Meeting the online learner where they are: Inside OHIO’s strategy for connection and support

For online students, particularly working adults, the flexibility of asynchronous learning is a necessity. However, that flexibility often comes at the cost of connection, leaving students feeling isolated from their peers and the institution.

To bridge this gap, Ohio University recently launched the OHIO Online Student Connect, a virtual hub designed specifically to foster belonging. According to Kathy Wilson, senior director of affinity programs and student engagement, the initiative was born directly from student feedback.

“One of the things we were consistently hearing was they wanted to have more opportunities to connect with one another outside of class,” Wilson says. “Most of our classes are asynchronous, so they don't have an opportunity to really talk to each other outside of group projects.”

When developing the strategy for the social platform, Wilson and her team made a critical decision regarding accessibility. Rather than building a standalone website or requiring a new login, they integrated the Student Connect directly into Canvas.

“We decided internally to use Canvas because it is a platform that students are already familiar with,” Wilson explains. “They’re already there accessing classes. They're in and out of it all day long. So we figured that was a natural place to start it.”

The platform features 11 different interest groups ranging from well-being and time management to specific populations like military-connected students and working parents. These spaces allow students to share tips on balancing coursework with parenting or simply find peers with similar hobbies.

“Ultimately, we would like our students to connect here and then use it as a platform to talk with each other in real life,” Wilson notes.

While the Student Connect solves for social isolation, Wilson’s team is simultaneously addressing the unique professional needs of the OHIO Online demographic, the majority of whom are working adults with over a decade of experience.

Recognizing that this demographic requires different support than a typical undergraduate, the Career Services team provides targeted programming outside of the social hub. This includes "Webinar Wednesdays," evening sessions run by the Career Services team covering topics based on student demand, such as "Getting into the Mind of Healthcare Recruiters" or "C-Suite 101."

“It’s really just a time to give our students concentrated information or feedback or exposure to recruiters,” Wilson says.

Looking ahead, the team is also exploring how technology can better support the modern job hunt. Recognizing that recruitment often involves automated screening, the university is developing a new AI resume optimization tool.

The goal is to provide resources that fit the schedule of a working adult who may be applying for jobs outside of standard business hours.

“If they're up at 11:00 at night and they're trying to do job applications... they can go onto this service,” Wilson says. “That just made us think, how can we use AI to our advantage to help our students find their next job opportunity?”

Both the social platform and the career resources operate in an iterative phase. Wilson is currently working with student "virtual moderators" within the Student Connect to keep engagement high and identify areas for improvement across the board.

“We're continuing to make it better,” Wilson says. “I think having feedback come from the students will be really helpful... We're here to change it and make it better.”