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I was terrified to look at my course evaluations this semester after teaching my first semester of fully online courses. I was not prepared for the outpouring of kind responses. Literally ready to cry from all the nice things students said. Want to highlight key takeaways 
1. The most common phrase I read in my evals was "she really cares". This is honestly one of the most important things to me. Students need to know that their faculty are invested in their learning and well being. I am very intentional about this.
To foster this rapport, I constantly ask for student feedback, I modify aspects of the course (within reason) if students want it, I tell students I care, I recognize students when they improve, and I encourage them.
The best thing I've ever done is tell students I'm proud of them (and I really am!) I couldn't believe how much this meant to them.
2. Another theme was students appreciating flexibility. This is hard of course, but it's necessary. There is an area between having no expectations for students and having far too rigid standards. In my professional life I've had to have others extend grace to me & I do the same.
I never ask students for evidence of illness or deaths in the family. I work with my active military students that go off to training. I offer flexibility when students are struggling with mental health or childcare. These are (and more) are givens described in my syllabus.
This doesn't mean lowering standards for work. If students get an A in my class, they turned in A quality work. Sometimes it's late or a revision of previous work, but it's A work. That is the measure of their capability, not whether they were able to produce it whilst in trauma
Even if my students could fight through grief, depression, anxiety, physical illness etc. and turn in A level work, that isn't really the skill I want them to learn. I want them to value their wellbeing more than turning in a paper on time.
3. Students mentioned responsiveness very often. They appreciated my feedback and prompt responses to their concerns and questions. Especially in a virtual learning environment when students can't always stop by before or after class, this was really important.
4. Also frequently noted was course organization. In an online format, a well curated canvas course with clear guidelines and expectations was really appreciated.
5. Finally, I was most scared about doing service-learning this semester. Afraid it would be too much for already stressed students. Their comments suggest otherwise. They appreciated that they did something this semester that was meaningful. It took them beyond learning.
It allowed them to apply content with real humans. It allowed them to see how their newfound knowledge and skills could be put to work. And importantly, it made them feel more prepared for their future careers and made them feel good for giving back to the community!
6. To all my students, thank you! Together we can get through even the toughest semesters. Thank you for being awesome and I can't wait for another semester doing great work together. You are a constant inspiration for me!
