Building connection in an online learning environment has been a key focus during my time as a writing mentor. During my first session as a writing mentor, I found it challenging to connect with students when there are no required meetings as part of the class. Although I got the chance to learn a bit about students through their discussion posts, I felt that many students did not really get to know me as well.

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Keeping this in mind, I decided to improve my interactions with students by using methods besides wordy announcements. I introduced the idea of having weekly video announcements for my students. Using a screen-recording tool, Loom, I went over the key happenings for the week along with tips from me. Through all of this, students were able to see and hear directly from me, which added to the experience.