Excellent example below!  I loved learning about descriptive immediacy!

Jane:
"This class is horrible! No matter what I do, points are always taken away. I really don’t want to FAIL!! How do I drop this class before I fail?”

You:
Hi Jane (acknowledge presence). Thanks for reaching out to me for help (interactive statement). It sounds like (tentative stem) this class has been frustrating (acknowledge implicit emotion), and I get the sense (tentative stem) that you’re feeling somewhat anxious about continuing (acknowledge implicit emotion). Is that right (check-out)? Jane, (acknowledge presence) considering your outlook, I can see how you… >>>

Comment on Maria Perez's post: Agree 100% - to run an online class, technology is key!  You have to have Instructors on board & eager to be tech savvy and / or learn how to be.  This is a tech driven world.

I appreciate learning more about self-advocacy.  As self-advocacy is the ability to assert oneself or ask for help this presents as an issue for many students since in online classrooms, instructors cannot see a confused look on a student’s face. Online students must take the initiative to ask for help before problems become emergencies. They must be specific and clear about the help they need because saying “I’m lost” via email gives no insight into what type of help is needed. Students also need to be persistent and follow up accordingly if they do not receive timely responses.  These are… >>>

Climate culture is important!  Positive campus needs to be the same in online courses.  I agree with someone who stated "what is needed for a student to "buy in" to their success is to make them feel like they are where they should be during that space of time". We should have policies and should hold students accountable but it is crucial that educators remember we all had to start somewhere.  We cannot set expectations so black/white, depending on circumstances we need some gray area.