Sessions of our laboratory-based physics course have been "meeting" synchronously online instead of on campus due to the pandemic. Shifting to remote instruction prompted us to create online versions of the course. In the unit on global climate change, for example, we continued engaging students in documenting their initial and evolving ideas; exploring the greenhouse effect; examining evidence of increasing global temperatures, rising sea levels, and melting glaciers; modeling causes of rising sea levels; considering ways individuals, communities, states, nations, and international organizations are taking action; and making connections to education policies such as the Next Generation Science Standards. Key aspects of this course have been creating opportunities for formative assessment and fostering a sense of community.