AFACCT 2023 Conference

1. Presented by ESOL Faculty
from the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC):
Stacie Miller
Jessica Farrar
Sara Osman
AFACCT 2023 Conference, Session 10.1
Engagement, Community and
Belonging in the Online
Classroom: Pandemic Lessons

2. Abstract
At AFACCT in 2021, we gave a presentation on building online community during a
time of social distancing. In 2023, we shared post-pandemic lessons about classroom
community, belonging, and engagement, and discussed how these concepts can be
applied to the online classroom. After reviewing definitions of these terms in recent
literature, we explored the connection between these concepts and student success,
the role that learning communities can play, and the role of community in our own
lives. We then examined practical techniques for faculty to create community in the
online classroom, including Jigsaw Readings, Hall of Fame, and Discussion Boards. This
session’s objectives included1) discussing the connection between student success and
classroom engagement; and 2) applying and sharing techniques to build community in
virtual classrooms.

3. Overview of
Today's
Presentation
Invitation to Audience: Share your ways to
build community in virtual classes
Ideas to build community in virtual classes
Importance of Community and Belonging
Example of Learning
Communities
Importance in online
classes

4. From Larry Roper's Plenary Session on Learning Communities in Times of Crisis at
the Learning Community Summit on October 23, 2020.

5. From Larry Roper's Plenary Session on Learning Communities in Times of Crisis at the
Learning Community Summit on October 23, 2020.

6. Classroom Community
 Classroom Community: "Social and academic integration" (Maestas, 2011; Kaye et.
al 2007)
 “social interactions in the classroom [that] serve to build both relationships and
knowledge” (Kaye et al., 2011, p. 238).
 "classroom community in action: students interacting with each other and the instructor
about course content” (Kaye et al., p.240)
 Learning as “an emotionally rich experience” (Kaye et al., 2011, p. 239)

7. Belonging
 Belonging: “students’ perceived social support on campus, a feeling or sensation
of connectedness, and the experience of mattering” to their peers, teachers, and
others on campus (Strayhorn, 2018, p. 4).
 Belonging Uncertainty (Walton and Cohen 2007):
 “people like me don’t belong here’” (p. 83)
 “undermine their comfort in mainstream institutions and their prospects for success” (p.
82)
 contributes to racial disparities regarding student success

8. Engagement
 Engagement: “the time and energy that students devote to their studies and other
educationally purposeful activities” (Kuh, 2007)
 Engagement has a positive impact on grades, persistence, and success.

9. The Learning
Community
Program at
CCBC
A Learning Community is a High Impact Practice
 the same group of students takes two integrated classes from
different disciplines
 Integrated Learning: Students use materials from one course
to work on the goals of the other, adding depth to their
learning and increasing their learning and critical thinking
skills.
 Community: The same group of students enrolls in both
courses, so students form stronger bonds with fellow
classmates as they study together, support each other, and
learn from one another. They also get to know both teachers
very well.

10. Learning
Communities at
CCBC include:
ESOL
Gen Ed
For Majors
ESOL: ESOL 052 (Academic Writing)
and CMNS 101
(Communication Studies)
General Education: CMNS 101
(Communication Studies) and PSYC
101
For Nursing Majors: MATH 153
(Statistics) and PSYC 103
(Developmental Psychology)

11. Benefits of
Learning
Communities
According to West & Williams (2017), benefits of learning
communities include:
 Higher retention rates
 Higher GPA
 Increased cognitive skills and abilities
 Improved ability to adjust to college
 Higher student engagement
 Greater respect for diversity of all students
 Higher intrinsic motivation

12. Reflection: Moving Community Online
 Reflect on the role of community in your own life. In what spaces do you
feel a sense of community? (Work, gym, PTA, library book club, etc.)
 Has the pandemic changed how you think about community and
relationships in your own life?
 What do you do to create community in your online classes?
OR
How can we make our classroom a Public Homespace, defined as:
“places where people support each other’s development … members go on
working to make the whole society more inclusive, nurturing, and responsive
to the developmental needs of all people – but most especially to those who
have been excluded and silenced”
(Belenky, Bond & Winestock, 1997, cited In Hamilton & Reis, 2005, p. 50).

