Patricia James, Manager, Educational Outreach, American Public University System and Co-Facilitator Kevin Kelly, EdD, Distance Learning Consultant, MindWires | Why does building student community in online classes matter? As online instructors, are we doing all we can to engage our students and in turn increase their likelihood of success?

The effective practice of encouraging community in our online classes has been with us a long time. However, the imminent addition of a requirement for student-to-student interaction to our DE regulations should cause us to reimagine how we make it a priority. It’s time to hear first-hand from students! What community development approaches improve the student’s learning experience and foster retention, development and success? Join Kevin and Pat as they facilitate a panel discussion among students about what community building in our online classes means to them. This panel will be made up of a representative sample of online students from the California Community Colleges system and the audience will be able to ask questions as part of the presentation. Please join us in what promises to be an enlightening general session discussion.