Lake Superior College – Online Course Peer Review

Most online instructors encourage students to introduce themselves to each other during the first week of class. Whether it’s a graded activity or not, this is a good way to get students interacting and to build a sense of community. What instructors may forget, however, is that students are interested in knowing who’s teaching the class, as well.

Rubric standard I.5 states: The self-introductions by the instructor and student mentor (if utilized) are available and appropriate.

Ideally, an instructor’s introduction will go beyond the essentials which might include the instructor’s name, title, field of expertise, and contact information. Including information such as past experiences with teaching online, personal teaching philosophies, hobbies, and so on can help to create a sense of connection between the instructor and the students. Building that connection can help to put nervous students at ease, as they may feel more comfortable asking course-related questions of both the instructor and fellow classmates.

Rubric standard I.6 states: Students are requested to introduce themselves to the class.

The first online course I took (interesting to take an online course after having taught online for years!) did not include a forum for student introductions. Instead of feeling that I was part of a class, I felt alone—as though I was taking an independent study class. As a result, I beefed up the introduction requirement in my own classes, asking students not only to introduce themselves, but to post one or two things they hoped to learn in class, as well. It’s been a positive move!

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