MI Picks is a pilot initiative to engage the McMaster community with recently published teaching and learning scholarship and its applications to practice.

In light of recommendations emerging from McMaster’s Fall 2020 Experience Survey, five articles were chosen on the important theme of fostering connections in online learning environments. Together, these articles describe:

• Conceptual frameworks for understanding care-based and invitational teaching;
• Barriers to connection and care in online teaching and learning environments and their ethical significance;
• How educators negotiate the emotional labour involved in creating connections with students; and
• Creative teaching strategies for reducing student isolation and building community in a course.

Our hope is that these articles provoke, inspire, and encourage us to explore new opportunities for enhancing care and connection in our virtual classrooms this term.

Summaries written by: Alise de Bie, Elisa Do, Dani Pryke, Celeste Suart, and Vanessa Wong.

Thanks to Biljana Njegovan for support with layout!