As a librarian supporting online programs, it can often be difficult to develop effective instruction for learners who you may never see, at the request of faculty you may never meet. When the author enrolled as a student in the online master's instructional design program at her institution, she learned five key lessons from the classes and ongoing interactions with students and faculty. This paper will describe how the librarian used these lessons to improve instruction and outreach to both her liaison areas, as well as the wider library.