13. Ideas to Create Community Virtually
Jigsaw (or Expert
Groups)
Hall of Fame Alternative
Discussion Boards

14. Jigsaw
 Jigsaw (Expert Groups)
 Kent State University website
 Opportunity for Home Groups
 Students get more comfortable with
the home group and each feels
sense of value within the home
group, but also get chances to work
with other students in the class
Figure 1. Tomaswick, L. (2017)

15. Virtual Jigsaw
Activity
 Step 1: Students are assigned different homework
readings or parts of a reading
 Step 2: In class, in breakout rooms, or in an online
wiki/discussion board: Students with same
homework assignment meet, get clarification and
share ideas
 Step 3: Make new groups with one student from
each expert group. Students each contribute ideas
from their expert group to complete the activity
 Example: Jigsaw Education Readings Activity

16. Lessons: What We've Learned about
Jigsaws
 Emphasize value of teaching as learning
 Consider grouping types
 Leave time for learning reflection
 Use the information from the jigsaw in an individual assignment
 Lends itself well to developing critical thinking skills such as communication, problem solving,
analysis, and synthesis
 Worth the investment
Sense of belonging: “students’ perceived social support on campus, a feeling or sensation of
connectedness, and the experience of mattering” to their peers, teachers, and others on campus
(Strayhorn, 2018 p. 4)
These “positive, non-superficial interactions with others,” (Williams, 2004, p. 334), students recategorize
classmates from other backgrounds into their in-group, improving their view not only of the individual
classmate but purportedly of that classmate’s racial-ethnic group altogether (Williams, 2004).

17. Hall of Fame
 Hall of Fame highlights good
ideas from individual students
and helps students see
connections between their ideas
 Hall of Fame Example
 Another Example

18. Lessons: What We've Learned about Hall of
Fame
 Provides students with the experience of “mattering” as Strayhorn (2018)
and Roper (2020) express is necessary to create a sense of belonging
 Students realize that their work is valued by the group
 They can be models and motivators for others
 They can gain inspiration, validation, and feel like they are capable by
seeing others do it and hearing their similar challenges
 The online classroom becomes the “public homespace” where the teacher
and students “support each other’s development” (Belenky et al., 1997)
and acknowledge each other’s wins.
 Need to be sensitive to students' preferences about being singled out
and being publicly praised

19. Online
Students'
Opinions
about
Hall of
Fame
 "I think that sharing is good because we can show
our work to each other, our ideas, we can see how
students worked before on their assignments."
 "I would like to read other classmates' [work], it's
the way to see other's viewpoint."
 "I am ok with my work being share with the class,
because we are all here to learn."
 "Yes i like it, if my work can help someone else
why not?"
Do you like having your work shared with
the class or would you prefer to keep it
private?

20. Importance of
Discussion
Boards for
Online Classes:
Student
Opinions
"The discussion board is our chatroom
where I can feel connection with other
classmates."
"I felt connected to my classmates
through group disscussions and replies"
"I think a good platform like a group
chat will aid in the connection or ability
to talk to each other. I only know my
classmates in the discusion boards"

21. Lessons: What We've Learned about
Discussion Boards
 Incorporates the three Community of Inquiry components of teaching presence, social
presence, and cognitive presence needed for a successful online learning experience
(Garrison et. al, 2000, p. 88) to develop the sense of community, especially in
asynchronous courses (Covelli, 2017)
 McKenna et al. (2022) identify the key elements of discussion board structure for
instructors to consider as the prompt, expectations and guidelines, incentives for
participation, instructor facilitation and guidance, and tone of the interactions (p. 96)
and argue that “social and/or personal content, internal references, and
personable/casual tone” (p. 95) in the discussion posts are indicative of classroom
community.
 Prompts should be “thought-provoking, open-ended, and [permit] many correct
answers” (p. 109). We recommend providing guidelines that encourage substantial
responses to classmates, sharing personal experiences, problem solving, and
offering advice.
 Can “cultivate an atmosphere in which a group of strangers will listen attentively
to others with respect, and challenge and support one another to
previously unimagined levels of academic performance” (Kuh, 2007).

22. Find ways to shake up traditional
discussion boards
 Example 1:
Students read Michelle Zauner's essay "Crying in H Mart".
 Directions:
Zauner brings up a lot of Korean foods. Food is closely tied to culture.
Share a food from your culture that you feel connects you to your
culture. Write a short paragraph (minimum 5 sentences) telling us
about the food (ingredients, special occasions when it's eaten, etc.)
and explain your personal connections to it, similar to how Zauner
explains her connections with her mother. Optional: include a picture
of the food!

23. Shaking up traditional discussion boards
 Example 2:
Students create and share a presentation about an assigned author.
Students are grouped by author but create an individual presentation.
 Directions for the replies to classmates:
Respond to 2 classmates. One should be someone with the same
assigned author. Compare and contrast the info you learned about the
author from their presentation with your own presentation. Your
second post should be to a classmate with a different author. Compare
and contrast your assigned author with their assigned author's
information.

