It has been my experience in the online environment that a phone call from the instructor early on in the course helps "break the ice" that sometimes happens when communicating by written form. The voice of the instructor can put a student or students at ease as opposed to the somtimes aloof tone in a written response to an assignment.
Satrohan, I think that by 'verbal' interaction, she meant 'communicative' interaction.
Kevin,
Great points - I agree. Some sort of "Virtual Office Hours" is a must!
Best,
Jon
Using an online course, it should be understood that you may not have verbal interaction with students or instructos; however I belive there should be oppertunities built in to the class to speak with the instructor or student if further clearification is needed of the course, grades, etc.
Adarine:
I assume you mean written expression; not spoken. If you mean spoken, how does an instructor foster perfection of that skill in an online environment?
Satrohan
Verbal interaction is important because communicating is a skill that must be developed. And like any skill in order to perfect it, it must be practiced.
Adarine:
Is this a communication issue or is it a problem that arises from improper test construction?
Satrohan
Nilda:
Telephone contact is a good idea provided that long distanxce charges are not an issue, and you do not have to spend endless time trying to contact each of your calss of 15 to 25 once a week.
Learning to deal with negativity is, in my opinion, a must. It is also there in the workplace as well as in other parts of our lives. There should be no mandatory requirement fo students to contact students. Most students do this on their own. They form their own learning communities. Those of them who live in the same locale my have periodic gatherings, be it for course related matters or just socializing.
Satrohan
Yes. Students can actually interpret a question 180 degrees in the opposite direction due to the language; whereas, the instructor already has the answer in sight and doesn't see the potholes that the students fall in. Communication is the key to all things.
I believe that it is good if the instructor is able to actually call the student and give a little verbal attention. We, as humans, like to know that someone cares. I am not saying all the time, but just once a week or for clarification only. Keeping it all business.
As far as the students needing contact with other students, I don't really think it is necessary, plus they will bypass all the negativity of the others and are able to stay focused.
Tonight I begin a fifteen week science course that will be a hybrid - a two hour lab session on Monday evenings with the balance of the course being done on-line. Much of the on-line experience will be done using a discussion board with a series of forums (student participation in each forum is mandatory.) I believe asynchronous postings greatly encourage students participation since there is no pressure to respond immediately - there is time to reflect and compose ones thoughts. I shall be very interested to see if the on-line participation enhances the on-site participation by those students who are normally reticent to join in a face to face conversation.
Suzanne:
I fully agree with your recommendations about speaking to students via phone and video-conferencing. I also feel that verbal communications among students will add to the "sense of belonging".
Satrohan
I don't think that students need to have verbal interaction with each other, other than in chat rooms or via discussion boards. However, I do like the idea of being able to talk with students via phone or video conferencing as needed. I feel that it allows the instructor to touch base in a more personal way and may help the student to stay focused and have a sense of belonging. Studying online can feel frustrating at times if you don't have a support or sounding board when you need it.
Mark:
I am surprised atthelow number of calls you receive; nevertheless, calling your students is an excellent way to show that you care about their success; even if that is the only result you achieve. Many times, no matter what an Instructor does, students still remain with unresolved problems or drop out. At least when you call, you lessen the probability of feeling that you are in any way responsible for their failure.
Satrohan
I post my cell phone number on the site for my online courses and get 1-3 calls for an 8 week 25 student course. I have called struggling students to listen to their concerns and offer some advice. I find that both means are helpful for these students, but I would not say it is something that all students need.
Mark
Lisa:
Calls to the Instructor has to be managed in a timely manner. Some Instructors accept calls furing their virtual office hours; others dedicate a portion of their virtual office hours to receiving phone calls.
Satrohan
I don't necessarily think it's important for the students to be able to verbally speak to each other. Email & chat rooms suffice. I do think it's important for the students to be able to call the instructor if they need to.
Colleen:
In my opinion, Asynchronous Discussion Forums should minimize the frustrations you mentioned because students can post their responses at any time unless you have specified turnaround times or the Discussion thread is no longer active.
Satrohan
Yes! I feel that having verbal interaction thru chat is awesome. Not all online courses offer this (chat), only discussion boards and threads. Frustrations can build while waiting on a response do to time zones, schedules etc.
You have made some good points here too, John. I stroinglt believe that Institutions should keep abreast of emerging learning technologies, determine which ones will be applicable ofr the instution as well as the students, and budget for these technologies
Satrohan
