3 Creating Connection at a Distance: Belonging Practices for Online Courses

Our Context  

We teach an exclusively online course at Utah State University titled Early Childhood Education K-3. This course is required for students majoring in Elementary Education and Early Childhood Education and includes the study of K-3 curriculum, methodology, and learning environments. The course learning objectives specifically align with Utah State Board of Education General Teaching Competencies, standards that educator preparatory programs must address within their programs. In 2022-2023, two instructors redesigned the course to ensure alignment to the Utah State Board of Education Teaching Competencies and integration of instructional tools and strategies to enhance a sense of belonging, incorporate mindfulness, and promote engagement.

Difficulties with Online Courses 

While the structure of online classes provides access to students outside the traditional in-person university course format, via the internet, they are not without their challenges. Technology itself can create difficulties for students to engage in coursework if there is unequal access to the internet and technological devices (Akpen et al., 2024). According to Akpen et al. (2024), students reported decreased engagement, lower motivation, and feelings of isolation in their online courses. Additionally, they found that students reported difficulty with self-directed learning skills such as time management (Akpen et al., 2024). This indicates it can be difficult for students to engage within online class formats.

Online course instructors face unique challenges as well. Instructors need training and professional development as digital teaching is much different than traditional in-person teaching (Rueda et al., 2024). Instructors report limited knowledge of online pedagogy (Richards & Thompson, 2023). Additionally, increased overall workload on instructors makes online courses difficult to manage (Rueda et al., 2024). Given the need for timely feedback, instructors can become overburdened when providing it in large classes. Courses that are traditionally taught in person and then shift to online formats present instructors with difficulty in redesigning engaging course material. In 2025, Tettey found that student engagement was one of the most difficult aspects of online teaching. These challenges make online teaching a unique classroom environment, and instructors need specific support when engaging in online teaching.

Benefits of Online Courses 

Online course formats provide unique benefits for students. First, students outside the geographical region of a traditional university can still engage in higher education. Universities such as Utah State University engage students throughout the state, fulfilling its land grant mission to provide accessible education across Utah. Students require flexibility when engaging in higher education due to work schedules, family life, and other needs. This allows for a wider network of students to be reached due to the inclusivity of online formats (Rueda et al., 2024). With regards to student outcomes, Rueda et al. found that within online formats, digital competence improved for students and instructors (2024). Online courses can also be more conducive to community building (Thomas et al., 2014) when purposefully designed. In some instances, students have reported a greater sense of satisfaction with online courses (Thomas et al., 2014). The ability to reach students across the state lets programs such as Elementary Education to contribute quality teaching practices across Utah communities.

Theoretical Foundations   

The community of inquiry framework (Garrison et al., 2000) provides a meaningful outline of what we agree is a successful educational experience. The framework describes an educational experience as embedded within social presence, cognitive presence, and teacher presence. This aligns with Vygotsky’s (1978) social constructivist theory, which sees knowledge construction as occurring within social interactions and cultural contexts. Additionally, the Universal Design for Learning, created by CAST (Center for the Applied Special Technology), provides a framework for supporting students to build on their strengths while removing barriers. The framework is broken down into three main categories needed for successful learning environments: engagement, representation, action, and expression. Through engagement, teachers can spark students’ interests and curiosities while allowing students to bring their own experiences to their learning. The framework also suggests that by fostering belonging, students will be able to persist. Suggestions for fostering belonging outlined by the framework include building opportunities for students to share their experiences and ideas, welcoming student interests and identities, and considering how bias may create barriers for student success. These frameworks provide meaningful support and ideas about how instructors can facilitate belonging in their students.

Why Should Students ‘Belong’?  

Asher and Week (2014) described belonging as feeling valued and respected within a classroom community. Value and respect are influenced in several ways such as through interactions with their instructors and their peers. We know that students who have connections to peers within their course have heightened engagement (Wilson et al., 2015) and higher motivation (Zumbrunn et al. 2014). Dialogue and exchange amongst peers also have a positive influence on student morale (Koole & Parchoma, 2013). Kirby and Thomas (2022) found that pedagogical caring and professional competence also impacted students’ sense of belonging. There are positive outcomes for students when they feel they belong. Students higher sense of belonging is associated with higher levels of academic performance (Shook & Clay, 2012) and student retention (Tinto, 2005). Kirby and Thomas (2022) found that classroom-level belongingness is a vital determinant of both short- and long-term academic success (Kirby & Thomas, 2022). This indicates that students who feel a sense of belonging feel better about their coursework, are more likely to continue their education and perform better academically.

