Phyllis:
Good comments. I have found that there is a delicate balance between providing detail and ensuring comprehension at a higher level. Often, students get mired in reading detail and lose the comprehension while attempting to achieve the objective. It is also more difficult, as an instructor, to assess competency if a student simply provides detailed responses but does not adequately communicate application in a given scenario.
Suzanne
My mechanisms for adding personality to an online course--an admittedly more difficult task in a digital environment--are these, for a few examples:
1-Use their names as often as possible in emails and live chats
2-Make use of the Live Chats to introduce small bits of humor or personal interpretation of the material.
3-Be self-deprecating.
4-I know it is cheesy, but feel free to use grammatical tools like exclamation points in emails. Tone is difficult, and it pays to be obvious whenever attempting to convey emotion. Since tone can be easily misinterpreted, make it obvious.
Rathin,
It definitely should include conscious effort. That is what we want from our students.
Shelly Crider
I would like to expand on this comment, Rathin, by pointing out what may be the most obvious. While not all students read an instructor's profile, many do take the time to at least click the link (whether a profile, office, or some similar area in the class). A personable photo and a few quirky facts about hobbies and family life go a long way toward making you feel more real to your students.
Naturally, that first impression needs to be complemented by your post and email content and tone. I've found that utilizing humor when appropriate is one of the best ways to make students engage more in their communications with you. Many people would say not to attempt humor if it's not in your comfort level (and I would tend to agree if you are engaged in auditory communication), but it may be worth a try in any case. To that point, for a long time, I strongly resisted the use of any sort of emoticon when communicating with students, but since then I've found many do respond to me in a more natural way. We all know a smile can brighten one's day, and an e-smile can have the same impact.
~Michael Slotemaker
I think being able to project one's personality in a course is an art and takes practice and conscious effort. It includes what one posts in the course, the tone of discussions and messages, the nature of the interactions and the feedbck that is provided.
Rathin Basu
I agree, the instructor personality is a key to a sucessfull turn out with a class.
K.Colston RX2020
Phyllis,
Excellent post! Personality to a class really makes the class....or lack of could make a great class boring.
Shelly Crider
