To navigate through these unknown and traumatic times, educators must be knowledgeable about how learning happens (and why it often does not). Recognizing the affective and cognitive dimensions of learning illuminates the need to understand our students as humans with rich, complicated stories and foster positive instructor-student relationships at a distance to ensure all students can achieve their full potential. This session will illuminate how humanized online teaching provides a foundation of trust you can build upon to foster positive instructor-student relationships and inspire engagement and rigor.