Most online courses have an "Ask the Professor" Discussion available for students. My approach is driven by these principles:

• This is a place to establish immediacy, which is why I title mine with my name rather than "the professor" - it sets the tone I want.

• I also build immediacy by responding semi-formally: I address the student by name, compliment them for asking the question, answer the question in detail, invite more questions or comments from students, and sign off respectfully.

• It should be easy to access. "Ask Steve" is pinned on the discussion page, and I also embed it anywhere I invite students to ask questions.

• Sometimes, we don't know what we don't know. I suggest students check in here frequently to see what other folks are talking about.

• I encourage students to interact to answer questions. Many times, another student has correctly answered a question before I see the post. This encourages students to work together in a way that sometimes results in new working relationships emerging.