The physical separations inherent in online courses make it easy for participants in a course to develop states of mind that vary substantially. These differences may affect or disrupt communications (Richardson & Swan, 2003) among participants or create differences in expectations (Friend, 2014) for the course. In short, because those in an online course are infrequently working synchronously or in proximity, isolation permeates the experience (Eastmond, 1995; Turkle, 2011). However, such isolation flies in the face of Bandura’s (1977) social learning theory, which suggests that learning happens through group interactions. This presentation addresses “the tension and transition between physical and felt states” in online courses by attending to the various states of mind involved in an online class. By attending to interpersonal needs of participants in an online course, instructors provide a nurturing virtual corridor that connects the content of the course with the lived experience of each participant. Three forms of connection make the virtual classroom more authentic: access (reducing mental and technological barriers to digital content), presence (bringing physical reality into the virtual experience), and compassion (attending to the emotional needs of participants). Each corridor journeys from the virtual state into the emotional, mental, and physical states participants inhabit.

1. VIRTUAL CORRIDORS:
NURTURING STATES OF
MIND IN ONLINE SPACES
CHRIS FRIEND, SAINT LEO UNIVERSITY
@CHRIS_FRIEND

2. PROBLEMS IN ONLINE PEDAGOGY
DISRUPTED COMMUNICATION
(RICHARDSON & SWAN, 2003)
DIFFERING EXPECTATIONS (FRIEND, 2014)
SENSE OF ISOLATION (EASTMOND, 1995;TURKLE, 2011)
BUT… SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY (BANDURA, 1977)

3. WE TEACH THE CONTENTSTUDENT

4. ISOLATION IN ONLINE ED
ACCESS
(TECHNOLOGICAL SPACE)
PRESENCE
(PHYSICAL SPACE)
COMPASSION
(EMOTIONAL SPACE)

5. “THERE IS AN ASPECT OF OUR
VOCATION THAT IS SACRED.”
—bell hooks, Teaching to Transgress, p. 13

6. ADDRESSING THE PROBLEMS
GET THEM INTO THE CONTENT
LET THEM SEE YOU AS A PERSON
CARE ABOUT THE STUDENTS, NOT YOUR EGO

7. FACULTY DEVELOPMENT NEEDS
ACCESS
(HELP-DESK SKILLS)
PRESENCE
(INTERPERSONAL SKILLS)
COMPASSION
(CUSTOMER-SERVICE SKILLS)

8. “To teach in a manner that respects and cares
for the souls of our students is essential if we
are to provide the necessary conditions where
learning can most deeply and intimately begin.”
—bell hooks, Teaching to Transgress, p. 13

9. TO LEARN MORE
FROM COMPOSITION:ASAO B. INOUE
AS A PODCAST: HYBRIDPOD EP. 2 “COMPASSION”