Online classrooms can be hospitable places for all learners. At UDTS, we care for each of our learners, especially when life disrupts the educational journey. 


Recommendations for Hospitality in Online Learning

Spending time considering how our online spaces are hospitable to all learners improves the learning experience for students and gives them the best chance at engaging with materials and activities in the ways you hope they will. Hospitality in online learning doesn't just naturally happen. A course page can look much more like a long library shelf full of materials than a place that a student is excited to engage with each week unless you spend some time considering how you will welcome students into the space. 

  • Always provide a "Start Here" section of your course page to help orient students to the learning environment in your online classroom. In this section, please include: 
    • Outcomes: Always state the course description and learning outcomes toward the top of the section. This defines the entire course experience for students. 
    • Navigation: Layout a clear and simple framework for how students will navigate through the course. Include statements of how the page is organized and how students will move through the course page. 
    • Expectations: Use this section to describe the expectations you have of students in the online classroom. This does not have to include all class policies (your syllabus is a better place for those), but it should include expectations around logging in and how to engage. 
  • Use images to make your course feel welcoming, but don't use so many images that your page is cluttered. Use discretion. 
  • Provide alternative options for students with visual, auditory, processing, or other impairments. This includes considerations such as: 
    • Using alternate text or descriptions for all images, charts, and photos (read-aloud software will describe these to students using the text provided)
    • Providing transcripts or options for closed captioning for all video lectures
    • Not using colors in text that code certain items or activities (visually impaired students who use high contrast page views will lose color coded text)
    • Provide any visuals from video lectures as separate files for students to self-pace (it is impossible for students to extract these themselves)
    • Use the text formatting options provided in text and media areas such as Large Heading, Small Heading, Paragraph text (this changes the way read-aloud software engages with the text)
  • In activities such as forums, consider how much provided prompts or questions as students to self-disclose about their personal lives or history. While personal stories can be useful in learning, providing options that don't include personal stories shelter some students from feeling obligated to share stories of hurt or trauma.
  • If offering optional live video call meetings, consider flexibility in what is shown on screen. If students use blurred or image backgrounds, do not ask them to change them to disclose their homes or places of study. 
  • Find meaningful ways to connect with each student throughout the term. Online learning can make this challenging, and it may be possible to get through an entire semester without an engaging one-on-one conversation between a student and a professor. Consider your strategy in advance to ensure you've connected with each student via email, phone call, video call, or other means. 
  • Feedback on assignments and activities is especially important because students do not receive the subtle cues found in a physical classroom such as nodding in agreement or a friendly, "mmm hmm." Be sure to use opportunities to share feedback to offer specific things that you appreciate, want more of, wish to discourage or correct, or otherwise. Be specific and timely. Every week that goes by without feedback is a new week that students cannot grow in the direction you want to see them grow because they don't know what you want. 
  • Make grading and academic progress clear and transparent. Make sure that grades are calculating correctly and that students can access information about their progress at any time. 


Recommendations for Providing Care to Students in Need

Life will interrupt students' studies at some point on their educational journey. Sometimes interruptions can be small, like a child with a virus, but sometimes they can be overwhelming and life-altering. Faculty are not solely responsible for caring for students in times of need, but they are often first responders when students begin to show signs of academic struggle.

  • What to look for in online learning
    • Students experiencing crisis or interruption may suddenly shift their behaviors. They may miss an entire week of engagement or start submitting work after the deadline. They might submit work that is of less quality or quantity than they did at the beginning of the term. 
    • Students experiencing crisis or interruption may over-share personal details on a forum or in an essay. 
    • Students experiencing crisis or interruption may stop sharing personal details on forums or essays entirely. 
    • Students experiencing crisis or interruption may not log into Moodle for more than a week and stop sending/checking/responding to email. 
  • Tips for responding directly to students
    • Respond early and in ways that elicit responses back. If you notice someone suddenly not logging in for a week, reach out to them immediately after that week. If they don't respond to an email, consider calling their cell phone. 
    • Don't hesitate to indicate the change of behavior that you see. Framing this conversation in a tone of concern for their wellbeing first and their academic progress second will feel more caring than only focusing on the academic progress, which might feel high-pressure in the moment. 
    • Don't be afraid to suggest direct referrals. Ask the student if they have someone to talk to like a classmate, a family member, or a friend. If they don't, recommend helping them schedule time with our Pastor to Students, Rev. Emily Blue. 
  • Get others involved
    • Make sure to ask the student first, but with their permission, communicate with our Pastor to Students, Rev. Emily Blue, as soon as possible to help connect them with additional resources. 
    • If you are concerned about academic progress for any reason, communicate with the student's advisor. They can help identify patterns if similar behaviors are showing up in other classes. 
Responding to True Emergencies

While very rare in online learning, you may find yourself in a position of a true emergency with a student. Be prepared to respond appropriately. 

  • Threats of harm to self or others is always an emergency. Remain in communication with the student and alert authorities such as 911. 
  • Situations of disassociation from reality including things like claiming to hear voices or see hallucinations are always an emergency. Remain in communication with the student and alert authorities such as 911. 
  • If someone is experiencing a crisis but notifies you after the fact or in a way that you are not in direct communication with them in the moment, please notify the dean of the seminary with the details of the crisis as soon as possible so that follow-up care can be provided. 
  • As an employee of the University of Dubuque, you are obligated to report certain kinds of situations through the proper channels. Instructors must report alleged incidents of sexual assault, abuse, harassment, and other situations of incivility or harm to self or others. Reporting such events helps keep students safe and avoids the development of hostile learning environments. 



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