Steven Muntz

It's important for the instructor and students to post a bio.  This will allow better communication in an online environment and provide a more productive learning environment.

I learned some good approaches to develop good relationships with learners.  Unlike traditional or f2f courses, students can often be located in different time zones in an online course.  An instructor should be sensitive to this when scheduling office hours when students may be in different time zones. Another approach would be to send personal messages related to the course to each student.  This will allow a more one on one communication approach opposed to a group email to all students. 

Students in online courses feel more comfortable when they know that they are being supported, and this can lead to a successful online experience.  As long as you have the same goals for the course, instructors can take different approaches and have different methods to reach the goals. It's important for students to be able to easily navigate the course.