This is Part II in a series on supporting collaboration in our classrooms. See Part I, A Framework for Student Collaboration and Part III, Communicate and Collaborate, on ideas for academic collaboration in the rest of the semester.

Conrad and Donaldson argue that the first step towards academic collaboration is simple human connection - particularly this year. At the beginning of the semester, students need to build up trust in the course, you, and each other to prepare them to work collaboratively later on. What's more, research shows the more that students feel connected, the more willing they will be to push through challenges that might otherwise slow (or stop!) their progress (see "Further Reading" below).

Check out these ideas for sustaining connection throughout the semester. All of these are asynchronous, but can be easily adapted for live or face to face contexts. Finally, don't feel pressured to try *all* of these - when it comes to trying experiments with your teaching, one or two in a semester are probably better than ten!

Ideas for Weeks 1 - 2

Create an introductions Discussion in Week One. This strategy is a common way to start promoting student-to-student interaction. You can encourage students to include a "situated selfie" or image that represents them.
Have students share video introductions. You could have students use Canvas or a third-party tool like Flipgrid or Animoto to create videos.
Orient students to your course. In the first week, it's crucial for students to feel welcomed and oriented - particularly in an online context. Check out our Welcoming Module in our New Course Design course for ideas about how to help students start strong - a welcoming intro video, a course tour, etc.
Do icebreaker activities. This website offers great ideas for activities in all modalities. One popular one? Asking students to create an "Alt CV" that lists non-academic/professional accomplishments.
Sharing fears and hopes about the course. Could do it via Canvas Discussion, or anonymously with a Google survey or Jamboard.
Add some whimsy to your course. Dr. Melissa Wehler talks about adding "Easter Eggs" to her introductory course materials (a goofy monster image in her case) - and giving her students extra credit for finding it as a way to build in fun and camaraderie at the beginning of class.
Create a class playlist or quote list. Have students share beloved songs in a Canvas Discussion, Google Doc, or Padlet so classmates can discover new music. For a quote list, have students each share a favorite quote. Could use as part of weekly class announcements, social Canvas Discussions, or live class warm-ups.

Ideas to stay connected all semester long.

Keep social connection going throughout the semester, alongside academic work.

Offer weekly check-ins. These could be in the form of friendly, weekly emails; optional, anonymous well-being surveys; optional check-in/connection boards; or a weekly Canvas Discussion with a class question (could be as silly as "what cartoon character best represents you?," as serious as "what is something you learned during the pandemic?," or as sociable as "what TV show/movie/book are you into right now?").
Create social "third spaces". A third space is a semi-formal space outside of the classroom environment for students (and perhaps the instructor) to connect. This may be especially useful for students that are moving through a major or program together. A social media group, a WhatsApp group, or a "water cooler" Canvas Discussion can be examples of social spaces.
Create crews or accountability groups. These small groups can be purely social in nature - or could grow into spaces for academic collaboration or reflection. This could be a place for students to check in once a week, post answers to social questions, create shared study times, etc. Easy to create with Canvas Groups, these stable crews have access to autonomous discussion boards, announcements, and more on their group homepage.
Encourage weekly live check-in times. With the help of a chat tool (Microsoft Teams, Slack, WhatsApp, or Zoom with audio and video turned off), make time for students to meet up, say hello, and work independently together. Students can say hello and what they're working on, and use private messages to you or classmates for questions. If you're on Zoom, you or a student could play music!

How to assess social activities? Although some activities you might just offer to students, to encourage participation, you might also want to award extra credit or participation points. Another is to start awarding points at the beginning but taper off as students begin to participate voluntarily. Students can also self-report participation. To do this, simply create a Canvas Quiz question that asks: "Did you do X this week?" and allows students to answer yes or no. For extra credit, make the quiz worth zero points and award extra points when it is completed (especially helpful for anonymous participation, like a well-being survey!).

Thanks to SSU Professor Valerie Diggs, whose question sparked this topic, and to all the educators on Twitter who contributed ideas!

Coming up next: supporting academic collaboration - asynchronously!

A summary of Conrad and Donaldson's Phases of Engagement Framework

Further reading on engagement, community and academic success:

Why devote class time to community-building? Research has found again and again that students that experience community and connection in their courses have an increased likelihood of academic success. This is particularly true for students that have experienced educational marginalization, such as low-income students, students of color, or students with disabilities.

Ainley, M., Hidi, S., & Berndorff, D. (2002). Interest, learning, and the psychological processes that mediate their relationship. Journal of Educational Psychology, 94, 545–561.
Cohen, G. L., & Steele, C. M. (2002). A barrier of mistrust: How stereotypes affect cross-race mentoring. In J. Aronson (Ed.), Improving academic achievement: Impact of psychological factors on education (pp. 205-331). Academic Press
Cordova, D. I., & Lepper, M. R. (1996). Intrinsic motivation and the process of learning: Beneficial effects of contextualization, personalization, and choice. Journal of Educational Psychology, 88, 715–730.
Immordino-Yang, M. H. (2016). Emotions, learning, and the brain: Exploring the educational implications of affective neuroscience. W.W. Norton & Company.
Urdan, T., & Schoenfelder, E. (2006). Classroom effects on student motivation: Goal structures, social relationships, and competence beliefs. Journal of School Psychology, 44, 331–349.
Walton, G. M., & Cohen, G. L. (2007). A question of belonging: Race, social fit, and achievement. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92(1), 82.
Wood, J. L., Harris, F. III, & White, K. (2015). Teaching men of color in the community college: A guidebook. Lawndale Hill.