Influence of the Instructor  

Teachers or instructors facilitate the learning environment, impacting how students engage with the coursework. We know that students feel a higher sense of belonging with caring and supporting teachers (Kirby & Thomas, 2022). This is especially true for students who are historically marginalized (Kirby & Thomas, 2022). Thomas et al. (2014) stated, “teacher presence contributed greatly to the sense of belonging in the online course” (p. 78). This means when students feel instructors are available for them as well as keep discussions relevant and make regular contact (Thomas et al., 2014), they feel a sense of belonging. Research indicates repeated positive interactions with instructors are essential for students’ sense of belonging (Johnson et al., 2007). Creating a sense of belonging is in the best interest of instructors and academic programs as it can lead to improved retention (Thomas et al., 2014).

Belonging Strategies  

Within our context of teacher education, we utilize strategies for belonging for two reasons. First, we hope to give our own students a sense that they have an important place within the course community. Second, we hope to model belonging strategies that our students can then use within their future elementary classrooms. Strategies we utilize include ensuring teacher presence, clear expectations, use of discussions, student choice, and use of digital mediums.

Teacher Presence 

Teacher presence is the way instructors make themselves available to their students and how they make their existence known throughout the course. This is especially important within an online class format where students can feel isolated from social interactions. We have created teacher presence within our course through announcements, check-ins, and feedback. These strategies provide students with a sense that we are available to them while also helping them learn from our experiences.

Announcements are used throughout the course to provide students with reminders of upcoming due dates, but also to provide introductions to upcoming modules. Each week, a new module opens and an announcement is sent out to introduce that week’s content and make connections between the content and prior learning. We also like to include memes and icebreaker-type questions that students can respond to for fun. For example, at Thanksgiving we asked students to share their favorite dish in the comments. And in April, we asked if students had any good April Fool’s pranks to share. These interactions are outside the course requirements and required points and provide opportunities for students to interact with the instructor as well as with one another in an informal way.

At two different points in the semester, we have a check-in assignment for students to complete. These check-ins ask students the following questions:

• What is working well in the course?
• Is there any other way I can support your learning?
• Is there anything I should know that could help improve learning outcomes for you?

These check-ins serve two purposes. First, it allows students to reflect on their engagement within the course and consider ways they can enhance their participation. Many times, after answering the questions of how the instructor can support their learning, students will take it upon themselves to consider ways they can do better within the course, such as with better time management. Second, check-ins provide an opportunity for students to feel heard by their instructor. This allows us to learn ways in which we might support students and their needs. It also allows us to make course changes if we notice students needing a certain support.

Feedback on assignments also provides us with a way to show instructors’ presence within the course. Providing feedback on every assignment assures students that their work will be reviewed and that they will receive meaningful responses from their instructor. Another way feedback is used to show presence is through anecdotal stories. Because the course is for preservice teachers and we ourselves were former teachers, comments provide a unique way for us to share prior teaching experiences with students. By highlighting how we approached problems as teachers or sharing stories about how we deal with a particular issue, students see us as elementary classroom experts and learn from our experience. Having access to their instructor and feeling they are getting to know them throughout the course provides students with a sense of belonging.

Student Discussions  

Most of the weekly modules within our course require students to complete two assignments. One is a response guide where students answer reflective questions on the course material and book readings. The second is a discussion where students must post an answer to the post while also responding to a peer. Discussions provide an opportunity for students to feel that they belong to the community as they are reading and responding to their peers’ work.

These discussions are unique in that students are often asked to create something. These include lesson plans, curriculum maps, or unit plans. This provides students with opportunities to practice forming lessons for young learners. More importantly, it provides an opportunity for students to practice giving feedback to peers. Students are provided with support on how to provide feedback to others, such as including a glow and a grow within their post. Discussions provide a sense of belonging for students as they are social interactions between their peers.

