Practice inclusive teaching

Look for ways to be inclusive and foster an online community in your course syllabus and overall course design. Set an example of inclusivity and respect for one another in your class. Small group activities, provide students the chance to introduce themselves and get to know one another. Create a shared awareness of the standards for respectful discourse, privacy, and respect in your class by using discussion guidelines. Allowing students to converse and become acclimated to the class period at the start of your in-person or "live" online session can be helpful and encourage students to concentrate on the subject at hand.

Utilize best practices for assessment to provide frequent student feedback and chances for improvement. These include scaffolded assignments, assessments that are directly related to the course's content and learning objectives, and various options for student participation to account for varying student comfort levels and preferences. Use criterion-referenced grading schemes as opposed to norm-referenced ones; that is, base your grading and students' final scores on how well they've met the assignments and the course's learning objectives rather than how they compare to their classmates (curving). Create fair and objective rubrics for each task, distribute the rubrics and sample assignments to students at the start, and grade using the rubrics.