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Building a thriving online community of learners past and present: lessons from two programs

One of the biggest challenges in online learning is the feeling of isolation. Without the traditional department lounges or after-class gatherings, students can struggle to connect with their peers. This makes intentionally building a community, both within and beyond academic programs, crucial for fostering connections and modeling professionalism. Engaging students, alumni and professionals helps create a network that nurtures belonging and support. Two fully online programs at Boise State demonstrate how community can be built in different ways —one small-scale and the other large-scale— to suit the needs of any program.

Small-scale: Leslie Ordal’s genetic counseling program and Slack

Leslie Ordal’s Master of Science in Genetic Counseling takes a more intimate approach to community building, which has been a priority since the program’s inception. As many of the skills needed by genetic counselors are “soft” skills, the program is intentional about creating opportunities to build connections and model supportive professional relationships. From the moment students join the program, they are placed into small “FAM” (Fun and Mentorship) groups that mix first- and second-year students with alumni. These groups serve as safe spaces to discuss academic and professional challenges, allowing students to build relationships with both their peers and experienced graduates.

Leslie Ordal

Each group is led by a second-year student, with a faculty member assigned as a hands-off advisor. The scheduling of monthly meetings, held via Zoom or Google Meet, is left up to the group itself, giving students control over how often and in what format they connect. Students also form their own group chats via tools such as WhatsApp. This autonomy encourages leadership among students while fostering a supportive environment where alumni can offer valuable perspectives.

Alumni involvement is one of the program’s strengths. Volunteers often outnumber the available spots in the FAM groups, and many alumni serve on capstone committees, offering guidance to students as they complete their final projects, or teach students as clinical supervisors in fieldwork placements. This year, the program introduced new affinity groups, which are volunteer-based and allow students to connect with others who share similar interests.

The program has a Slack channel, which can be accessed by students as well as leadership, but it’s currently underutilized. The program is exploring ways to better integrate Slack or another tool into the student experience, ensuring that it becomes a more cohesive part of the community-building effort.

Large-scale: Kody Walker’s CORE program and Discord

Kody Walker’s cyber operations and resilience (CORE) program uses Discord to engage students on a much larger scale. What started as a simple Discord channel for a course of 45 students has grown into a vibrant, program-wide community. Initially, there was some resistance to the idea—students and faculty weren’t sure if Discord, often associated with gaming, was appropriate for academic use.

The breakthrough came when a graduate student created a Discord server for her peers. When Kody heard rumors that the server was shutting down, he stepped in and supported the idea. In May 2023, they launched an official Discord for the entire program. Within a month, the community had grown to 100 members, doubling in size as word spread through advisors and welcome meetings.

To maintain a professional atmosphere, the CORE program established clear community guidelines, including no flaming, no sharing of private information, and keeping the conversations professional. Memes, however, became a popular way to boost engagement. The Discord server is moderated by student workers and volunteers, ensuring that it remains a positive, supportive environment for all members.

Now, Discord serves as the heart of the program’s community. Students are introduced to the platform through their welcome emails and college orientations, and they use it to connect across courses, get real-time help and engage with alumni. The rapid growth of the server is a testament to the power of scaling a community space with the right tools and support.

Key takeaways for building community in online learning

These two programs highlight that building a community in online learning is not a one-size-fits-all process. Whether using a small platform like Slack or a large-scale platform like Discord, the focus should always be on intentional engagement. Here are some tips based on their success:

  1. Start Small and Scale Up: Both programs began with small, manageable groups before scaling up. Leslie Ordal’s program began with tight-knit FAM groups, while Kody Walker’s Discord started with just one class before expanding program-wide.
  2. Establish Clear Community Guidelines: Professionalism and conduct should be established early on, whether that’s in the form of guidelines for Slack or clear rules for Discord interactions.
  3. Encourage Alumni Involvement: Alumni bring valuable real-world insights and are often eager to stay connected. Both programs have successfully integrated alumni as mentors and volunteers.
  4. Empower Student Leaders: Giving students leadership roles, such as running their own FAM groups or serving as moderators, fosters responsibility and personal investment in the community.
  5. Use Familiar Tools: Choose platforms that your students are comfortable with or willing to adopt. Slack and Discord can be customized to fit different scales of engagement.
  6. Model Professionalism: These platforms offer more than just a space for connection; they also serve as a place for modeling professionalism—an essential skill for students preparing to enter the workforce.

Building a community in online learning requires intentional effort and the right tools. Whether through smaller, more personalized Slack groups or a large-scale Discord server, the goal is to create a space where students can connect, collaborate, and support each other throughout their academic journey.

Resources

For help designing and teaching an online course, contact eCampus Center and request a consultation. 

Article Credit

Thanks to professors Kody Walker and Leslie Ordal as well as Anthony Saba, the eCampus faculty development coordinator who worked with them to write this article. ChatGPT was used to help revise and edit the original article draft.