Reply to kevin carrier's post:yes, this lesson definitely explains how we have to encourage the students and let them know that their feelins are valid

We use technology to reach out to our students and try many different ways to engage them and make sure that they are getting the gist of what we are trying to teach.

The biggest challenge that I have seen is that without the face to face interaction, we don't have the common ground to know where the student is at, what their skill level is and if they are getting lost until it is too late.  Sometimes, I have seen a student seem to be doing fine, but then tell me that they were lost.  It doesn't matter that I have asked every class if they are okay or if there are any issues.  They don't seem to feel confident to voice their need for help.

I totally agree with you.  My students are coming in with a bunch of different skill levels and I try to guage where they are at and get them all to a baseline to help them succeed in the course.

Working with the students online via MS Teams has changed the dynamic.  It's harder to see when a student is not getting it or is just going with the flow.  I have made myself available during off hours to help students by questioning where they are lost and what they don't understand.  Usually, this will clear up the issue, but in some instances, they just agree to get the meeting over with, but still are struggling.  This makes it hard to help them.