Stopping communication bullying
Many times my students grow tired of posting to the same topics. The threads in my course can become monotonous at times. I find my self reminding students of proper communication and a positive attitude,
Establishing good behaviors in communication is essential in netiquette. Does anyone have a problem with improper behavior in their classes?
Thank you,
Robin Jonas
Robin ,
Netiquette is important. I think others have had issues with improper behavior, but typically the instructor can delete that post and call or privately email the students to explain how they have gone against the netiquette rules of the course. Thanks for your input and question.
Robin,
I have not seen improper behavior in quite some time. Often, it is just a strong personality with a poor delivery. In those instances, I have talked it over with the individual student, typically over the phone rather than via email as a phone conversation can garner more specific feedback, interaction and expectation.
Stephanie and Robin,
thanks for continuing the conversation. We all have different experiences with students and your helpful ideas will help others who are having issues with students. Thank you.
Hi Robin I have a number of issues in the classroom related to this topic. I have two main issues that come to mind. One of the interesting things that happens is that we have some students that post so often that they dominate the discussion board and no one else is interested in posting. The second is the need to keep the conversation moving after the initial discussion topics are discussed out.
Looking at the first issue. When we have a student that posts so often in the discussion board that no one else wants to post I typically set up a conversation to talk to that person on the phone to discuss proper discussion board etiquette. I inform the student that I do want them to be active in the course but they cannot overwhelm the other students in the course. They need to be courteous and give their peers room to participate in the conversation.
The second issue is when the main discussion topic is talked out and the conversation hits a lull. I try to develop a set of secondary questions that are related to the primary discussion board topic but take the conversation to a new level. I work with the students to keep the conversation active, engaging and informative.
Do you think that most students in an online course know what netiquette is?
Douglas,
I use a rubric to grade the discussion board postings and even assign students as the leader of the forums. They have to keep the conversation going. It helps.
Douglas,
Hmmm. . .how much is "most?" I think many do not know about netiquette or they need to be reminded often. It never hurts to put the netiquette information in the syllabus. Thanks for your question.
This level of communication disrupts the class room and on line learning environment for all involved and the instructor that see this should own it, and resolve it quickly. All students will appreciate an immediate response from the instructor.
Brenda,
Timely feedback is appreciated by all involved, instructor and students. Resolving issues quickly is key as well. Thanks!
D. Crews,
Applying and using netiquette helps the interaction of students and faculty in an online course. Since, the internet has become our medium of exchange, we have to be civil with it. The feelings of others in and around us has to be taken into account when communication is taking place.
Emmanuel,
Good point. Helping students understand proper netiquette and developing better communication through the process is great. Thanks!
For the online course that I teach, there are usually 2 sets of discussion questions that students are required to respond to each week. One question centers around the content covered for that week. The other discussion question usually relates to self-help or self-improvement issues. I will sometimes get a student who feels that the self-help question is a waste of time. They did send me an email complaining about this question stating that it was a "waste of time." The student was professional enough not to post negative comments about this in the forum. I responded to her email thanking her for her honesty, but I did make her aware that these questions were beneficial for many students in the course. I also added that these discussion questions were a curriculum requirement for the school.
Troy,
Your email back to her was great. If you can also tie the discussion board forums to the learning outcomes, even better. Therefore, they need to do the postings to achieve the learning outcomes. Thanks!
Some students feel they need to make sure they let a fellow classmate know they have posted something that is incorrect and feel this is bullying in its own way. Getting back to the student who feels they are correct all of the time privately is what I usually do and explain we may all post an answer that could be wrong but it is not appropriate for a fellow classmate to be negative and degrading. The communication needs to be professional and at the same level it would be if they were face to face. R. Waters
Renee,
Emphasizing that professional communication is important. Knowing how to provide constructive criticism and explaining why something may be wrong is helpful. Thanks!
