Having taught classrooms of healthcare professionals, I feel it is necessary to find a way to relate to each individual student not only at the level of learning or expertise they've experienced, but also through personality and behavioral traits as well. These individuals will be taking care of the general population and I want them to be personable, confident, and skilled in their care giving.

This is hard to do sometimes in the e-learning environment because you do not see their daily behavior and how they physically interact with others. They have to remain dedicated to the subject at hand and interact with fellow classmates in a pleasant manner. I set guidelines of netiquette and written response, but it is necessary to ask questions to gain insight into skills and human behavior. I have been able to, at most times, get a sense for the character of the individual through this process of questioning and discussion to where my retention has not been a concern.

I also do student learning contracts so that those individuals that struggle in the e-learning environment know what I expect of them and they can tell me how they plan to accept my challenges while implementing their own goals toward succeeding in the classroom while online. I find sharing my own experiences, both positive and negative, as a learning tool to help those that struggle to have insight into challenging situations and how to handle them effectively. This allows for personal discussion sessions with several students and helps to allay fears and take them to a place of compassion and understadning for their fellow class members.