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"Hot topics" include just about any news- or buzz-worthy subjects, cutting edge ideas, insights and innovations, current events and trends, or controversial--debatable issues--the "hotter," the better. This article discusses the value of hot topic classroom discussions, how to present them to your students, and strategies for incorporating other hot topic activities into your classes to help keep students engaged throughout the term.

Contact with faculty outside of the classroom often provides a rewarding experience for our students. Not only does it show students that the faculty care about their success, it also gives students an opportunity to learn about another's experiences in graduate school or in the careers that they aspire to. Faculty can become involved in the student clubs through a variety of ways.

A sense of community is very important in the online classroom but requires special effort to create it. Gerald Levine shares how he develops a working community in his online class.

Communities are, by definition, places where we meet with others who have common interests. While "place" is often referred to a physical location, it is just as often referred to as a "location of the mind."

UMUC's online courses are primarily asynchronous, with communication centered around the Conference area. Use of the chat function of WebTycho is governed by the UMUC guideline that chat should generally not be a required instructional activity since it is often difficult or impossible for certain students to participate, due to the global nature of our student body and the barriers that synchronous communication may pose to working adult students.