different in a residential classroom lecture than in an online course. However, a well-designed online course will provide assigned discussion forums in various course modules to ensure regular and substantive interaction with the course content.

Although online courses allow for asynchronous academic engagement, the course must follow a schedule. The course schedule outlines the modules' sequence and the corresponding learning activities, assignments, and deadlines. Module deadlines ensure that students complete and submit work throughout the course (typically eight weeks) rather than submitting most of their assignments (or perhaps all their assignments) at the end of the course. The course schedule also plans for a regular feedback loop of substantive interaction whereby the online instructor evaluates students' work and instructs them accordingly. Students can learn from and respond to the instructor's substantive feedback as the course progresses. The course schedule should be posted in the syllabus within the online course.

See also 3.1 – Subject Matter Expert (SME) Model for Online Courses.

Before the online course is made available to students, the online instructor should complete a few set-up tasks to establish an active and welcoming presence within the course.

Fostering a positive faculty-to-student relationship is vital in building community in online courses. A well-written and personable faculty profile can set a positive tone for the course. This puts students at ease and increases their confidence to reach out with questions and ask for help.53 Instructors should set up a profile, including a brief bio, professional headshot, contact information, email, best contact hours, and any other desired information before the course launch in a timeframe specified by the Office of Online Education. Apart from this faculty information displayed within the online course, the course can feel “uninhabited” when students explore the course upon gaining access.

In addition to personalizing the course with faculty information, the instructor should post a welcome announcement and display it on the landing page for the online course. The welcome announcement further conveys an active faculty presence within the course. It is an initial point of connection with students and provides them with guidance on the next steps to take upon gaining access to the course.

This communication should focus on essential course- and content-specific items rather than student policy and logistical information. For example, the welcome announcement might introduce the following:

53 https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/online-education/online-course-delivery-and-instruction/instructor-bio-humanize-course-reduce-student-anxiety/

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