Presentation
Remotely Interested? Fostering Connection in the Virtual Classroom
William & Mary Law School’s Conference for Excellence in Online Teaching Legal Research & Writing
(2020)
Abstract
When a legal writing professor teaches online, creating a classroom community and sense of purpose may be more difficult than in person. People in the same room connect naturally; on line, however, the professor must deliberately create conditions for those connections to ignite. This interactive presentation will address the need to be intentional as a teacher about creating connection when teaching on line. We will highlight strategies and techniques that professors can use to foster connection and build support in the virtual legal writing classroom. Topics will include creating a sense of inclusion and belonging from day one, fostering professor-student and student-student connections, designing group projects in the online classroom, using recognition and reward to incentivize and inspire, and appropriately communicating care for student well-being. With deliberate, thoughtful techniques, legal writing professors can create the same community and connection in the on line classroom that they create in person. This presentation will demonstrate connection techniques, so please be ready to participate!
Disciplines
Publication Date
June 6, 2020
Citation Information
Olympia Duhart, Rosario Lozada, D'Andra Millsap Shu, Katherine Vudakin, Remotely Interested? Fostering Connection in the Virtual Classroom, William & Mary Law School’s Conference for Excellence in Online Teaching Legal Research & Writing, June 6, 2020.