While it's true that the physical distance between faculty and students in online courses creates a situation with unique challenges, these challenges are sometimes exaggerated by false comparisons to the face-to-face instructional experience. The built-in assumption is that face-to-face instruction trumps instruction at a distance every time, in terms of the personal relationships built between students and faculty and the quality of their interactions. Based on my experience, this need not be the case and describing the situation in such terms sets up a comparison that does not bear up under examination.

Did you ever take a class with a faculty member who was rather unapproachable? Who, perhaps, didn't encourage discussion in class? Who was hard to talk with, even one-on-one? In many cases there is a distance that exists even in the face-to-face classroom, depending on the personality and methods of the faculty member and on the personality of the student who wishes to approach him or her. Our experience should tell us that we cannot assume that just because a faculty member and students are in the same room, the communication taking place is at the highest level. Further, we should not assume that it's in the face-to-face classroom that all students have the best chance for learning.

There are many ways in which asynchronous courses help bridge gaps, rather than creating new ones. Some students actually learn better in the distance classroom and some teachers may teach better there too. That student who sits in the last row and never speaks-Is he just shy? Or is he unprepared? This student may turn out to be an articulate, willing participant in the online classroom. What about the student who panics when called upon in class and sputters, then falls silent? Did she fail to do the reading? Is she painfully shy? In the online class, this student may speak clearly and offer coherent, challenging ideas in discussion. She may be the type of person who requires time to formulate her ideas and express them. What about that student who rushes into the classroom from work, seems disorganized, and appears to have trouble focusing on the task at hand? It's possible that this student, given the possibility of participating in class later in the evening after arriving home, will be better able to concentrate, gather her thoughts, and interact fully with fellow classmates, when she has put aside the worries of work and the stress of the scramble to get to class.

The point of these scenarios is that we cannot assume that the face-to-face classroom is where all students will learn and thrive to the best of their abilities. Nor can we assume that all professors invariably will teach and give their best when face-to-face with students in class. For some, the additional time to respond thoughtfully to students and tend discussion as it develops over a period of days will be a big plus. For some, their personalities, their warm human qualities, if you will, will come through better in the online environment. For some, the undertaking of online teaching may awaken a new interest and enthusiasm for pedagogy and for expressing the beauties and values of their disciplines. The atmosphere created in an online course can be just as personal, just as connected, and just as charged with enthusiasm as the face-to-face classroom.Let me cite some specifics of my own experience of relationships with students in online courses to add concreteness to what I've said here. As a faculty member contractually assigned to the Pleasantville campus, I have

• Taught online classes in which at least half of the students were on the NY
  campus, enabling me to meet students I'd otherwise not have known.
• Completed Honors projects with NY students, as well as PL students.
• Written law school, graduate school and scholarship recommendations for NY
  students, as well as PL students.
• Met NY students face-to-face on those trips that most of us must make for
  meetings, as well as meeting PL students during my contractually-required regularly-
  scheduled office hours and on campus.
• Mentored both NY and PL students about career plans.
• Undertaken a collaborative research project with a student before meeting face-to-face.
• Developed lasting relationships with students I have never seen but who check in
  with me at the start of each new term.

If you are thinking of teaching online, here are some things you can do to personalize your approach and create a sense of connection in the class:

• Make a place for introductions at the start of the class. Introduce yourself and
  personalize what you say. Why do you like the subject you're teaching? Do you
  have a dog? Are you a secret Mets fan? Let your personal side show.
• Personalize your documents too. Let your enthusiasm show. Why do you love this
  stuff?
• Respond to emails promptly and reach out to students often to show that you
  recognize them as individuals.
• Address students by name in discussion. Refer to other things they may have
  said, so that they know you are following their performance.
• Encourage students to set up personal homepages in the Tools area of the course
  and upload pictures or link to their personal webpages.
• Make it clear that students should be interacting with each other in discussion, not
  addressing their comments to you alone, but that you are a presence and are
  attentive to what's going on there.
• Make sure that your "local" students know when they can meet you on campus
  and let students in the other location know when you will be around and that
  you'd be happy to meet with them. A chat in the hallway can do wonders and the
  gesture will be appreciated. Pick up the phone and call those who want to hear your
  voice.
• Ask for feedback. What's going well? What needs improvement?

Will the online experience work well for everyone? Certainly not. Not all students will learn best online and not all faculty will enjoy online teaching. Do online courses offer unique learning opportunities and opportunities for connection to both students and faculty? Absolutely. Do online courses offer new means to appeal to students with diverse learning styles and educational needs? Yes, they do. Distance teaching does not mean non-involvement. Faculty members can model intellectual inquiry and personal attention in this environment just as well as when they are face-to-face with students. And they will find many students who respond to them here.

"Our experience should tell us that we cannot assume that just because a faculty member and students are in the same room, the communication taking place is at the highest level."

"Some students actually learn better in the distance classroom and some teachers may teach better there too."

"The atmosphere created in an online course can be just as personal, just as connected, and just as charged with enthusiasm as the face-to-face classroom."