Breaking the ice in your asynchronous online course
When we teach in-person, gathering together on the first day of the semester with our students effortlessly creates productive excitement: there is a bustle and a sense of anticipation as students orient themselves physically to the classroom space and to the members of this new and promising community. Typically, we then use ice breakers to build on that excitement and invite students to take their place in our course and alleviate the normal concerns or worries that students have on the first day. For example, an instructor might ask students to introduce themselves in small groups and have a meaningful conversation about how the course could help them solve problems in their lives or could help them reach their own career goals.
When you teach online, you want students to have the same kind of exciting and productive first experiences with their classmates, with you, and with the course. But how can we create the same sense of anticipation and excitement when students aren’t in the same place at the same time? In this resource, we consider the most important components of an effective icebreaker, and then we explore what these kinds of opening activities can look like in an asynchronous course.
Why are icebreakers important for students?
The best icebreakers build excitement and motivation about a course. We know from research on student motivation that three variables make a big difference in the amount of energy students invest in a course.
Variable 1: A sense of connection to their peers and their instructor
Connection means that students feel that they are part of a larger community of learners who work together, hold each other accountable, and are genuinely invested in each other's learning and growth. For all students, but especially for underrepresented students, a sense of belonging and connection is a crucial aspect of success. Creating a sense of connection is particularly important in an asynchronous online course, where students may feel disconnected from their learning because they are at a physical distance from the people who make up their learning community.
Variable 2: The value that students see in the work of a course
If students don’t see how a course will enhance their learning, their experience in college, or their lives beyond college, they are unlikely to put effort and energy into their learning. Helping students understand value is particularly important in an asynchronous online course, where students may not have the opportunity to chat informally with peers and with the instructor to explore how the course fits into the bigger picture of their college experience or their life aspirations.
Variable 3: Students’ understanding of how to succeed in the course
When students don’t really grasp how a course is designed and how to use that design to learn and grow, they will struggle. Helping students understand how to succeed is particularly important in an asynchronous online course, where students may struggle to make sense of the course design because they need to access pieces of the course in ways that involve a bit more effort than in a face-to-face course.
Putting these components together, we recognize the need for icebreakers that create a sense of real connection, a sense of the value of a course, and a sense of how to plan to succeed. Now that we understand these important underlying psychological components of effective icebreakers, let’s consider how you can put these ideas to use in your asynchronous online course!
Designing effective icebreakers
You can begin creating a sense of connection among students right away by having them interact with each other in Brightspace before the term begins and/or during the first week of the course. To ensure that these interactions are productive, provide structured prompts to guide them. Below are examples of prompts that will help students see the value of the course, connect with their peers, and make concrete plans to be successful.
Sample prompts to help students see the value of the course
Prompt for initial post: After reading through the syllabus, share two requirements of this course that you feel will help you meet personal or professional goals that you have. Be sure to tell us why you have these goals and what specifically the course will do to help you reach them.
Prompt for reply to peers: After you’ve posted, read your classmates’ responses and find a peer whose goals are different from your own. Then support your peer by sharing two pieces of concrete advice about the best ways to study for or prepare for those requirements in the course.
Sample prompts to help students connect with their peers
Prompt for initial post: Online learning can feel isolating. Let’s start the semester off by sharing an image of ourselves, our space, family, or beloved object that represents a reason why this course is important to you. Post your image and then write a short paragraph about what this image means to you and how it is connected to your goals for your learning in this course this semester.
Prompt for reply to peers: After you’ve posted, read your classmates’ posts. Find a peer whose post interests you and suggest what activities and assignments you think will help them meet their goals.
Sample prompts to help students articulate the strategies they will use to succeed
Prompt for initial post: Learning in an asynchronous environment is challenging! It can be easy to feel disconnected or even forget about the class. Let’s start the semester off by sharing concrete ideas that have helped you stay connected to and engaged in an online course in the past. Write a short paragraph introducing yourself, your experiences with online learning, the two strategies you think will keep you connected and learning in our course this semester. If this is your first online course, you can consider what strategies will help you remember to work throughout the week and feel connected to the course. For example, how will you schedule your work for the course? How will you use opportunities like office hours, the ask-a-question boards, or other tools to stay connected? And be sure to explain why you think these strategies will be helpful based on your experiences or what you know about yourself as a learner. (It’s also okay for you to make suggestions to me, the instructor, about what will help you feel connected to the course, to peers, and to me.)
Prompt for reply to peers: After you’ve posted, read your classmates’ posts. Find a peer who has an idea you hadn’t thought of and tell them why this might help you too. Or find a peer who might benefit from a strategy you plan to use and explain that strategy to them.
Prompts to help students begin connecting with the course content
Prompt for initial post: Here is a short case / problem / scenario that we will return to later in the semester. You might not realize it, but you all bring in a range of knowledge, experiences, and frameworks that you can already use to tackle this short case / problem / scenario! Introduce yourself to the group by telling us something about yourself that would help you tackle this puzzle and tell us what interests you about it.
Prompt for reply to peers: Find someone who brought a different perspective to this puzzle and share how their perspective differs from your own.
Best practices for managing icebreakers
Use small groups
If you want students to start to feel connected to one another and to your course, consider creating smaller groups of students so that these icebreaker conversations feel real and manageable. Asking students to work with larger numbers of peers means that they are reading many responses and trying to figure out who to respond to; the result is they expend too much energy, don’t feel particularly connected to their peers, and may feel that the icebreaker is simply a hoop to jump through. If you have 35 students in your online course (or more!), it is unreasonable and impractical for a given student to read through 34 posts. An ideal asynchronous group size can range from 6-10. The Groups tool in Brightspace will help you create these smaller, more intimate conversations.
Create heterogenous groups
It's best to place students in heterogenous groups because students in these groups are more likely to share varied interests, experiences, and knowledge with one another, making discussion board conversations less predictable and more meaningful. Create groups using information you’ve gathered from students on variables like major, year of study, career goals, etc. And most importantly, let students know how you’ve created groups: being transparent with them will alleviate any concerns they have about why they are grouped with a particular set of peers.
Consider the medium
Students can interact using the Brightspace Discussion Board tool, but alternatively, you might have students use a multimedia tool like VoiceThread. Regardless of how you have students work together for icebreakers, make sure that they are responding to structured prompts like the ones described above. Keep in mind that while it is fine to ask students to make a short recording rather than write, this can present students with technology challenges. In addition, students may waste time making a cool-looking video that lacks the substance you are looking for.
Conclusion
There are many icebreakers you can design that will forge a strong sense of community in and engagement with your asynchronous online course. Keep the central principles of connection, value, and planning in mind as you design your icebreakers, and remember that students always need structure and guidance to help them interact in an online course!
Resources
- Darby, F. and Lang, J. M. (2019). Small teaching online: Applying learning science in online classes. John Wiley & Sons.
- Nilson, L. B. (2013). Creating self-regulated learners: Strategies to strengthen students’ self awareness and learning skills. Stylus Publishing.
- Norman, M. K., Ambrose, S. A., DiPietro, M., Lovett, M., & Bridges, M. W. (2023). What factors motivate students to learn? In How learning works: Eight research-based principles for smart teaching (2nd ed.) (pp. 84-105). Jossey-Bass.