New Books in Education Flower Darby, "The Joyful Online Teacher: Finding Our Fizz in Asynchronous Classes" (U Oklahoma Press, 2026)
Apr 12, 2026
Flower Darby, author and online-teaching expert with decades of college and community college experience, discusses making asynchronous courses more engaging and joyful. She covers creating warmth and emotional contagion in LMSs. She describes simple rapport-building practices, designing meaningful assignments, and strategies to support persistence while protecting instructor wellbeing.
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Perceived Instructor Absence Drives Student Isolation
- Students in asynchronous classes often feel isolated and like they must teach themselves because instructors appear absent.
- Darby links this perception to course development models where instructors build a class then 'set it and it runs,' which reduces visible instructor presence.
Check Every Link And Clear Up Navigation Before Day One
- Prepare the course thoroughly before day one with intuitive navigation, clear instructions, working links, and accessible materials.
- Darby compares this prep to car maintenance for a road trip: tedious but reduces confusion and student emails later.
Write Warm Announcements To Spread Positive Emotion
- Intentionally inject warmth and optimism into course language and announcements to leverage emotional contagion.
- Darby shifted from robotic reminders to conversational, encouraging announcements like "hey, look how far you've come" to create a friendlier atmosphere.
