Online communication strategies are essential for online retention because they build rapport, help the student feel seen and heard, and even deescalate stressful feelings in students. I am now aware of intermediate and advanced techniques to use in my online communication with students going forward.

Advance/functioning technology and frequent instructor interactions are the gold standards for quality education delivery. Staying abreast of education trends by visiting sites such as EdSurge and OLC, plus using video replies instead of text replies with students will ensure I deliver a real feel to my online presence in the course.

It is vital to be aware of the non-traditional student's responsibility. Non-traditional students are employees who work and not the other way around. In addition to working, students must also manage to care for their families.

I learned that retention is proportionate to student engagement by faculty. Students who have frequent meaningful and positive contact with faculty and staff are more likely to stay. I also learned that students are not customers, that education is similar to the healthcare profession in that they help the student.

My favorite tool to use to encourage students to critically think while simultaneously using active learning is: Expert student, where the student takes the role as the expert. I will use this technique with my clinical group in a couple of weeks. I will allow the students to select a patient and critique me as I perform a head to toe assessment and grade me.

An instructor should choose approximately 3 engaging strategies for each class. Examples of engaging strategies include letting the student know why the content is relevant to their lives, providing insightful/positive feedback, provide clear boundaries but allow for creativity, use a rubric/assessment tool. 

I was once an online student with misconceptions about active learning techniques. I grew up in a third world country and found it difficult to adjust to group projects, team assignments and discussion post replies. I would often question why in the U.S. are most assignments group based or have components other than lectures. Hearing the rationale and history behind the use of active learning techniques has opened my eyes and now I am much more accepting of active learning techniques.

The seven principles of good practice include: Encourage contact with the students and vice versa, develop reciprocity and cooperation among students, encourage active learning, provide prompt feedback, emphasize time on task, communicate high expectations, respect diverse talents and ways of learning.

It is important to use multiple communication tools in an online course. Asynchronous communication where the receiver of communication engages with the communication at their convenience and synchronous communication where the receiver and sender are present on line but may be in different location.

A non tech skills to help online learners is to help them understand why the content is important to learn and that you care about the student's achievement of the learning outcomes.