Tips for Engaging with Online Classmates

Posted On October 12, 2022

Written by Professor Levi Berntson, instructor of theology

Let’s face it. Sometimes online education can feel like you are lost at sea. At times, it might seem as if you are swimming in an ocean of solitude. One of the great perks of taking courses online is that you can study God’s Word from anywhere, at any time. But a potential drawback of online education is the lack of contact with your fellow classmates. Education is not simply about taking in ideas, but it ideally involves processing and communicating those ideas, both with your professor and with your peers.

How can you experience meaningful interactions with your classmates? Here are three practical ways to engage with other RBC students online:

First, attend live lectures. Watching recorded lectures later certainly offers maximum flexibility, but consistently missing the live lectures keeps you from enjoying real-time interaction with your professor, teaching assistant, and classmates. Before the lecture begins or during a break, you can greet brothers and sisters in Christ from around the world who are studying with you.

Second, join your class chat rooms. Chat services can be helpful aids for facilitating conversations about lecture topics and for sharing class notes and resources with classmates. Some courses have a chat feature on your Canvas course page, and students also set up chat rooms on apps such as Discord. Be sure to reach out to your teaching assistant for more information.

Third, get to know your classmates. If you click the “People” tab on your Canvas course page, you’ll find all of the students registered in your course, and you can send any of them a direct message through Canvas. This is a fantastic way to meet people and provides you with a support system if you have questions about the lecture or assignments.

Interaction with classmates may be more difficult for online students, but it is not impossible. I encourage you to take the time to employ some of these practical methods to ensure that you get the most out of your online education at RBC.