7.0 Introduction

Student success is intricately linked to a student’s sense of belonging and personal growth, including the development of a sense of who they are. This is impacted by their learning experiences in nonintellectual domains, such as social, emotional and physical domains (Ambrose et al., 2010). In your role as an instructor, you can create an online learning environment that supports students not only intellectually but holistically. Studies show that having a growth mindset and a sense of belonging are important for students’ academic success (Dweck et al., 2014). When students receive the necessary support to grow and learn, they persist and thrive.

Adapted from The New Faculty Orientation Guide, CTLT, 2019

 

Learning outcomes

By the end of this module, you should be able to:

• Acknowledge the role of educators in creating supportive learning environments.
• Be aware of the diverse identities, experiences and needs of your online students.
• Select strategies for creating a supportive online learning environment.
• Create a supportive learning environment in your online course.