24. Shaking up traditional discussion boards
 Example 3:
Students reflect on their learning experiences from that week and
provide support to each other. They have the option to record their
responses.
 Finish the sentences: "I used to think"...."Now I think"....
 What was most interesting or helpful about this week of class?
 What was something challenging or unclear about this week's
materials/assignments and why?
 Respond to at least two of your classmates with polite, insightful,
and helpful comments that further the conversation. Add new,
specific ideas in each post.

25. Student
Replies in
Reflective
Discussions
“I know that essay writing is difficult if you don't know how to
them. It wasn't easy for me too but i scheduled and meet a writing
She told me how to organize my work, next time you can schedule
see one of the tutors. They will direct you on what to do.”
“I totally agree with you. I had no idea that there were various rules
citing other people's writing. Anyway, this class was very helpful for
knowing the rules to use when citing other people's writing. I also
received a lot of feedback from my teacher.”
“Thank you so much for letting me read something that resonates
me.”
Discussion boards allowed students to “share our knowledge and
understand each other” and “it is a good area where we can make
friends.”

26. Multimedia for Discussion Boards
1. Images
2. Videos (Flipgrid, screencasting, or students record using phones and upload)
3. Music
4. Adobe Spark, Sway (part of Office 365)
5. Padlet Discussions
6. Word Clouds
7. Sandbox (student choice)
In general, “audio and visual elements […] add texture and personal elements to the
discussion [… and] work to humanize the classroom” (Covelli, 2017, p. 143)

27. Your turn! How have you
shaken up the traditional
discussion board? What
works well?

28. More Ideas to Create
Community Virtually
Master List

29. Sources
 Belenky, M. F., Bond, L. A., & Weinstock, J. S. (1997). A tradition that has no
name: Nurturing the development of people, families, and communities. Basic
Books.
 Covelli, B. J. (2017). Online Discussion Boards: The Practice of Building
Community for Adult Learners. Journal of Continuing Higher Education, 65(2),
139–145. https://doi-org.ccbcmd.idm.oclc.org/10.1080/07377363.2017.1274616
 Kay, D., Summers, J. J., & Svinicki, M. D. (2011). Conceptualizations of Classroom
Community in Higher Education: Insights from Award Winning Professors.
Journal of Ethnographic & Qualitative Research, 5(4), 230–245.
 Kuh, G. D. (2007, June 15). How to Help Students Achieve. The Chronicle of
Higher Education, 53(41).
 Maestas, R. Vaquera, G. S., & Zehr, L. M. (2007). Factors Impacting Sense of
Belonging at a Hispanic-Serving Institution. Journal of Hispanic Higher
Education. 6, 237-56. Kuh, G.D. (2008). High-impact educational practices: What
they are, who has access to them, and why they matter. Washington, DC:
Association of American Colleges and Universities.

30. Sources, continued
 McKenna, K., Altringer, L., Gebhardt, K., & Long, M. G. (2022). Promoting Meaningful Interaction and
Community Development through Discussion Board Activities in the Online Classroom. Journal of
Educators Online, 19(1), 94–112. https://doi-org.ccbcmd.idm.oclc.org/10.9743/jeo.2022.19.1.15
 Roper, L. (2020, Oct 23). Learning Communities in Times of Crisis. [PowerPoint Slides]. Washington
Center Collaborative, https://app.slack.com/client/T0164QTAQNS/C01BQSUR552
 Strayhorn, T. L. (2018). College students’ sense of belonging: A key to educational success for all students.
Routledge.
 Tomaswick, L. (2017). Active Learning –Jigsaw. Kent State University Center for Teaching and Learning.
Retrieved 4 Nov 2020 from http://www.kent.edu/ctl/educational-resources/active-learning-jigsaw/
 Walton, G. M., & Cohen, G. L. (2007). A question of belonging: Race, social fit, and achievement. Journal
of Personality and Social Psychology, 92)1), 82-96. https://doi-org.ccbcmd.idm.oclc.org/10.1037/0022-
3514.92.1.82
 West, R.E., & Williams, G.S. (2017). “’I don’t think that word means what you think it means’: A proposed
framework for defining learning communities.” Educational Tech Research Dev 65:1569–
1582. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-017-9535-0
 Williams, D. (2004). Improving Race Relations in Higher Education: The Jigsaw Classroom as a Missing Piece
to the Puzzle. Urban Education, 39(3), 316–344. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042085904263063