Diverse students in online classrooms
I do see that there is a very well diversified group in each of the courses that I have taught. I do see many concerns in each class, and also I do see that now, the classes are getting more international (meaning, my students are not just from the US). Culture is a main concern as well as experiences. Respect is high however when it comes to learning about cultures and posts on how hospitality, for instance is in other parts of the world. The adult learner has had experience, yet you will find some have not had experience yet, maybe in a similar or completely different firm, so this may lead to an interesting conversation, and how we may learn from each other. The younger generation has had entry level or perhaps no experience, yet they are shy and may not post the best, yet I think that collectively we all learn, as I do as well from my students. What do we think of all of this?
Hi Brandon,
Good question about how to create rapport with online students. This can be a challenge and take a bit longer since there is an exchange of information rather than the reading of facial expressions or immediate feedback. I have found that if I ask the students a set of general questions about where they live, current events, career opportunities in their area, and other questions like this we quickly get to know each other and have a conversation point each time we send a message to each other. I have two levels of questions one more generic and a lot of the more outgoing students will jump on them and then I have some more specific questions and I use these to draw out the more shy students. The key is to try different ways and you will soon start to see which ones get the students going and giving you feedback.
Gary
I'd like to ask a question of either Marco or Dr. Meers. First some background. I'm an instructor in a military residential environment, so this issue of diversity is perhaps less important for me now. However, in future I'm going to consider teaching college, and I'm particularly interested in techniques you might use in a distance learning environment to "get to know" your students, and to get the students to know each other. Clearly this dynamic is very important to learning in a resident environment, but I'm wondering how one might go about this in an on-line program.
Hi Marco,
Thank you for your comments about understanding the diversity of students and how they come together in classes. As instructors we need to be aware of how we can reach them as a group and individually. By having a variety of strategies available we can adjust our instructional delivery in a way to keep the students engaged and focused on the course content and their career goals.
Gary
