I do this with my classes as well. So often students will use text language in their postings. I work to eliminate its usage and provide a professional and academic atmosphere.
Faryl,
Knowing your audience in any situation is important, but when your audience is your students - even more important. We, as online instructors, need to make sure students understand their responsibilities and what is expected of them. Nice job.
Faryl,
Modeling good, professional communication can go a long way in helping students understand why text language is not appropriate for the professional environment. Thanks!
As an instructor, leadership is one of the most important assets. Leadership empowers. Second most important thing to consider is professionalism. If we act professional and show leadership students will understand these two qualities empower nurses. When interacting with students both in and out of the classroom, We need to set an example.
Diane,
To me, leadership and professionalism go hand in hand and we should serve as role models for both. Our students are watching how we react, how we lead, how we communicate, etc. We have to be the best we can be to set that good example. Thanks for your input.
Content and timeliness:
content- that the student and instructor are communicating what they intend to and adding tothe learning environment,
timing- if the communication is not timely the opportunity to learn may be lost due to deadlines (ie if they post onthe last day and don't get to fully participate in the forum discussion)
I try to respond to all emails, forums, etc in a very professional way to establish my expectations of them. When I respond to forums, I use complete sentences, complete thoughts and proper English. I also like to validate their posting and pull from it the good points while also using some contructive criticism so they can model my postings.
Lastly, I respond daily to keep them interested and not waiting.
Jennifer,
right on. Serviing as a role model for your students is very important. Giving positive and constructive feedback is essential. Frequency is also important. Thanks for your input.
Robert,
The timeliness of communication, feedback, and providing content is essential. Thanks for your input.
The instrctor must set an good example of written communication, using good sentence structure, grammar and correct English.
It should be metioned that responses to assignments are a more formal type of communication than texting to a friend. If a student does not use capitalization or abbreviations, I tell the student what they have done wrong for the first offense, and deduct points from the assignment if texting continues to happen. This should be done consistently for all students.
The two most important things to consider are:
1. The student you are communicating with.- I've found that some students are better at expressing their thoughts via chat and email than others. You should try to assess what that students level of communication is and try and work with them.
2. You should set a standard and stick to that standard.
Linda,
Right on! Being a role model within and outside the classroom (whether F2F or online) is important. I also give examples of what is expected in their writing and many do, as you do, deduct points. I emphasize professionalism in the course and writing is one form of professionalism. Thanks for your input.
Cynthia,
Thanks for your input. Communication, communication, communication. . .I can't say it often enough. Extrememely important. When students understand the course expectations/standards and see how they are linked to the learning outcomes, it makes more sense to them and they will work to achieve them. Nice job.
When communicating with my students and them with me, I have always found that being direct and to the point is the most appropriate method of communication. When they communicate with me it is usually short and concise, mainly because I don’t think writing comes naturally to most people. The old saying “keep it short and sweet “ is the best answer for me.
George ,
Thanks for your thoughts and continuing the conversation. I like the old saying as well and keeping your communication frequent and meaningful as well is helpful. Thanks!
I believe, for my classes, the two most important things to consider for establishing a pattern of communication are: First create a clear policy and second, provide examples of a good and bad use of each communication standard. For example, in my online classes I have a policy for student posts to the discussion board that includes length of post, proper use of spelling, grammar and punctuation. I include with the policy an example of a well-written post and a post that includes common student writing errors, such as “texting language†(i, u), no capital letters to start a sentence and contractions. I find the inclusion of both examples help clarify what to include and what not to include in student communications.
Krista,
Clear communication is essential. Without communication an online course can go nowhere fast. Helping students understand the process of good communication is essentions. Nice job.
I would say 24/7 availability is key -- it's not clear that teachers in our day can stipulate they are not available during the weekends or early in the morning/late at night. This view is seen by our students today as "old school" similar to posting office hours and expecting students to show up.
Next students need to be encouraged to use the school portal and I do so primarily via extra credit. Oddly enough while our students spend a lot of time online with social media I've found they still do not appreciate the concept of a business-based intranet as much as they should/could.
Kevin,
When I first started teaching online I became a 24/7 professor, but. Ow I am not and I think this is a result of when I make assignments due, using a FAQ discussion board everyone participates in and gets credit for, the volume of my communications and organization. We do. It all. We do not all need to be 24/7 professors. There are many time management strategies for online instruction. We need to manage priorities as well as time. Thanks for your input.
I believe the two most important items to consider in communication is, grammar and spelling. I view an e-mail communication as important a business letter. It should contain complete sentences and absolutely no misspelled words.
If I receive a communication that has grammar and spelling errors, I try to relate to the student the importance of properly written communications. As an instructor this truly drives me up a wall when they don’t take the time to at least spell/grammar check their e-mail.
