By Emily Cook, TLS staff writer

When exploring the possibility of online learning, some people are concerned that the online environment lacks the social interaction and engaging atmosphere of a classroom experience. But professor Anne Tr茅panier is proving that online courses can be engaging, interactive and hands on.

Tr茅panier began teaching in 杏吧原创鈥檚 School of Canadian Studies in 2010. After bringing her lectures online, she was recognized with a 2015 .

Tr茅panier says that while the format of her lectures changed, she wanted the course message to stay the same, and for the environment to be stimulating with group work, research and hands-on activities.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not the regular thing one would expect from an online course,鈥� she says.

鈥淭he key challenge for me was to be able to create a safe space for the students to grow their ability to think.鈥�

Camtasia and cuLearn are among the different types of technology Tr茅panier says she uses to make her courses interactive, along with incorporating documentaries, interviews with professionals and virtual museums.

鈥淚 wanted [students] to be able to interact deeply with the material, so not just having superficial use of information,鈥� she says.

According to Tr茅panier, an important component of online teaching is to be organized with each lesson so students know how to succeed. She says she鈥檚 also found it helpful to reward students with marks for logging in and completing reviews and quizzes.

鈥淭he repetitive, simple, well-organized lesson format permits learner-centered teaching,鈥� she says.

In her courses, Tr茅panier says she provides three types of feedback: personal, group and automated. Automated responses are programmed for quizzes to provide students with resources to find answers to questions they got wrong.

Tr茅panier also has students participate in online group research. She has students search for scholarly sources and once they鈥檝e made their submissions with an explanation, they can see contributions from the rest of the class.

鈥淚t鈥檚 like a mini Google from the class, and it helps for the upcoming essays,鈥� she says.

For professors considering online teaching, Tr茅panier says that in addition to the time it takes to prepare the course, support from your department and a good relationship with an instructional designer are key. Tr茅panier says the designer makes the ideas a reality.

鈥淵ou don鈥檛 need to be tech savvy, but you need to be responsive and listen to the designer,鈥� she says.

Despite the hurdles, Tr茅panier says there鈥檚 a lot of potential for online teaching.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of freedom online,鈥� she says. 鈥淚鈥檓 more of a guide, I鈥檇 say, then just someone who delivers information.鈥