Clear Expectations 

Within any course organization, whether online, in-person, or hybrid, clear expectations are essential to ensure students understand the assignments and feel prepared to complete them. This is even more important within an online setting where students cannot ask questions while learning about the assignment. However, in our course, we utilize descriptive expectations, rubrics, and examples to ensure students feel prepared to tackle each assignment.

Every assignment within our course has a similar structure and detailed description. For example, the Children’s Text Set and Integration Project assignment page provides students with a video explanation from us, a written description of the assignment, template, rubric, and examples. Each component is discussed in the instructor video. This provides students with an opportunity to read about and listen to a description of the assignment, heightening their understanding of what to do. See the Appendix for the student view of the assignment. When students feel confident in their role within assignments, they are much more likely to feel a sense of belonging.

Providing Choice  

Many of our assignments provide students with a choice in how they would like to display their learning. For example, within the Module 3 discussion, students are tasked with creating a Kindergarten lesson objective and activity that incorporates movement and hands-on exploration. Students are required to address components including the content area standard, lesson objective, materials needed, description of the lesson, accommodations for students, and how the activity would be assessed. Students are allowed to present their activity in any format they would like, including video, written description, drawing, or other mediums. An example of our description on the assignment can be seen in Table 1. We have seen students utilize Canva to create graphic descriptions of their lessons as well as physical drawings. Some students like to utilize a Word document and create a table for their lesson.

Table 1  

Description of Student Choice Within an Assignment 

Within Module 4 students, are tasked with creating a curriculum web where they identify how a particular theme can be addressed within multiple content areas. Due to the graphic nature of this assignment, many students choose to create a web on paper by drawing. However, some students like to create graphics online, such as the one shown in Figure 1. This choice in presentation provides students a way to showcase their learning in a way that makes the most sense to them, many times highlighting their artistic abilities. Choice can be a great way to enhance student belonging within the classroom.

Figure 1

Example of Curriculum Map Made by a Student

Use of Digital Mediums

Digital media, such as videos, play a large role in our online course. Not only do students engage with an instructor video every week, but students engage with articles and other videos to support their learning. One component we include within the weekly videos is a read-aloud of a children’s picture book. As this course is an early childhood course, we do this to model for our students what a read-aloud should look and sound like. Additionally, it provides our students with opportunities to connect with children’s literature in a meaningful way. Rather than relying on YouTube videos of read-alouds, we read aloud these videos ourselves, modeling read aloud strategies such as showing the book cover, highlighting pictures within the book, and providing prompting questions. We chose read-alouds that connect with the weekly material, but also texts that highlight diverse representation. This provides our students with the opportunity to see themselves within the text while also seeing the quality of children’s literature texts that are available to them to include within their own instruction. Being able to see their instructor and hear their voice is a great method for enhancing student belonging within online course settings.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness activities were included within each weekly response guide. The response guides are weekly assignments where students reflect on and answer questions about the weekly material, including videos, articles, and the course textbook. We utilize mindfulness activities for two reasons. First, it is a way to enhance student awareness of their own minds and bodies and become more purposeful in their work. Second, as a model for activities students can use within their future classrooms with young learners to help regulate emotions and feelings. Table 2 highlights the mindfulness activities we utilize within the course. These mindfulness activities take place within each weekly instructor video. Additionally, in Module 12, students explore the benefits of using mindfulness activities with young learners through article readings and reflections.

Table 2

Mindfulness Activities

Conclusion

Designing online courses that foster belonging requires instructors to be intentional, reflect on their work, and to validate student experience. As our experience in the Early Childhood Education K–3 course demonstrates, cultivating belonging is achievable when instructors prioritize consistent teacher presence, clear expectations, meaningful dialogue, opportunities for choice, and the thoughtful integration of digital tools. These strategies not only help students feel seen, supported, and connected within an online space, but they also model practices that future teachers can bring into their own elementary classrooms.

