Availability To Students
I am an online instructor. Students are informed on the first day all emails are returned within 24 hours. I post office hours and days I am available. As much as you would like to be available 24 hours, we as instructors have personal lives and in each new class, there is a student of group of students who feel I am not available when they need help because of the time difference, their own work schedules etc. Is it really possible to be readily available to every student?
Patricia:
A single Instructor cannot be readily available on demand for students. providing a 24 hour turnaround time is more than sufficient. The onus should be on the student to adapt to your stated availability; not you constantly changing your schedule to match their individual needs. After all, in a traditional classroom setting, they have to attend class at specified times, and consult with you during your regular office hours.
Satrohan
I believe that a 24 hour - 48 hour turn around time is sufficient especially if you have 100 plus students. They all want you to be available at the drop of a dime but it is immpossiible.
Pamela:
A student to instructor ratio of 100:1 is extremely high. If this were indeed the case, students must be advised of the expected turnaround time well in advance. By doing this we set their expectations and would be better able to manage those expectations.
Satrohan
Balancing the expectations of realistic turnaround times and the many other activities is I believe also a major concern.
Realistic expectations of instructor, student, and institition are key to success.
Clear understanding of these points up front will alleviate these concerns
Joel
In agreement on all points, Joel. Setting and managing expectations for all aprties you have named is key to a successful online program. Here is an example of what may seem to be a simple oversight; but resulted in a significant number of students dropping a course.
In the tradiitonal classroom version of a course, students created daigrams by hand and integrated them in their assignments. In the online version students were required to create these diagrams using a software application. The students were never informed of this until the encountered the assignment. These were adult learners in full-time jobs. Some of them indicated that they have neither the time nor theability to learn these software applications to complete these graphic elements; much less submitting the assignments by the due dates. As a result, many students dropped the course.
Satrohan
This happens more cases than we all would like to admit.
I believe we have a tendency to be sensitive to other learners as we become more comfortable with our skills and styles
joel
Agreed, Joel. Once we feel comfortable that we have a good command of the knowledge and skills we are sharing with our learners, we are in a better position to manipulate those knowledge and skills. By idnetifying the specific need of learners, we can adapt our teaching style to match their needs.
Satrohan
Of course you can't be available for everyone at all times. That is in my opinion one of the great misunderstandings of on-line teaching.
Libby:
we can minimize this misunderstanding, and possibly eliminate it, if we establish schedules for contact and maintain them, and specify turnaround times for student queries and fulfill them.
Satrohan
I too post hours of availability and try to be availabe by telephone during the day. I do find that students have take my openness to help them as servitude. There have been occasions where I have had to advise students that although I enjoy helping them. They must also help themselves.
Quiana:
Your are quite right. An Instructor must be judicious in the quantity of help he or she offers to students to avoid creating a state of too much dependency.
Satrohan
It may worth your while to contact these students directly that may be abusing your time. As long as your virtual office hours are posted and you adhear to them this should not become an issue. If in certain cases you have a student that feels you are not maintaining your schedule for whatever reason ask them if you can call them and speak to them directly to find out what may be causing the mis-understanding.
Debra:
your point is well-taken. If an Instructor sets virtual office hours and adheres to them, he or she has fulfilled his or her commitment to the students. The students must take the initiative to uphold their end of the arrangement.
Satrohan
I find that students in a normal classroom setting expect the instructor to be available when they are ready for you.
Not knowing your schedule, maybe you could add into your hours of availability a saturday early morning or late evening. I would only put 1 per term close to the middle.
Rhonda:
Your suggestion may apply also to an online setting. My position on the subject that we set up virtual office hours, notify students of them, and maintain them with an acceptable turnaround time fo student questions. I am of the school of thought where I expect students to make themselves available when the Instructor is; not the other way around; nevertheles, there must be exceptions based on extenuating circumstances.
Satrohan
I have to agree with you that it is extremely difficult to be available to every student in an online setting. The reality of it is that students are made aware of instructor availability from the beginning and it is their responsibility to utilize those times. My experience has been that if the student really needs help or to get in contact with the instructor they are the ones that make the effort.
Christina:
Agreed: All of this points to the fact that students must take responsibility for their own learning.
Satrohan
If you've communicated in advance what the virtual office hours are going to be, there's no reason why a student should feel as though they are being slighted.
They need to take responsibility for their decision to sign up for a class that they knew had availability conflicts.
Unrealistic expectations on the part of the student.
Tom:
I agree with you on all the statements you have made. Far to often, I suspect that students feel that less effort is required in an online environment; and that they can "get away" with anything considering that they do not have to come face-to-face with the Instructor.
Satrohan
