Creating a safe place for students where they can feel at home and at ease is a key factor for SoB. For on-campus students this might be their own dedicated teaching room, or it may be a favourite coffee shop. Think about how you can create this online for your students. Should this be within the institutional vle[1] or outwith? If within the vle students may feel watched, so feeling less safe to express uncertainty. They may also expect tutor-intervention. Outwith they may feel restricted by the choice of software, e.g. not everyone wants to be on Facebook, and some may worry about the safety of comments they make. Think carefully about whether you will be in the group or not. How will your presence impact group behaviour? If you choose to be included, you may well be encouraging at least some students to make their own private space somewhere. There is no right answer – think carefully about your objectives and how these are helped and hindered by the different options. Remember, you may not be able to oblige all students to join a group hosted outside the institution, which may lead to some students being excluded. You may want to provide an institutional area but also encourage students to consider what they would find most helpful.

Example: George set up a WhatsApp[2] group, inviting the new students and a PhD student who had previously completed the module. There was no compulsion to join, so George ensured this was not the channel used for communicating key information. A key factor in promoting a sense of belonging is the spin-off from interactions with other learners. Students reported that, once the module started, they already had a sense of belonging and knew each other through the WhatsApp interactions. They were also able to gain reassurance from the PhD student, and get useful information about managing their workload.