Online learning has enjoyed increasing popularity in gerontology. This paper presents instructional strategies grounded in Fink's (2003) theory of significant learning designed for the completely asynchronous online gerontology classroom. It links these components with the development of mastery learning goals and provides specific guidelines for incorporating these principles into each aspect of the online classroom such as the syllabus and presentation areas (class announcements, lectures, conferences, study groups). Strategies for cultivating connection to promote learning and retention in the online classroom and directions for future research on these pedagogical strategies are proposed.