Better Together: A Hybrid Conference to Foster Connection and Community in an Online Degree Program

Background

Fostering connection and building community among students are common challenges in online learning environments. It is easy for students to feel disconnected and isolated from their peers, instructors, and—in the context of online degree programs—the university as a whole. In in-person learning environments, connections can occur more organically and spontaneously, and dedicated initiatives may not necessary. In online learning environments, however, without conscious effort devoted to facilitating connection and community-building (from instructional designers, instructors, or even highly motivated students), feelings of isolation may be more widespread. Research has shown that a student’s sense of belonging and connection can impact retention and academic performance, so it is important to support students in these areas.

Virtual initiatives to support connection and community-building among students can certainly be impactful, but in-person initiatives can be powerful when used in conjunction with (not instead of) virtual initiatives. Our work focuses on a large online graduate computer science program. In this program, students have regularly expressed their desire for in-person interactions, but with a large student population spread out all over the world, there is some responsibility on the program staff to create the initiatives that allow for such interactions.

This presentation focuses on one such initiative: a one-and-a-half day, hybrid conference we hosted for students and alumni of the program. This was a unique event, especially in the context of global online degree programs. We will discuss: the motivations behind the conference; the structure of the conference in relation to those motivations; the impact of the conference based on results of a feedback survey given to conference attendees, in addition to anecdotal feedback; and recommendations for others who might be interested in creating their own similar initiatives.

The conference

The primary motivations behind creating a conference for students and alumni of a large online graduate computer science program were connection and knowledge-sharing. Knowledge-sharing was largely accomplished through presentations which, aside from the keynote address (delivered by one of the founders of the program), were all from students and alumni of the program.

A few components were included in the conference to foster connection among students and alumni, as well as between them, the university, and the computer science industry. An evening reception allowed in-person attendees to mingle with each other and discuss the day’s presentations. However, to promote a variety of interactions (and give attendees a chance to relax and socialize more informally), the reception also featured a game night, hosted by one of the program’s alumni. The game night included board and card games, as well as a photo booth and raffle.

Additionally, tables at the conference were set up where representatives from campus service organizations were available to talk to students and alumni about topics such as mental health and wellness, and how to stay engaged with the program and university after graduation. These representatives also briefly introduced themselves in between presentations to ensure everyone was at least made aware of their services, even if they didn’t get to chat with the representatives one-on-one.

The conference also featured a mini career fair, based on suggestions from students and alumni to the conference organizers. The mini career fair comprised industry representatives from four companies who were actively hiring for computer science roles. Attendees were able to submit their résumés prior to the conference for the representatives to review and potentially set up one-on-one chats or interviews before, during, or after the conference.

Results and Recommendations

We have not yet sent out our feedback survey, but we are confident the results (and the insights generated from them) will be interesting and valuable to anyone attending the session, particularly those who are interested in fostering connection and community among students and alumni in online learning environments. We are gathering feedback on the usefulness of all the different aspects of the conference, as well as feedback on attendees’ sense of connection to their peers, faculty and staff, the program, and the university. Anecdotally, we received a lot of positive feedback suggesting the conference was successful overall.

In addition to any recommendations based on the results of our survey, we will also share our many lessons learned from hosting the conference, and we will provide insights into how to plan such an event, including tips such as:

• Begin with clear goals, and structure the event around those goals

• Understand your audience and their needs

• Leverage the power of your audience as much as possible at all phases of the process (brainstorming, organizing, and running the event)

• Emphasize the in-person experience without undermining the virtual experience

• Strive for diversity and inclusion

Although some of these ideas are not necessarily novel, their application in the context of a conference for students and alumni of an online degree program is valuable information that is not readily available elsewhere.

Session Type

While we are submitting this presentation as a Discovery Session, we believe it could also function as an Education Session, with interactive discussion around topics such as:

• How to host a similar event in a brand new program with very few students and alumni

• How to host a similar event without any funding

• How to combine the in-person and virtual experiences to increase engagement and connection

Session participants could work in groups to determine creative solutions to these challenges, or they could come prepared with their own challenges that they face related to in-person events for online communities.