As SPS’s Assistant Director for English Language Support and Academic Skills, Christine Fiorite works with students in accelerated master’s programs based on the Chicago campus. She meets with students one-on-one and in small groups to support academic reading and writing, presentation skills, and class participation. She also partners with faculty to design workshops and engagement strategies that align with course goals.
Christine’s framework for engagement is grounded in both experience and research. “I’ve been influenced by the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE),” she explained. “It defines engagement as both what students put into their learning and how institutions support that learning through thoughtful design.”
While Christine mostly advises students on their in-person course experiences, she’s also learned about her students’ experiences in online classes. Many of her favorite engagement strategies can be used both in-person and online.
One place she sees consistent opportunities to reduce student confusion and support learning is around reading. “Students often aren’t sure how to approach academic reading. Should they skim? Take notes? How long should it take?” Christine often works with students to determine the purpose of a reading and estimate the time it should take (e.g., 30–45 minutes). This helps students manage their workload and identify when they might need additional support, and this information can be added directly to an online course site.
To reinforce reading with intention, Christine recommends the 3-2-1 strategy: three key ideas, two connections, and one question. “It works well in asynchronous discussion boards or as a way to prepare for synchronous sessions,” she said. For visual learners, she suggests scaffolding with graphic organizers—such as Venn diagrams or flowcharts—early in the course, then inviting students to create their own infographics or visual summaries later in the term.
To establish the importance of a course community early on, Christine suggests starting with tools like Canvas profiles and NameCoach to help instructors get to know their students, and students get to know each other. By using these tools for students to provide basic information, faculty can bypass the need for basic, repetitive introductions discussions and replace with a community-building activity. Christine shared one of her favorite activities: “Three Things in Common,” which invites students to discover shared interests beyond the course content. These simple switches set the tone that student interaction will be a meaningful part of an online course.
Christine’s advice to online faculty is to be proactive and transparent: clarify the purpose of each activity, share time estimates when possible, and offer structured opportunities for students to connect, reflect, and contribute. With the right strategies in place, asynchronous courses can create thoughtful, flexible spaces where students feel connected, supported, and ready to engage more deeply with their learning.