Person-Centered Pedagogy in an Asynchronous Online Environment: Elements of a Person-Centered Instructor

There are several academic resources to help an instructor navigate the asynchronous online classroom. Teaching in the current collegiate environment presents some different strategic and pedagogical considerations, among them student engagement within the classroom. Student engagement seems to be the golden key to unlocking the door of success in the online environment. How do we get the unmotivated student involved? What do we have to do to reach the student struggling to understand the content of the course? Why do some students grasp the concepts we are teaching easier than others? While there are several researchers that have given credence to student engagement and the challenges represented in these questions, this article will focus on the importance of person-centered pedagogical considerations with respect to student engagement, grading, and instructor involvement to enhance the learning environment of the online classroom. Knowing the difference between student-centered and person-centered pedagogy is key to increasing student online participation and engagement.