Student-student relationships (SSRs) are fundamental in creating successful learning experiences. SSRs in the classroom directly impact students’ sense of belonging, understanding of course content, and motivation. Asynchronous online learning often happens independently with few low-level, low-stakes interactions between students. To counter this approach, I adopted a podcast model classroom in my asynchronous Social Studies 30-2 class to improve conditions and opportunities for students to connect with their peers. In this session, I will walk through the steps I took to launch my podcast classroom, the literature that supported the project, and the outcomes, in terms of measured academic achievement, student motivation, and perceptions of belonging.
