Get Your Students Hired
I have had many "noisey students" in my classrooms. They seem to always think they know more than anyone else and try to correct others in the discussion forums. It is important to redirect these students and make sure they don't try to take away from what the other students say. Emailing them privately works well and having them answer additional questions is also helpful. Thanks, Denise
Yes challenging the student is a very effective way to handle the situation. Sometimes, for programming course, I used some remote desktop applications to challenge them and show them alternative and sometimes better than what they did.
Madelyn,
Excellent approach. Thank you for sharing.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
I agree, challenging the student is a very effective way to handle the situation. I teach court reporting, so what I will do is dictate a very dense peice of material and have them read it back. Usually, this is a constructive way to reduce the "noise" level.
I think you have outlined an effective dual-prong strategy that should be effective most of the time. I will try this in my blended classes.
Justine,
This is a good way to maintain a respectful learning environment. Thank you.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Tonia,
This is an idea I had not come across before Charles posted it. I was wondering, too, what an implementation would look like. I suppose it goes now saying that we would definitely not want to squelch classroom participation. Also, I believe the instances where this approach might be productive would be few and far between. My current feeling is that a case-by-case handling of any instances would probably best be handled by individual e-mails and possibly a phone conversation. Establishing a formal procedure might be overkill, but maybe there are situations where this may be frequent enough to establish such a policy. I am not knowledgeable of any.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Good Point Dr. Vaillancourt! I never thought about penalizing a student because of over posting. If we were to implement that what would be the guidelines?
Sonya,
Very good strategy. This is not only effective for keeping "idle hands" busy but it often allows for additional learning opportunities within the online forum. Sometimes you even get a fortunate "enhancement" of the learning for the entire class. Nice going.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
I have had this same issue with noisy students. I have found that a lot of times they are bored with the discussion. If they have answered the question to my satisfaction I will usually submit an additional twist on the question and ask them to respond.
Hi Charles,
This is an idea I have not come across before. I was wondering what your implementation would look like. What would be the maximum number of posts allowed before points are deducted? Would there be a certain number of points deducted for each posting above the max? This is an interesting idea. Thanks for sharing.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
I am considering making over posting an aspect of the grade. A part of being successful in school or work is to function well in groups, allowing the development of ideas. A noisy student should be shown how their effect on the group can actually stifle creativity. The students need to realize that no matter what they go on to do in life they will always be a part of some team.
Christopher,
I like it! Getting the student to be more reflective about pursuing their education is a very good idea. Do you have an idea of how many of them really take you up on it?
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
I feel the easiest way to handle the “noisey student: is to challenge him or her with more work - by asking them to read a book or an article and give us their constructive feedback. This helps to slow them down or keep tem occupied.
Monique,
You have hit the proverbial nail on the head. Many times these postings are meant to elicit a power struggle from someone. It is a necessary art for the facilitator to resolve these issues behind the scenes. Denise's and Jake's approaches have provided resolutions in many classes. I wonder if others in this class have successes to share in this area?
I have had this experience too Denise. I have had to send out emails to have them tone down the postings. Sometime it starts out ok, then turns into a domination of sorts.
Thank you for sharing with me.
Monique
Jake,
Great point! Setting those expectations early in the class has significant benefit to the students and instructor.
Something that is helpful to me is to ensure that penalties for disruptive behaviors are outlined in the syllabus. This makes the standards known from the start of the course and makes enforcement very simple.
Denise,
This is a proven strategy for many online instructors. Praise in public, correct in private. Nice job.