The rapid expansion of online education has highlighted the importance of creating rigorous digital learning environments that are both academically rigorous and supportive and responsive to student's emotional and social needs. Research shows that online students often struggle with feelings of isolation, disengagement, and lack of personal connection to their instructors and peers, challenges that traditional learning environments can more naturally mitigate. This paper addresses these issues by exploring how learning design—a structured approach to planning and implementing learning activities—can strategically incorporate caring principles, such as empathy, active listening, and understanding, into online education, ultimately enhancing the student experience and improving outcomes.

Learning design frameworks like the ABC Learning Design model guide educators in crafting engaging, meaningful, and student-centered learning experiences. Traditionally focused on fostering critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving, learning design is increasingly recognised for its potential to address the relational aspects of learning, which are especially essential in digital environments. By integrating caring practices into online course design, educators can create more inclusive, emotionally supportive spaces that promote a sense of belonging and motivate students to engage deeply with their studies.

This paper seeks to demonstrate the value of a caring approach in online learning, where intentional design choices—such as empathetic instructor-student communication, peer interaction, and constructive feedback—work together to create a nurturing, student-centred environment. Educators play a crucial role in embedding these elements into the structure of online courses, as learning design can help counter the emotional and social challenges students face in digital education settings, providing a reassuring and effective solution.

This study aims to showcase the transformative potential of caring practices within learning design. By infusing online courses with these practices, we can shift them from passive, transactional experiences into supportive, interactive, and personally meaningful learning journeys. This transformation not only enhances academic success but also fosters the interpersonal and adaptive skills critical for navigating the complex professional world, inspiring hope for students' personal growth and development.

This paper contributes to the current discourse by highlighting caring as an educational imperative in online learning design. More importantly, it provides educators with practical methods to enhance students' online experiences, engagement, and satisfaction. These methods are designed to be easily implementable, empowering educators with the tools to integrate caring principles into their online courses.

Keywords: Caring, learning design, online education, student experience.