To help engage and retain radiology students in the online environment, I try to use warm, tentative, and collaborative writing that reduces anxiety around complex concepts such as image quality, positioning, and radiation safety. When responding to students, I connect instructions to real clinical relevance, for example, how mastering exposure factors now might support their confidence during live exams in the lab or clinical rotations. I also offer options when students face challenges, such as suggesting alternate ways to review positioning videos or asking which practice resources feel most helpful to them. Using the ARCS method, I aim to capture their attention with encouragement, show relevance to their future as technologists, build confidence by normalizing common struggles with difficult content, and end each message with gentle, clear next steps. My goal is to help students feel supported, capable, and connected so they stay engaged and successful throughout the radiography program.
