I find that eye contact not only engages the students, but it also allows you to get a lot of feedback on how the students are doing. You can see things such as: Do they look confused or confident Are they looking sleepy or like active participants Do they have questions they are afraid to ask? I teach in the online environment. That eye contact is missing. I lose the ability to connect directly with the students, and to see those unspoken queues the students provide. What do you think is a good alternative to address this particular issue? April Ragland