Getting to know your students...
Would you lose the ability to really get to know your students in an e-learning environment? Provide a rationale for your answer.
You can get to know your students thru synchronous and asynchronous chat, live webcam interaction, personal e-mails, monitoring their progress to detect conflicts, post your bio with a pic and encourage them to post a bio with pic. In some case they may even be able to do face-to-face if they live in the general area.
This is a complete and satisfactory answer, Marcia. The only addition I would like to suggest may not necessarily apply to your courses. I have trained a Professor a few weeks ago who would be developing an online version of his course. There is another course in the program upon which his course builds. In addition, he acknowledges that the expectations of students enrolling in his course can vary from one student to another; nevertheless, he wants to strike a balance in the content domain of his course so that he can fulfill the majority of his students' expectations. He decided to conduct a survey to identify the expectations of his online students. He also reviewed the student course evaluation of the course to which his course is related.
Although time and budgetary constraints can pose an obstacle to these measures this Professor has taken to ensure that his online course is in sync with the expectations of his students, I commended him for this effort; as having evaluated the conditions under which he would be developing his course, I believe the data he receives would be of value to him.
Not very often are some Professors able to clearly define the entry-level knowledge and skills of their students. A properly designed survey can help them to gain an understanding of the entry-level knowledge and skills. By reviewing other courses that are related to their courses, including prerequisite courses, they would have a better foundation upon which to develop a course to match the needs of their students.
You have to put energy into learning about your students whether you are online or teaching in a traditional setting, but it is equally possible in either course delivery format. Asking good questions, following up on a personal note, and maintaining an encouraging and positive overall tone on the message board are my favorite online means of building rapport. Students recognize and appreciate your personality when you make it a point to convey that you are there to guide, direct and support. If you devise open-ended discussion questions, you'll learn more about your online students than you may in the classroom, because they all have to participate online. Only the strong personalities dominate in most live settings.
You have mentioned the primary strategies for gaining an understanding of your students.
The only addition I would like to suggest surrounds the entry-level skills of your students. I have trained a Professor a few months ago who would be developing an online version of his course. There is another course in the program upon which his course builds. In addition, he acknowledges that the expectations of students enrolling in his course can vary from one student to another; nevertheless, he wants to strike a balance in the content domain of his course so that he can fulfill the majority of his students' expectations. He decided to conduct a survey to identify the expectations of his online students. He also reviewed the student course evaluation of the course to which his course is related.
Although time and budgetary constraints can pose an obstacle to these measures this professor want to take to ensure that his online course is in sync with the expectations of his students, I commended him for this effort; as having evaluated the conditions under which he would be developing his course, I believe the data he receives would be of value to him.
Not very often are some Professors able to clearly define the entry-level knowledge and skills of their students. A properly designed survey can help them to gain an understanding of the entry-level knowledge and skills. By reviewing other courses that are related to their courses, including prerequisite courses, they would have a better foundation upon which to develop a course to match the needs of their students.
I don't think so. In some of the classes I always try to create a community. We all know that there is asynchronous and synchronous ways to engage the students in participation. Chat rooms and webcams work but how do you get everyone there all at the same time like you are able to do in a live classroom. I think th emost important thing to facilitate a proper e-learning enviornment is constant contact. I e-mail my students at the very least once a week detailing their progress and making sure all questions are answered. I also make a "get to know" you assignment where they will have to write a summary or give a brief biography about themselves so that the class and I can learn about them. They other thing is to have them post pictures so that I and the other students can get the "feel" of who someone is. I think that by creating a "community" it fosters getting to know your students.
You are definitely applying effective strategies for establishing and maintaining relationships among your students and between yourself and your students. The posting of a bio is the first assignment we recommend for any course.
One of the areas less likely to be addressed is having adequate knowledge of the entry-level of students in your course. When there are pre-requisites for your course, you can discern entry-level knowledge and skills by reviewing the Syllabus of the prerequisite course; or if the Professor of that course is available, you can discuss the nature of what he or she has coverd in the prerequisite course.
I have trained a Professor a few months ago who was developing an online version of his course. There is another course in the program upon which his course builds. In addition, he acknowledged that the expectations of students enrolling in his course could have varied from one student to another; nevertheless, he wanted to strike a balance in the content domain of his course so that he could fulfill the majority of his students' expectations. He decided to conduct a survey to identify the expectations of his online students. He also reviewed the student course evaluation of the course to which his course is related.
