I find that it is interesting that students who would not normally participate are more likely to engage with asynchronous discussions as long as you engage with them.  

Making sure to connect with each student is as important as having the classmates connect with each other to provide the support that will help in keeping them engaged and learning. 

I have learned that students need extra attention and help when they move to an online learning platform, and we need to pay extra attention to the new types of needs that we will encounter.