What can change when faculty experience an online course from a student’s perspective?
Emma Lynch, Senior Director of Talent Capability and Learning Experience at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU), shares how a six-week facilitated program in D2L Brightspace helps faculty build empathy and bring more inclusive practices into their online teaching.
The program focuses on everyday moments that shape the student experience: communication, discussions and feedback. So far, 527 faculty have completed it, reaching 93,000 students. In before-and-after comparisons, SNHU reported increases in student success and persistence of 5.3%, a 3.2% increase in submissions and a drop of about 5% in the drop-fail-withdraw rate.
Key takeaways:
- Building empathy by experiencing a course from a student’s perspective
- Bringing inclusive practices into communication, discussions and feedback
- Reported changes in student success, persistence and submissions
“When faculty learn differently, they teach differently, and students really benefit from that empathy and that empathetic approach to learning.” — Emma Lynch
Lynch and her team were recognized at D2L's annual user conference, Fusion, with a 2026 D2L Excellence Award. The awards celebrate innovation, progress and the betterment of learning in the communities D2L serves. Read the SNHU Excellence Award story.