than I ever did in a face-to-face class,” explained Michael Orey, instructor in the online Learning Design and Technology program. “There’s a lot more communication, a lot more connection, and a lot more interacting with my students than me just talking to the students. The important part of teaching and learning is the relationships you build between you and your students.”

The ability to build relationships with students is one that our online faculty members value. There are also more opportunities to give feedback, according to Kimberly Grantham, senior lecturer in the online BBA program. “I find myself giving much more feedback to my online students because of the nature of the class and the structure of the class. They have no doubt where they stand in the class at any given point.”

Online Biopharma professor Randall Tackett agrees and also acknowledges the vast scope of opportunities the online world provides. “It’s allowed us to really expand what we can do and give [our students] more realistic presentations of what they might see out in the world so they’re more prepared for that.”

“Now more and more we’re teaching online, and I think what you use the technology for is a conduit to build relationships,” explained Orey. “The most important part of teaching and learning is the human part of teaching and learning — that human connection.”