You thus need to structure the online class so that activities build on one another and promote cooperation. A good opener might be to have students share personal but not too intimate information, perhaps through a discipline-relevant autobiography. Encourage students to monitor, as you will, group processing. Group processing activities help build team skills, allow students to reflect on their learning process and outcomes, and provide teachers with continuous feedback. Group processing involves such things as leadership, decision making, communication, and conflict resolution.
Content is what is being discussed, while process is how the group is functioning.
Both students and teachers need to monitor group and individual progress. Many of these, such as the One-Minute Paper or the Muddiest Point, can be conducted, analyzed, and debriefed rapidly online. Classroom assessment practices not only help you understand the extent of student learning, but they also get students involved in monitoring their own academic progress in your course. Encourage students to practice and reinforce positive social skills. Social skills are important although students may not initially see their connection with academic learning.