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Sense of belonging has long been linked to retention and other key student success metrics. Yet developing a sense of community can prove especially challenging for online students, whose ranks are growing across higher education. 

How can instructors and institutions promote belonging, engagement and involvement among online students in ways that advance their success? This crucial discussion will draw on research, case studies and expert insights.

Can't attend the webcast? You should still register -- all registrants, including attendees and absentees, will receive a recording of the webcast and a copy of the presentation slides.

Thursday, February 20 | 2 p.m. E.T.

Belonging to Succeed: Creating Community in the Online Classroom

SPEAKERS

Sara Custer
Editor-in-Chief at Inside Higher Ed

Sara Custer became Inside Higher Ed's editor-in-chief in March 2024. Before joining Inside Higher Ed, she was editor of Times Higher Education's (THE) Campus, a collection of daily resources designed for higher education faculty and staff members to learn, share and connect with colleagues at universities and colleges worldwide. Prior to that, she shaped THE’s online presence as its digital editor, helping to launch THE’s newsletter strategy and overseeing daily, weekly and monthly publications. From 2012 to 2017, she served as editor and senior reporter at The PIE News, covering the international education industry. Sara grew up in Cushing, Okla., and earned a B.A. in English literature from Loyola University Chicago and an M.A. in international journalism from City, University of London.

Omid Fotuhi
Research Associate with the Learning Research & Development Center at the 
University of Pittsburgh and Director of Learning Innovation at WGU Labs

Omid Fotuhi, research associate at the University of Pittsburgh’s Learning Research & Development Center and director of Learning Innovation at WGU Labs, is a motivation and performance researcher with more than 15 years of experience in training students, athletes and leaders to optimize their performance. His primary mission is to translate insights from research into practice, through publications, professional development workshops, performance training and presentations on stages across the nation. Fotuhi’s training is in psychology from the University of Waterloo and he completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Stanford University. Over the past decade, he has worked with organizations such as Google, Stanford and Spartan X and with the World Health Organization and the Danish government to develop and implement proven mindset strategies that optimize performance in competitive domains. Fotuhi is an expert in human thriving, of which belonging is part.

Colleen Flaherty
Senior Editor of Special Content at Inside Higher Ed

Colleen Flaherty, senior editor of special content, previously served as Student Voice editor for Inside Higher Ed. Prior to joining the publication in 2012, Colleen was military editor at the Killeen Daily Herald, outside Fort Hood, Texas. Before that, she covered government and land use issues for the Greenwich Time and Hersam Acorn Newspapers in her home state of Connecticut. After graduating from McGill University in Montreal with a degree in English literature, Colleen taught English and English as a second language in public schools in the Bronx, New York. She earned her M.S.Ed. from City University of New York Lehman College as part of the New York City Teaching Fellows program.

Matthew Dennis
University Partnerships Director - West at Class

Matt Dennis is a seasoned thought leader and passionate ed-tech enthusiast with 16 years of experience driving innovation at the intersection of education and technology at colleges and universities. His unwavering commitment to enhancing student success and engagement, both on campus and online, is truly inspiring. Matt is a familiar face at conferences and on campuses, where he connects strategy with tangible outcomes. If you've ever had the pleasure of meeting Matt, you'll know how his enthusiasm for emerging technologies is contagious, leaving you both engaged and empowered by the possibilities for impacting the student experience.

Rae Mancilla
Interim Executive Director of Online Learning at the 
University of Pittsburgh

Dr. Rae Mancilla serves as interim executive director of online learning at the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. She leads online and hybrid program development, oversees the instructional design team and manages the quality review process, specializing in the areas of copyright, digital accessibility and program evaluation. An experienced educator and scholar, she brings 15+ years of expertise in instructional design, curriculum development and assessment.

Laurie Poklop
Senior Associate Director of the Center for Advancing Teaching and Learning Through Research (CATLR) at 
Northeastern University

Dr. Laurie Poklop specializes in electronic portfolio design and implementation, a focus of her doctoral research and an area in which she provides faculty development opportunities and consulting. As a member of Cohort VI of the Inter/National Coalition for Research on Electronic Portfolios, she conducted a three-year study examining the effects of e-portfolios on the teaching of audience in first-year writing courses. Dr. Poklop earned her Ed.D. from Northeastern University. She spent ten years as an instructional designer in Northeastern’s former Educational Technology Center and 15 years as a lecturer in the M.Ed. program in Instructional Design at UMass Boston, teaching courses on instructional design, media-based training development, project management and research. She currently teaches at Northeastern’s Graduate School of Education. Prior to working in higher education, Dr. Poklop directed the consulting business of a technical training company.