It is important to monitor student participation on a daily basis, perhaps with a spreadsheet created in Excel or Google Sheets.

I appreciated the suggestions for asynchronous and synchronous discussions. Asynchronous is done with the whole group, offering time for students to submit their responses and benefit from the thinking of their peers, while synchronous is more appropriate for smaller groups or individual students.

I really liked the idea of having students post a biography, as a means of getting to know them.  Getting to know students this way allows us to be sensitive to their strengths and needs and also offers an opportunity to begin to forge personal connections.

As an instructor, it is essential to keep in mind that for my students to be successful, I must maintain a course that has structural integrity and navigational simplicity and that I provide opportunities for students to engage in intellectual interaction and student-centered learning.  Students will need both learning support and technical support.