What is Relationships

The number of students wanting an online education is on the rise, thus the need for higher education faculty to ensure they are meeting the needs of their students in a way that is familiar to them. One way to do this is through the use of social media. Research is limited on the impact of social media in the remote classroom. However, the use of social media may support and enhance relationship-building in the online classroom, as well as students' perceptions of social presence in learning. This chapter provides faculty with an overview of the current research on relationship building in learning and social media for educational purposes, as well as offers practical examples of how faculty might use social media in their online coursework.