Fostering student-student interactions in a first year experience course taught online during Covid-19 pandemic

Abstract

Online college courses can lack much needed student interactions without live synchronous sessions. The need for socialization is particularly important for students in an era of Covid-19 pandemic, where isolation is the new norm outside the classroom. Here we provide a perspective on the use of online synchronous sessions in a first year experience Biology course that encouraged student-student interactions and employed the culturally responsive teaching approach. We used group assignments, modeled on the jig-saw method, during our meetings and provided extra time outside of the dedicated class period to foster student collaboration, conversation, and social presence. We noted high attendance and participation in the synchronous sessions, suggesting effectiveness of the methods we used in student engagement and satisfaction.