Hello, everyone. All of the reading for this beginning part of the course seemed very valuable. In particular, the "Support Systems" part caught my attention. I teach strictly online and feel my school offers abundant support for online students. For that reason, I am convinced that the "internal support system" for our students is indeed in place. I found it interesting, and a bit unnerving, that some student's "external support" (friends and family) may be lacking or missing completely. For years I have basically assumed that all of my students have family and/or friends helping them succeed in college (that’s likely based upon my own experience). As the reading suggests, having that support is easier for the student. NOT having that support, though, seems like a huge barrier for students to overcome! It makes me feel more compassionate towards my students and think more about how I can best facilitate their success. Isn’t it great when courses like this make you think more about your students; how real-life affects their success; and how to best serve them? Melonie