Creating Safe Online Spaces for Learners to Grow

 

Feeling safe is a prerequisite for learning. In the online environment, safety is about more than tech security—it’s about trust, respect, and emotional presence.

 

In Creating a Sense of Presence in Online Teaching, we describe the subtle ways instructors can foster this type of environment.

 

 

Some ideas:

• Use inclusive discussion guidelines: Encourage diverse voices and respectful disagreement.
• Acknowledge life challenges: When students face difficulties, respond with compassion and flexibility.
• Celebrate effort: Highlight persistence, not just perfect performance.

When students feel emotionally secure, they are more likely to participate, take intellectual risks, and build relationships with content and peers.

 

Lehman, R. M., & Conceição, S. C. (2010). Creating a Sense of Presence in Online Teaching: How to “Be There” for Distance Learners. Jossey-Bass. 

 

How do you create emotionally safe spaces in your courses? Let’s talk about it in the online forum.

 

Designing with Empathy — Supporting the Adult Online Learner

 

Empathy isn’t just a feeling—it’s a design principle. Adult learners often arrive with full lives, past educational experiences, and diverse learning needs. Online course design must reflect that reality.

 

In Motivating and Retaining Online Students, we emphasize designing with the whole learner in mind. This includes offering flexibility, choice, and opportunities to connect learning to real-world applications.

 

Key practices include:

• Offer varied assignment formats: Let students choose between writing a paper, recording a presentation, or building a project.
• Use inclusive language and examples: Acknowledge cultural, professional, and generational diversity.
• Design for mobile learning: Many adult learners use phones to access coursework on the go.

 

Online learners need to feel that their experiences and perspectives matter when design reflects empathy, and engagement increases.

 

Lehman, R. M., & Conceição, S. C. (2014). Motivating and Retaining Online Students: Research-Based Strategies That Work. Jossey-Bass. 

 

What does empathy in design look like in your courses? Join us in the forum and let’s explore together.