While online courses inherently pose challenges—ranging from technological access to feelings of isolation for students and increased workload for instructors—they also offer powerful opportunities. When designed with belonging at the forefront, online learning can enhance student engagement, broaden access to education across geographic regions, and support the development of digital competence for both learners and educators. Importantly, these efforts contribute to the preparation of high-quality teachers who will make a meaningful difference in their local communities, including underserved and rural areas across Utah.

Ultimately, belonging in online learning is not the result of a single practice but the cumulative effect of many thoughtful choices. By embedding presence, dialogue, flexibility, and mindfulness into course design, instructors can create online environments where all students feel valued and connected—and where learning is both rigorous and deeply human.

References

Akpen, C.N, Asaolu, S., Atobatele, S., Okagbue, H. & Sampson, S. (2004). Impact of online learning on student’s performance and engagement: A systematic review. Discover Education, 3(205). https://doi.org/10.1007/s44217-024-00253-0

Asher, S. R., & Weeks, M. S. (2014). Loneliness and belongingness in the college years. In R. J. Coplan and J. C. Bowker (Eds.), The Handbook of Solitude: Psychological Perspectives on Social Isolation, Social Withdrawal, and Being Alone (pp. 283–301). John Wiley & Sons.

Garrison, D. R., Anderson, T., & Archer, W. (2000). Critical inquiry in a text-based environment: Computer conferencing in higher education. The Internet and Higher Education, 2(2-3), 87-105. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1096-7516(00)00016-6

Johnson, D. R., Soldner, M., Leonard, J. B., Alvarez, P., Inkelas, K. K., Rowan-Kenyon, H. T., & Longerbeam, S. D. (2007). Examining sense of belonging among first-year undergraduates from different racial/ethnic groups. Journal of College Student Development 48(5), 525–542. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2007.0054

Kamat, P. H., & Bernstein, J. (2025). Assessing help-seeking strategies among nontraditional learners in distance education, Cogent Education, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2025.2568564

Kirby, L. A. J., & Thomas, C. L. (2022) High-impact teaching practices foster a greater sense of belonging in the college classroom. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 46(3), 368–381. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2021.1950659

Koole, M., & Parchoma, G. (2013). The web of identity: A model of digital identity formation in networked learning environments. In S. Warburton & S. Hatzipanagos (Eds.), Digital identity and social media (pp. 14-28). Information Science Reference. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-4666-1915-9.ch002

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Richards, K., & Thompson, B. M. W. (2023). Challenges and instructor strategies for transitioning to online learning during and after the COVID-19 pandemic: A review of literature. Frontiers in Communication, 8, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2023.1260421

Rueda, M. M., Cerero, J. F., Cerero, D. F., & Meneses, E. L. (2024). Perspectives on online learning: Advantages and challenges in higher education. Contemporary Educational Technology, 16(4), ep525. https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/15011

Shook, N. J., & Clay, R. (2012). Interracial roommate relationships: A mechanism for promoting sense of belonging at university and academic performance. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 48(5), 1168–1172. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2012.05.005

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Tettey, N.-S. (2025). Navigating online teaching challenges: Best practices and institutional recommendations for faculty support. Journal of Education and Learning, 14(6), 48–56. https://doi.org/10.5539/jel.v14n6p48

Thomas, L., Herbert, J., & Teras, M. (2014). A sense of belonging to enhance participation, success and retention in online programs. The International Journal of the First Year in Higher Education, 5(2), 69–80.

Tinto, V. (2006). Enhancing student persistence: Lessons learned in the United States. Análise Psicológica 24, 7–13. https://doi.org/10.14417/ap.148

Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Harvard University Press.

Wilson, D., Jones, D., Bocell, F., Crawford, J., Kim, M. J., Veilleux, N., Floyd-Smith, T., Bates, R., & Plett, M. (2015). Belonging and academic engagement among undergraduate STEM students: A multi-institutional study. Research in Higher Education 56(7), 750–776. https://doi.org/10/1007/s11162-015-9367-x

Zumbrunn, S., McKim, C., Buhs, E., & Hawley, L. R. (2014). Support, belonging, motivation, and engagement in the college classroom: A mixed method study. Instructional Science 42(5), 661–666. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-014-9310-0

Appendix

Student View of Assignment

AI statement: The following book chapter utilizes AI to provide supports on chapter organization.