Dr. Megan Hanna

Helping students feel seen, heard, and supported

Fostering Belonging in Digital Classrooms

I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to be present in online courses—how we show up for our students in ways that are real, human, and sustainable. When you teach online, it’s easy to fall into a rhythm of grading, checking boxes, and posting announcements without ever really connecting. But connection is where so much of the magic happens.

That connection doesn’t have to be complicated. It doesn’t require constant availability or over-the-top production value. A warm tone, a timely reply, or a thoughtful nudge in a discussion thread can go a long way in helping students feel like they belong.

In this post, I’m sharing some brief background on social presence—what it is, why it matters, and how we can support it in ways that feel authentic and doable. Whether you’re teaching fully online, hybrid, or just looking for ideas that build stronger student connection, I hope there’s something here that meets you where you are.

Creating Connection in Online Courses

In an online course, it’s easy for students to feel like they’re just typing into the void. They may not know their classmates. They may not see their instructor. And without intentional design and thoughtful interaction, it can be hard for them to feel like they truly belong.

This is where the idea of social presence comes in—a concept that has been studied for decades to understand how people connect in digital environments. In higher education, social presence is about helping students feel that the other people in the course—including the instructor—are real, available, and there with them, even across a screen (Kreijns et al., 2022; Oh et al., 2018; Short et al., 1976).

There are many perspectives on how to build social presence in online courses. One widely used model is the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework, which emphasizes the roles of social, teaching, and cognitive presence (Garrison et al., 2000). At its core, social presence is about helping students feel seen, heard, and connected. How we design, interact, and show up in our online courses matters—and those small choices can go a long way in helping students feel like they belong.

This guide is just a starting point. You’ll find a quick overview of key concepts, practical strategies, and a short list of research links. There’s much more out there—these topics have been studied from many angles—so if this sparks your interest, you’re encouraged to dig in further and find what resonates with you.

What Is Social Presence?

The term “social presence” was first introduced by Short, Williams, and Christie in 1976 (Kreijns et al., 2022; Oh et al., 2018) to describe the feeling that other people in a conversation are “real” or “present” with us, even when communication occurs via technology.

A more recent article by Kreijns et al. (2022) helps clarify what social presence is—and what it’s not. Their work is especially useful for instructors who want to foster better interaction and connection in online classes. The authors outline three important ideas (Kreijns et al., 2022):

• Social presence refers to the sense that other students or instructors are real and present.
• Sociability refers to how well tools or platforms enable students to express themselves and connect.
• Social space is the group’s overall environment—things like trust, values, and shared group norms.

These ideas are closely related but distinct. When we design our online learning environments, understanding the difference helps us know where to focus our efforts—fostering a welcoming group environment, enhancing our use of technology, or creating opportunities for meaningful connections.

Social presence is also a central component of the Community of Inquiry framework, which emphasizes the importance of three interdependent elements for effective online learning: social presence, teaching presence, and cognitive presence (Garrison et al., 2000). This broader model can help us reflect on how our course design and teaching strategies work together to support student success.

How to Show Up Online

There are many ways to build social presence, and what works for one instructor or course may not work for another. The ideas below are just a few strategies I’ve found helpful—or that colleagues have shared with me over time. They’re meant to be practical and sustainable, not prescriptive. Feel free to adapt, experiment, and use what fits your style and context.

Strategy	What It Looks like
Welcome Video and Message	Post a short greeting at the start of the course.
Welcome Posts	Respond to each student in the intro forum by name during the first week.
Weekly Announcements	Use a personal tone, offer content previews, and share encouragement.
Micro-Lectures	Greet students warmly, speak in your real voice, and frame key content.
Discussion Forum Participation	Ask questions, connect student ideas, and show curiosity.
Optional Peer Prompts	Post early-week questions that spark reflection and peer response.
Timely Feedback	Make it specific, supportive, and student-centered.
Instructor Photos or Short Videos	Let students see and hear from you regularly.
Virtual Office Hours	Hold them consistently—even if only a few students are in attendance.

Tips for Being “Present” Without Burning Out

These are a few personal tips I’ve used—or shared with colleagues—to help make building social presence more manageable during a busy semester. Everyone’s rhythm is different, so play around and see what fits best with your teaching style. Small, steady actions can go a long way.

• Schedule your check-ins and responses—don’t try to be “always on.”
• Choose 2–3 places where you can consistently show up (e.g., announcements, forums, feedback).
• Use templates or saved phrases to streamline feedback efforts.
• Be human—warm, clear, and supportive goes a long way.

Bringing It All Together

At the end of the day, social presence isn’t necessarily about doing more—it’s about being intentional. It’s about showing your students that there’s a real person behind the course and helping them feel like they belong there, too.

You don’t need to overhaul everything. Start with one or two small shifts that feel manageable to you. Try something. Notice what works. Keep showing up in ways that feel sustainable and sincere.

If you’re exploring how to build stronger connection in your online courses, I’ve put together a free handout with key ideas you can use or share with a colleague. No strings attached—just something you can print, bookmark, or tuck into your teaching toolkit.

If this post sparked something for you, I’d love to hear about it. Feel free to leave a comment or pass this along to someone else who might appreciate it. Let’s keep the conversation going!

References

Garrison, D. R., Anderson, T., & Archer, W. (1999). Critical inquiry in a text-based environment: Computer conferencing in higher education. The internet and higher education, 2(2-3), 87-105. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1096-7516(00)00016-6 

Kreijns, K., Xu, K., & Weidlich, J. (2022). Social presence: Conceptualization and measurement. Educational psychology review, 34(1), 139-170. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-021-09623-8 

Oh, C. S., Bailenson, J. N., & Welch, G. F. (2018). A systematic review of social presence: Definition, antecedents, and implications. Frontiers in Robotics and AI, 5, 114. https://doi.org/10.3389/frobt.2018.00114 

Short, J., Williams, E., & Christie, B. (1976). The social psychology of telecommunications. London: John Wiley & Sons.