Tamara , You have added so much to the discussion in this forum. Thank you so much. It is so important that we share these thoughts as we evolve as instructors whether it is online or f2f. You really do get to know your students by understanding quickly their environment. Most of our students don't linger here so you may want to use other ways of "touching" them. I see online learning are short burst of touches, where in f2f it seems to be a more sustained touch. Now before anyone comments on the term touching, it is making a connection with the student in the online environment. Dr. Kelly Wilkinson