Valuing students' emotions in online learning environments: MicroCPD transcription

I want to talk about how students’ emotions can have a powerful influence on their ability to learn and succeed online and share some ideas that might be useful when you are thinking about learning design and your teaching. 

During design: 

1. Step into the shoes of the student when designing the learning journey. Online students are new to and vulnerable as independent leaners.
2. Enhance the visual appeal of your materials. It helps to emotionally connect to content.
3. Develop your content for an emotional appeal.
4. Emphasize the value of peers as often as possible, and of learning as a social process.
5. Take the spotlight away from 'assessments': they are important but can take away the 'fun' in knowledge. 

During Delivery: 

1. Think about how you nurture your teacher-student relationship. Body language dies online; students should know that you care.
2. Caring is less about the attitude; it is ongoing and more about your actions as their teacher.
3. Do not hide your passion for your subject; your views of the world matters to them.
4. If you make a mistake, acknowledge it and move on. Your students should also feel comfortable to do the same.
5. When used right, humour can be a binding element in helping emotional connections with content.
6. Emphasize groupwork is upbeat and fun and a place to create positive relationships .

Valuing students’ emotions can enhance their performance in more profound and more enduring ways than we can imagine.