Although time and budgetary constraints can pose an obstacle to these measures this professor wanted to take to ensure that his online course is in sync with the expectations of his students, I commended him for this effort; as having evaluated the conditions under which he would be developing his course, I believe the data he targeted would be of value to him.
Not very often are some Professors able to clearly define the entry-level knowledge and skills of their students. A properly designed survey can help them to gain an understanding of the entry-level knowledge and skills. By reviewing other courses that are related to their courses, including prerequisite courses, they would have a better foundation upon which to develop a course to match the needs of their students.
You get to know your students in a different manner when teaching on-line. You get to know how they write and the consistency of answers they provide. You can also get to know them by how they answer others posts. Generally the online environment is somewhat impersonal but it can also resemble a typical business envrionment.
It would take real effort on the part of the instructor to establish a relationship of the same quality with online students that is possible within traditional educational settings. However, with all of the avenues of communication available online -- such as synchronous and asynchronous discussions, and video conferencing -- it should be possible to get to know your students and for them to get to know you.
Consistency in communication and responsiveness on the part of both the instructor and the students would be critical to success.
Denzil Verardo, Ph.D.
In some ways it's easier to get to know your students via online methods. In this environment, as in 'public chats' like yahoo and msn, people tend to feel more 'anonymous' and are likely to be more open and expressive sooner than when meeting in person... at least that is what i've found in my experiences. I believe people feel less of a threat or barrier to acceptance through the online medium. Of course, you do miss the communication aspects of facial expressions and other body language which can contribute to your understanding of an individual.
Is it really a question of losing the ability to get to know students or is it changing the way we interpret "knowing"?
In some ways, not being inhbitited by any extraneous personal barriers may allow a level of deeper understanding. Even as a bio is a great idea, knowing their background and experiences, that in itself may not provide the insight to who they really are as learners.
The sbility to know students may lie in their ability to communicate over time, to see the changes in their level of participation, their insights, and their ability to analyze key thoughts and concepts.
This forum also creates an equalization of participation that is not a function of personality.
The key may lie in the ability to ask the right qauestions and analyze the answers in a way that provokes a more intellectual conversation.
Providing the same type of feedback to the student could have them reach beyond their own boundaries and both of you begin to know each other in a more meaningful way.
I would think so....Though you can certaintly learn a lot about your students, the emotional component is a little tougher to project through the electronic means.
Hi All,
This response is meant for all Students registerd in this course.
Satrohan
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As an Instructor, you do not lose the ability to know your students in an online learning environment. Of course, you can do this faster and with less effort in an on-the-ground setting.
There are two measures you can take to know your students in an online environment. The first is to ask Students to post a short biography of themselves in which you suggest that they state their:
Reasons for taking the course
Expectations after completing the course
Expectations of you
Work-experience if they are employed
Special interests, hobbies etc.
Any special talent they bring to the learning environment from which other students may benefit
You may be able to use some of this information as "ice-breakers" to establish a student-teacher relationship as you work towards developing this relationship from a distance.
In terms of the knowledge and skill levels with which students enter your course as they pertain to the nature of the course content, you can review course descriptions of any prerequisites for your course; or you may administer a pre-test.
Satrohan
Knowledge of people, especially students, is a complicated issue in my opinion. I have not taught in an online environment, but I have taught in the classroom for over 12 years. I find it challenging to know all of my students at times. Some are very up front and try to get to know me, while others take a back seat and I have to try and find that thing that will open them up. Many people use the internet to hide their true self. They can be anyone they want behind a computer screen. Some of the techniques that have been offered by this class seem very viable; able to draw out the true person on the other end of the computer. My issue is that I am a personable person and will miss the live contact with my students. I believe that the online student will need encouragement just as the in-house student. Sometimes individuals are more open behind a mask (computer) making it easier to get personal information from them. I feel that the online student poses the same challenges as the in-house student. Some will be easy to get to know and others will be a challenge.
James:
It is quite true that some human beings expend a lot of energy hiding what they perceive as their weaknesses. Then again, we have students who by their nature are not outspoken neither in a classroom environment or an online environment. I am a good example. I completed 90 credits in Psychology and asked a question in the classroom only once. And this question was asked in the first course. Then again, in graduate school, I do not recall a single instance in which I asked a question. Of course, I did well in presentations; but I am sure that my Professors wondered what was going through my mind in their classes. Like you, I am also a personable person. Live contact is my game.
