Resolving Online Conflicts
Resolving conflicts in the online environment can be an easy or taxing job, depending on the issue. I have learned that having policies in place can sometimes put out fires quickly and promptly. I have also seen even when policies are clearly stated that you cannot come to a quick compromise. Sometimes it has to go up to higher administration to help resolve, but knowing what the policies are up front can help aide in everyone remaining professional and operating in the best interest of the student and the institution.
Monique
kevin,
That can be a very good starting place to determine the next steps for each individual situation.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
The is very difficult. If I sense conflict I usually try to determine the level of it by speaking to each party separately
Leah,
Netiquette guides for you classroom can be a tremendous help in online classroom management. Also, maintaining it in the class for reference is excellent. Thank you for sharing your insight.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
One thing that helps is a etiquette for online students. Sometimes I don't think a student realizes they are being disruptive or what they are being said is taken out of context. To help combat this I have a netiquette guide that I publish during the first week of class that lets them know exactly what is expected and what is not, and how this may differ from an on ground environment. It is then easy to refer to this and point out what they may not be following if they are in fact disruptive.
Deborah ,
You expressed what many facilitators find with collaborative projects. The project and group dynamic requirements within the class make all the difference. Individual accountability must be a component in these situations. Can you share some of the practical solutions that were so helpful? Thank you for your contribution.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Nicole,
Great strategy, I once had an online course that had quite a few group project which are always challenging in the online environment. Everyday I was putting out fires because every group had a complaint about group members who were not holding up their end for the project. At one point I was at my wits end trying to keep up with managing the classes and managing the group dyanmics as well. One day out of sheer frustration, I contacted the Lead Instructor for the course and they gave me some very practical solutions not only for the current course but for future group assignments as well. Although it was too late to save this particular class the suggestions that were given to me helped to make my next session run a lot smoothier.
Deborah Balentine
Yehia,
Your point is a very important one for maintain a productive learning environment. The downward spiral of morale can be very fast. Excellent recommendation.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Leigh:
I would do what you have done in the group chat! It is important to set the standard in front of all students in the class. I would still approach the student privately later on to explain the situation but I would not let a student cross the moral line in front of the whole class without pointing that out. If I allow it, other students may feel that is OK to disrespect their classmates or myself (the instructor).
Sara,
You are a very right. Solving classroom challenges at the classroom level, whenever possible, should be incumbent on any classroom instructor/facilitator. Escalating classroom challenges to administrators may sometimes be perceived as a lack of classroom management skills.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Hi Monique,
Yes, it's important for both instructors and students to be aware of the policies. Students need to know what constitutes "netiquette" - what they should and shouldn't say online. They also need to know the consequences of their actions. Instructors need to know the policies in order to take appropriate action against policy violators should the need arise. It's best for instructors to try to resolve these issues on their own before asking the administrators to step in.
Leigh,
That is a hard lesson. Those Golden Nuggets that come the hard way, are sometimes our most valuable. Thank you for sharing.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
I have always tried to keep a professional tone in my online chats. I experienced once a student on an online chat who started to bad mouth another student who was not on the chat. The topic stemmed from the group project another touchy subject for some students. Well, I thought I was doing good by sticking up for the student that was not online and difussing the tone and getting back on track to the chat. However, the student whom was not present in the chat wrote to my program chair to say that it was unprofessional for me to discuss this during the chat. I was taken a back by the email, since I preceived that I was supporting her but she had a different viewpoint. Looking back I see her point of view. It didn't matter that I was sticking up for her it was the discussing of the topic that upset her. That was a hard lesson to learn.
Lauren ,
The learners need to be able to count on the facilitator to maintain a respectful and safe learning environment. It sounds like you have this well in hand as one of your priorities. Approaching each individual, a privately, anytime a correction needs to be made is definitely very important. As the management rule indicates, "Praise publicly,correct privately." Thank you for sharing your proven technique.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Angel,
You are so very right. Misperceptions of innuendo, "snappy" comebacks often sidetrack the learning environment unnecessarily. Controversial topics are especially vulnerable to this dynamic. Thank you for your keen insight.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Working on the high school level first, definitely prepared me for handling conflicts. I learn that you have to make it clear in our syllabus and any other classroom expectations that each student must respect each other by using the correct tone and language when speaking to other, and if they are ever unsure about the tone/language that they should ask. Diffusing online conflicts, to be honest, is really easy. You can always detect an inappropriate tone/language online, and from there I always contact that individual student and explain to them that this tone or behavior will not be tolerated.
One of the big things to keep in mind with resolving online conflicts is that it is usually hard to know from an email or post whether someone is shouting, using a criticizing tone, or speaking kindly. Unless the tone is clearly and carefully communicated by the messenger, one has to be very skilled at understanding text and human communication. Individuals ususally hear the voice they hear, or create in their head and react to that. This is one of the reasons why controversial or potentially conflictual issues are best dealt with by using great care and explicit expressions of tone, meaning, and intent.
Nicole,
Managing learning activities and course materials is a foundational part of overall class management. Redirecting student conflict within class is a very useful skill to master. I encourage you to continue working with mentors and colleagues as you refine your online classroom management techniques. Good approach.
I'm always asking colleagues and mentors how they handled a conflict so I can learn more effective ways of doing so. I feel that if I do the best I can as an instructor to manage the course material, conflicts will be kept to a minimum.
Monique,
Excellent points! Keeping the primary goals of what's best for the student (and secondarily/subsequently the institution) in place is sometimes very challenging. Maintaining the correct perspective in the 'heat of the battle' is part of the classroom challenge for each teacher. Thank you for your contribution.
