Be present in the classroom and actively involved with the students so they remain motivated to complete class assignments. Use humor to build and maintain rapport with your students, and bring life experiences that relate to the topic being covered into class discussions. Remember that both humor and human interest anecdotes give the students permission to get to know one another and you.
Remember, dependent learners prefer interaction with you, their instructor, and they may ask for additional assistance. Keep in mind that this type of student is taking an on-line class because he wants to be given the opportunity to express his opinion without feeling anyone in the class will be looking down on him.
Provide encouragement to the highly emotional student who becomes anxious and frustrated over completing assignments and seems to frequently request reassurance that she is doing all right in the class. Encourage the student to also visit and create a Buddy System within the Chat Room.
Post get-acquainted activities at the beginning of the term, so students can build relationships within the virtual classroom. Remember, the introverted student needs to feel safe in expressing his opinion, and there is no better way to do this than in helping this student to know and trust the other members of the class.
Encourage stronger, more independent students to take an affirmative stance while responding to Discussion Threads, so that they can assist in building a positive classroom environment. Remind them to look within surface-level comments posted by classmates for ideas that may further promote class discussion.
Allow independent students, who generally receive higher scores in on-line classes because of their independence and commitment to learning, to assist in creating learning activities. Let the independent student share ideas and experiences in moving from one website or one link to another.
Use your own lively personality as the basis of classroom interaction. Let students know that everyone in the classroom is on the same level and should feel confident in asking questions. Use these questions as additional postings that will build topic comprehension.