Satrohan
No, I do not feel that the e-learning environment hampers a relationship. I believe that is the undercurrent of the question.
This physical distance is the primary challenge between the educator and the student. Next, it is the primary challenge between each student. How do we overcome the issue?
Written communication is powerful. It has the ability to identify the emotions, intentions and intelligence of the sender. Conversely, it can challenge the receiver to spend unnecessary mental energy trying to decipher responses that are not coherent and / or do consider the feelings of the receiver.
The sender should understand that the main purpose of communication is to convey a set of ideas in a logical, respectful manner. It is okay to disagree, but the tone and delivery of the difference of opinion will taint or support your assertions.
I have a background in Human Resources. I caution students to take the time to express a two-step method, whether in business, social or familial settings:
1. Give praise or compliments first, then
2. Convey a critique of a statement or behavior without attacking the person. State encouragement for desired behavior or thought processes.
For example, I have students who submit email assignments late. Do I blast them? (Should I blast them?) No, because I will kill their desire to interact with me. More importantly, they are aware of their lateness and it would be counter-productive to be negative in my response.
Instead, I say, "Joseph, thank you for submitting your homework. Next week's homework will be due on Tuesday before 9:00 pm. I look forward to seeing your next work product." That states enough to the student.
We have to sensitive to all types of students. Their actions are the best indicator without the physical presence. Typically, it is easy to discern an "A" student in any venue. They have a tendency to "demand" clarity and seek to find ways to transcend the normal expectations of the assignment.
The interactions in a chatroom will be no different than the classroom setting. The more animated, verbose individuals will be typing their little fingers off to participate in the discussion! The quieter or maybe more pensive individuals will sit back and be a spectator more than a participator.
We must encourage each person to express their opinion and to be respectful of the rest of the class, in regards to equal time for expression. If we set the tone of "courteous discourse" the class will follow the model of an educator who has created an attraction to the coursework and all of the players.
The students will feel comfortable with the teacher. Accordingly, they will build relationships with the rest of the class and feel appreciated in their own piece of the virtual world.
A remarkable and well-composed answer, Lewis. I encourage other participants in this course to read your response as I strongly believe you have emphasized some key points about establishing and maintaining relationships with students.
Satrohan
I will be using this information as my bible for online teaching. As an on ground or site instructor getting to know my students is the most important tool that I use to find out what type of a learner they are; what type of special needs they have and what they expect from the class. Knowing their personal learning needs will help me, as an instructor, to help them mold themselves into competent medical support staff professionals. The information that you have given me, I know, will serve as a priceless tool to help me evolve into the online method of instructing.
Lewis,
I have so enjoyed reading your responses. After reading yours and the other contributions I am so motivated to really get to know my students even better than I do now. I have learned many ways that I currently have not been using, but I can definately see the value in all of the suggestions. The part that I related to the most was giving positive responses to your students. What they really want to know is truthfully how they are doing in the class, and how they can do better. Lots of times students in on-line programs are doing the class on-line because of obstacles that they face when attempting to go to class. They may be single parents,working, and trying to raise a family. They need our positive feedback and our encouragement to continue. I try to remind them that yes it is a struggle to try to juggle all of their different hats, but in reality getting their education is just a small part of their great big lives. My biggest struggle in teaching online (I've only been teaching on-line for a couple of months, but have been a classroom instructor for over 12 years) is how to get that student that is not performing well, or not doing assignments to respond to me, or to my offers of assistance. Sometimes I feel I have a student(s) that I find very difficult to reach if at all. Does anyone have any suggestions?
Acknowledged, Paula. The factors you have mentioned that you want to consider to ensure that you meet your students' needs are definitely worthwhile. I do not comprehend your learning situation; nevertheless, here are some suggestion I would like to make without knowing whether they could be implemented or at which point they could be implemented.
1. A well designed survey sent out to students immediately after they register for your course can yield the kinds of information you require to identify what type of learners they are and what thier specific needs and expectations are.
2. Administering a well constructed Pre-etst would enable you to determine the knowledge and skills you will be addressing in your course they do not have.
Satrohan
