In fully online programmes, emotional isolation and limited peer interaction can undermine learner engagement and retention. This paper explores the use of emoji-based surveys - short, visual check-ins embedded in a coaching-informed Slack channel—as a strategy to foster emotional connection, visibility, and community among adult learners. Grounded in life coaching principles such as emotional intelligence and self-reflection, emoji surveys offer a low-barrier, inclusive way for students to share how they are feeling without needing to articulate complex emotions in text. These lightweight interventions encourage self-awareness, normalize vulnerability, and invite empathetic responses from peers and staff.

By surfacing collective emotional states and prompting informal dialogue, emoji surveys contribute to a culture of care and co-regulation, aligned with the goals of holistic adult education. In this case study from a two-year ICT conversion programme, emoji surveys are part of a broader strategy to support the “whole learner” through intentional, dialogic design. The findings show that even simple, visual tools—when grounded in relational pedagogy—can play a meaningful role in building trust, belonging, and emotional support in asynchronous online spaces.