A resource containing a suite of approaches to achieve social presence with online teaching. Each approach is aimed at establishing a sense of a learning community, enabling meaningful and in-depth interactions where learning experiences can be shared.
This resource captures key insights from a full-day workshop held on 8 May 2025, hosted by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) and led by internationally recognised expert Dr Alison Cook-Sather. The event focused on the transformative potential of authentic student-staff partnerships as a strategic approach to advancing student engagement, success, and institutional effectiveness.
Attended by academic staff, institutional leaders, student success professionals, and sector partners from across Ireland, the workshop featured a combination of keynote presentations, lightning talks, and interactive sessions. Through real-world examples and hands-on activities, participants explored how to build meaningful, inclusive, and sustainable collaboration between students and staff.
For the full event schedule and a complete list of lightning talk contributors to this slide deck, visit the workshop schedule.
