I help student become good online citizens by emphasizing the rules in the Course Expectations. I cover the importance of Academic Honesty, and why students must follow this policy as well as the others outlined in the Student Handbook..
You can help students become good online citizens by clearly defining and enforcing the rules of communication. Follow through on all policies. Lead by example. Give the students opportunities to practice writing in proper English without text language. Reinforce the need for spelling, grammar, etc. Point it out when they could write something or ask something in a more professional manner.
There are constant reminders of ethical behavior expectations and performance requirements, including notices of plagiarism in the course syllabi. In addition, the university uses the commercial software "Turnitin" to scan all incoming student work, and provide both the instructors and students with definitive feedback on plagiarized or poorly paraphrased material in the student's work. Voluntary self-monitoring by students does not work. Policing and enforcement are necessary.
I help students become good online citizens by being the example. I encourage positive interactions and I use positive comments in order to foster an environment where students feel comfortable in the classroom. I also make reference to other students postings in a positive way and direct students to the postings of others in order to share in the discourse.
I post a code of conduct that contains good practices of online citizenship for students and instructor alike. I then go over this code in detail during our live sessions, and refer back to it in discussion boards or personal communications.
As in a F2F classroom, I think it's best not to call students out in front of their peers. Many of them have learned online behavior from the internet at large, which is not necessarily a good place to be in. I ask them, in personal asides, to treat their peers with courtesy and respect, as they would at a workplace.
This is a tough topic and one that is a continuous struggle with online students.
I do a combination of many of the things already mentioned. First and foremost, I always practice what I preach. I am respectful and professional in my online communication, I give credit to sources I use for anything I share with the class, I reinforce and hold students accountable to expectations related to netiquette, academic honesty, etc.
A couple of the things I do, specifically:
-I review course expectations in the very first live chat I conduct. I also ask students to post to a discussion board thread that they have read and understand these expectations and also invite any questions they may have.
-I continuously reinforce the importance of academic honesty and spend part of a live chat going over APA formatting requirements and some common things students do incorrectly. I even share real-life examples of professionals who have been impacted by plagiarism.
-I am always professional and appropriate in all correspondence with students. I share examples of good and bad communication during our first live chat so students will know what I am expecting in regards to communication and what they can expect from me if they interact with me in one way versus the other.
Like I said, this is an ongoing process/struggle that requires multiple strategies to address. The suggestions offered in this thread will be very helpful.
Shelly,
Wow, you are really working hard to address issues. I think you are on the right track. I do record many of my "talks" about issues so I can use them again and they can review when needed. ( and I can refer them to the tutorials)
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Kimberly,
You make a great point and this must be purposeful! You may have to help them develop that skill. Great post.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Marni,
How Cool! Do you wean them off the constant reminders or do you continue to do it. I am struggling myself with that!
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Cyndy,
What a great post! I too find it shocking that they have little knowledge of plagiarism. FYI, I am going to by the book!
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Molly,
OK, this is one of the best posts! What great ideas and how organized particularly dealing with a difficult subject. I think you have great ideas. I hope others can use your post to help organize their course. Thank you for sharing.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Molly,
I agree but you have to hold them to the standard. They will take advantage of you if you don't and it will make the environment for the next online instructor.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Darren,
Yes, how do you let them know, do you have a zero tolerance?
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Antoinette,
I do think it is important that you use the handbook. Students think there are different rules in an online course than f2f when in reality there aren't! Good post!
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Melissa,
You are right, leading by example is so important. I like that you give them a chance to rewrite in a more professional manner.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
James,
You are right, there has to be constant reminders. Also, you have to make it "worth their while" when you ask students to monitor and even that doesn't always work. Good points.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Merle,
You have to be the example. Do you allow them to correct their first errors before making it an issue or do you have zero tolerance?
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Erin,
Great point. Do you give them an exam over the conduct rules?
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
In your online course, how do you help students become good online citizens?
The University syllabus has reminders and all courses include academic policies for expectations of student behavior & written and verbal communication. Uses of programs like Tuition and other tools to assist the students strengthen their work is only as good as the students motivation and ability to read the reports and want to improvement as opposed to complain. Back once again to self-motivation (internal) vs. external and emotional intelligence, self-efficacy and learning style all connect to an individual’s ability to be a “good online citizen.â€
I work with tone and how I set up classes, develop things, and participate in the discussions and coach for success. I find the positives, I help them look at the journey, the places to grow, the ability to work to their strengths and how to be graceful and courteous along the way offering grace to themselves and others.
Joanna Oestmann
The University academic policies for expectations of student behavior & written and verbal communication is the basis for helping students become good online citizens. Next is setting firm boundaries and expectations for the success of the student and having support through administration for consistency applying university policy. Turnitin and other programs can help however it is more the motivation of the student to learn and improve that drives they type of student they become and how much they learn in the end.Eric Oestmann
