Cathryn,

I love this!!! I love adding some personality to my courses.  

Sincerely,

Associate Professor Kimber Underdown 

Kimber,

Absolutely! I think creating that atmosphere in an online classroom is so important. When you think about a traditional face-to-face setting, there are so many opportunities for small talk and light-hearted conversation that really help to put students at ease and this is a great alternative in our online world.

-Cathryn Warren

Hi Cathryn,

I absolutely love this SEL check-in idea! 🌟 It’s such a great way to start the week with a focus on connection and emotional well-being. Social presence strategies like this not only help us as instructors get a sense of where our students are mentally, but they also create a sense of community where students feel seen, heard, and supported. By encouraging them to share how they’re feeling through emojis, GIFs, or memes, you’re fostering an environment of immediacy and emotional association, which can really enhance engagement.

I also appreciate how you’ve invited students to interact with one another's responses and offer encouragement. This is a great way to model affective association—students are encouraged to connect on a deeper level by acknowledging their peers' experiences, leading to a stronger sense of belonging in the course. The informal tone, openness to communication, and availability for further conversation all signal to students that you are present and accessible, which is key to building trust and social presence.

It sounds like your household is bustling with activity—congrats to Ryan on the S.P.I.R.I.T. program! 🎉 It’s wonderful that she’s involved in so many creative and physical outlets like art, baton twirling, and soccer. And oh, the joys of teething twins! I can only imagine how busy it must be with both Alex and Charlie going through that at the same time. You are definitely balancing a lot!

Looking forward to seeing how the students engage with this check-in! Have you noticed how SEL check-ins might have impacted your students’ participation and engagement in other areas of the course, like discussion forums?

Hi Thomas!

That's a great question! When I was in Phoenix a few weeks ago, I presented at the Adjunct Conference on enhancing classroom engagement through CATs and video-based discussion boards, and one of the participants there asked a similar question! I love data so I like to watch the total post column to see any changes there might be from week to week. From the board activity alone, it seems that engagement has increased since using the SEL check-ins. I've also noticed students asking more questions, which I think comes from a more relaxed and comfortable classroom atmosphere, which is great! I wish I still had access to my courses from before I started the SEL check-ins to make a comparison just out of curiosity! One thing that I want to work on and kind of challenge myself to do is to circle back around at the end of the week and do a few individual student check-ins through messages depending on what's posted at the beginning of the week. Just to take it one step further.

-Cathryn Warren

Please call me Tom!

I love that you're already seeing positive results from the SEL check-ins and observing an increase in questions and overall engagement! It sounds like you’ve really created a space where students feel more relaxed and connected, which is such a win for fostering that essential classroom community.

Your idea of circling back for individual student check-ins is fantastic and adds an even more personalized touch to the experience. It could be a powerful way to show students that their contributions matter beyond the initial post.

To help measure the impact of SEL check-ins more formally, you might want to consider sending out a brief survey to gather direct feedback from students. You could ask them how they feel the SEL check-ins have affected their comfort in participating, overall engagement, and connection with peers and the instructor. You could even integrate questions from the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework to explore how SEL posts might be influencing social, cognitive, and teaching presence.

Alternatively, you could take a more qualitative approach and ask students to share specific examples of how these check-ins have impacted their learning experience. This could give you deeper insight into how the SEL component is influencing engagement over time.

Either way, your dedication to refining and enhancing the student experience is truly inspiring! Keep us updated on how the individual check-ins go.

That’s a great idea! I will try that and keep you guys updated. Thanks again. 

-Cathryn