This preliminary study examines online post-graduate students' sense of community. The purpose of the study is to identify salient themes toward the construction of an instrument assessing online community. Participants included volunteers from two online graduate courses (master's, specialist, and doctoral students) in a School of Education at a Christian university. Surveys measuring student connectedness and online tools that increase student sense of community were administered online. Results indicate that a majority of students positively experience a sense of community in the online classroom. Tools and instructional strategies identified as those most likely to promote a sense of community include discussion threads, personal introductions, and timely teacher feedback.