Getting to know your students...
Would you lose the ability to really get to know your students in an e-learning environment? Provide a rationale for your answer.
Hani,
Have you found any of your students that do not want to connect with you via a video conferencing link and insist on email only or asynchronous methods?
Herbert Brown III
Not really. We can use video conferencing tools in place of phone calls and then we get to see their body language and voice and we know each other.
Ashley,
Very good point. It is true that some students (not the majority, but a significant percentage) prefer the distance over the f2f interaction with their teachers. This is because these students become less intimidated about making mistakes and actually participate more actively in the learning activities.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
No, I do not believe an online classroom will help an Instructor lose the ability to get to know their students. Some people may not like face to face interaction and are more likely to participate in discussions over a forum. This gives various personalities the chance to communicate without being put on the spot.
Some student really enjoy the e-learning environment in general. I don't think you would lose that ability to get to know your student. Most students enjoy chat room, discussion forms, and emails as their form of communications.
Wow, terrific ideas Jennifer! Thank you so much for sharing them with the group! I especially like the "Real World Cafe" discussion thread. It is a great way for students to get support from their peers. The "Farewell Party" is also a great idea and a nice way to end the class on a real positive note.
You seem like a very creative engaging instructor--keep up the great work!
I do not believe I lose the ability to get to know students in the online environment. Instead, I may need to tap into my creativity and work a bit harder to make the connection. There are several strategies I have used over the years of teaching online. I create a discussion board thread called “Getting to know Youâ€. I use this as a forum for students (and myself) to post bio’s and share professional and personal experiences, goals and interests. That has been a fun way for students to meet their classmates, and for me to make notes about each student so that I can utilize that in my correspondence with them. I like to reply to their bio’s and point out something I think is really interesting and comment on that. It helps to set the tone for the class, showing that I am involved and eager to know them. Another discussion thread I create is called “Real World Café’†where students can post real world challenges they may be facing so that myself and their peers can offer suggestions and ideas. This has been an additional method for helping me get to know the students on a deeper level.
In the live chats I like to start with a “Welcome Party†where I post a PPT with animations and welcoming messages. I use that first chat to get to know the students, and share expectations I have for the course. On a related note, I also have a “Farewell Party†in our last chat where we share virtual cake and talk about the future (graduation, career goals, job search ,etc).
There are many other methods I have used such as timely follow up and encouraging emails showing that I care.
Again, it comes down to creativity and effort but relationships can be developed. I loved the ideas shared in Module 2 and I plan to incorporate additional methods for showing my presence and concern for the students.
Hi Darcy
I use a similar strategy to get to know my students. I cut and paste their introductions into one document and refer back to the document regularly so I get to know them better. I will also reference something they shared about themselves in my responses to their postings. For example, I will write "How do you think that knowing this information will better prepare you to be a nurse?"
Not if you make it a POINT to get to know them. We too often read their introductions the first week of class, for example, and then forget about them. One method I use for personalization is going back and reading their introductions each week, so they always feel real to me. I do the same with myself- in my weekly announcements I will of course discuss the pertinent materials and give overviews, but I'll also add things like - What a great day it is here in Nebraska - went for a walk in the rain last night and loved it.
Darcy
No. I believe you will get to know your student better in an e-learning environment because they have the ability to: ask questions without feeling embaressed, have a one-one conversation with you via chat, and/or e-mail you directly, read your bio and/summary this allows the student to get to know you better therefore have a more sense of compfort in the class. Basically e-learning environoment will make them feel special because you can concentrate all your efforts on answering their specific question.
I don’t think it would take more time in the manner of hours. In the live environment, I always start the course with an introduction of myself and have the students tell me something about them. Then, naturally, certain questions come up to add to learning about the student’s background and goals. Yes, in a live setting there is a natural ebb and flow of conversation. In an on-line setting, questions need to be thought out and submitted back to the student, which may take a bit more additional time.
Daniel:
I agree that it will take mor effort. Let's focus on stimulating interaction. How many more hours do you believe Instructors will have to expend on a weekly basis to maintain this level of communication if the class size is ten? Assume that all students live in the same time zone, and that we are addressing one-to-one communication.
Satrohan
I don't think you would lose teh ability to really get to know your students in an e-learning environment, but it would take a bit more effort. Typically there is a natural interaction between the student and teacher in a live setting. In an e-learning environment the instructor will need to stimulate the interaction through chats, or if the technology is available, through two way video.
Satrohan wrote: Would you lose the ability to really get to know your students in an e-learning environment? Provide a rationale for your answer.
Melissa's response: Getting to know your students in an online environment is not impossible. It just is different than how we get to know our students in a brick and mortar classroom.
An icebreaker in an onground classroom can be translated to the online environment via students using discussion boards or emails to respond to specific questions or to post their introductions.
Introductions are key in the online classroom for students to get to know each other and for students to get to know their instructor. It is important for instructors to respond to each students introduction and ask a question. This will create dialog between the student and instructor which will help form relationships.
Excellent "process" Clayton. Thank you kindly for sharing with us.
Satrohan
When I first started online teaching I had difficulty establishing relationships with my students. I was used to the immediacy of the on ground environment. Many things are simply more obvious when you are face to face. Suddenly I found myself in a world were I might not even be able to tell the sex of my student. I have developed a process, while far from perfect, helps me to visualize my students. Once I am able to "see" who they are, my students become more real. The process that I use is to print a class list, with a large enough area to make notes. As I read the student biographies and other interactions, I make a note of something that is memorable about the student. I don't make any hard and fast rules, I just put down something that makes the student more memorable. It could be a job or were they live. This way I get away from them simply being a name.
Agreed, Bonnie. Not only personalities, but tone also, among other traits the reader is tuned-in to observe. My experience has been that very few studenst share phoyos.
Satrohan
Not at all. Personality can come through in text-based conversations, and as you have demonstrated, even a little photo can be displayed along side coments. :-)
Joanne:
All good strategies to "personalize" your relationship with your students. Perhaps the msot effective of those you have mentioned are the ones that make your students feel that they are receiving individualized attention in the right amounts and at the right times. What do you think?
Satrohan
