I think commenting on the projects and work of others is a really great way to help build connections and facilitate interactions with students in an online course. It helps students get feedback on their assignments so they can evaluate how to proceed in the future but it also means that students are actively interacting with one another despite not meeting face to face. Another thing that works really well is discussion boards. Here students can talk with others, post opinions, read the opinions of others, and discuss the material gaining a new perspective on it even when they don't have to meet in person.
For me comments that talk about the overall progression of my story and how well it flows and connects from beginning to end are the most helpful. I have a tendency to jump around in my thought process and having others comment on the progression of my story helps me ensure that I'm writing something continuous that flows and connects.
I agree with you about commenting being a great way to facilitate interactions between students. I've never interacted with anyone as much in an online class before, and I think it's so cool how easy it is to do that in this course. I also have a tendency to jump around and sometimes I overlook things because I get excited about pointing something else out. Your image, by the way, is fantastic.
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