I feel that providing clear guidelines of what you expect as an instructor is most beneficial. It protects the instructor through a policy, and it also gives structure to the student.
I believe the two most important items to consider are making the expectations known in the very beginning of class and posting examples. Also have what the definitions of Netiquette listed not only in the Course Syllabus but posted within the course itself, maybe under a Course Questions tab. Some students may be able to grasp to their best communication style by view examples. I would post examples of student to student communication that was acceptable and unacceptable for their review.
Charlene,
Right on! When the students know what is expected of them and how to achieve the learning outcomes, they are more likely to be successful. This is accomplished through effective communication. Providing examples for students is beneficial. Thanks!
I think that the following are important when establishing a pattern for communication.
1. It's important to determine then communicate the best medium for handling different types of information. This should save time, cut down on frusration and provide a good model for effective communication.
2. It's also important to establish norms for interaction. These should model professional, well-thought out interaction appropriate to the setting and situation.
I think two important issues in dealing with communication online are being timeliness and courteous.
Questions and posts need to be answered in a timely manner to make it relevant.
Being courteous is a must in the online environment due to the fact that no one can see or hear the others in the classroom. There are no tone of voice, or nonverbal cues.
The 2 most important things in my opinion for establishing a pattern of communication would be:
1. clear and consistent expectations of how the teacher and students should communicate
2. netiquette, for students that are not used to conversing in netspeak this can be very confusing and weird if everyone is using abbreviations and shortened words. especially if the course is not in their primary language. ive also seen too many forums go from an interesting discussion to an absolute mess from rude or mean comments. i see too many act differently on a forum or social networking site than they would in a face to face situation. there should def be clear rules for avoiding situations like that.
Cindy,
Yes - being timely and polite are essential. You want to make sure students feel respected and are respecting others as well in their communication. Communication is so very important that you have to take all aspects into consideration. Thanks!
Timeliness and Courtesy.
Communication must be timely or it is irrelevant.
Courtesy, especially in the online environment is essential. Taking out the nonverbal cues, facial expression, body language, etc., one cannot tell the tone with which something is being said. Being courtious can halp avoid many problem issues.
Richard,
Right on! Communication is so very essential in the online learning environment. Being clear, consistent and timely in your communication is important. However, the students should also follow these guidelines. Netiquette and respectful communication is also important and you can be the role model for such communciation. I also provide examples of appropriate and inappropriate communication (especially on discusssion board) in my syllabus. That seems to help students are well. Thanks!
Cindy,
Communication is so important in the online learning environment. Being consistent, courteous, timely, and constructive in your feedback/communiation si essential. However, the students should follow these rules as well. I tell my students often - proactive communication can alleviate many problems. Thanks for your input.
Dr. Crews, I think it is paramount to be a good role model for our students. We should set the tone of the discussion. It is important for us to model and use good grammar, punctuation, etc. We also should model relevant content, and post questions that help our students to think critically.
Cathleen,
Your are right. You set the tone with your actions/words. You serve as a role model in all capacities. How you develop and organize the syllabus and course say something about you. If you expect your students to be organized and check their email or LMS daily, you have to do the same. If you expect your students to respect others, you must to the same. It's OK to jump in (particularyly after several students have answered questions on a discussion board) and ask another question to enhance the critical thinking. Thanks for your input.
I think an important thing is to establish expectations in the form of a rubric/guideline so students are prepared to communicate effectively.
I think another important thing to adhere to is your commitment to these same guidelines/rubric as the instructor. It is imperative that the instructor leads by example.
Victoria,
Rubrics are you "friend." ;-) They help both the instructor and the students. They are excellent tools to ensure that everyone understands the expectations and there is consistent grading. Thanks for your input.
Two important things in establishing a pattern of communication in an online course are guidelines and example.
As an instructor, we should provide guidelines for our students in communicating within an online environment, and be an example with how we communicate to students. I find that many of my students are aware of their communication styles, and are careful when they are typing out messages and postings.
For those students who have challenges in this area, i.e., using text-speak, improper grammar, angry or sarcastic phrases - they must be provided examples of the proper way to express themselves online. Once this is pointed out to the student, my experience is that their communication style tremendously improves.
Brian -
Tone is something that is sometimes difficult to teach to our students online. Some are "tone deaf" in their online speaking, and it takes a little more time to help them to understand how their messages are "heard."
I find that providing them clear examples, i.e., using their own posts to specifically point out how their words are being perceived, is very effective. I usually get a response from students like "Oh! I did not know I sounded like that, and I did not intend to come across that way." Their subsequent posts are much, much better, because they now have an awareness of their "tone" and work hard to ensure professionalism and netiquette techniques.
Dalene,
It helps tremendously to provide such examples. I put examples of discussion board communication, professional communication and others in my syllabus. Also, as the instructor serves as a role model in their communication, the students understand even better how to communication. Thanks for your input.
Dalene and Brian,
Thanks for continuing the conversation about providing examples for students when it comes to proper, professional communication. It's important to explain to students how communication can be misinterpreted. Nice job.
When establishing a pattern of communication, I believe the two most important things to consider are:
1. That the rules and expectations of communication between students and instructor are clearly delineated, make sense and are easy to enforce;
2. And that there is consistency in enforcing those rules.
The reason for this is because it cuts down on the possibility of the rules not being followed.
I believe that the two most important things to consider are your audience and the course requirements. You want to make sure that you address your audience specifically. Often we assume that everyone understands the general netiquette. In reality many people are new to this environment and do not understand the constraints. You also want to ensure that what you are asking your students to accomplish is int he realm of the course requirements.
