PROXIMITY IN THE ONLINE CLASSROOM:ENGAGEMENT, RELATIONSHIPS, AND PERSONALIZATION

For those who have taught in the traditional classroom at any level, proximity is understood as a best practice in managing classroom behaviors. The farther away the teacher is from the student the more likely the student is going to pay less attention and find themselves off task. Likewise, the inverse is true, the closer the teacher is to the student the less likely the student will be off task. In its simplest form, proximity can be described in two ways: classroom arrangement and teacher mobility. In the virtual modality, instructors have little control over classroom arrangement, but they can influence the perception of mobility by applying certain actions, that may impact the manner in which students perceive the proximal space within the classroom through various strategies to engage students, creating viable relationships with students, and personalizing the online classroom space. Appendix A outlines approaches and techniques to allow instructors to promote community, formative assessment, and critical thinking, and to clarify and create resources that close the proximal gap.