Noisy Students
I have dealt with many student in a classroom setting that dominate the discussions with off-topic revelations. I was confident in my methods of handling those students by being respectful to them, but also getting them back on topic. I had not considered this type of student being online and how I would handle it. This situtation could be very difficuly especially if you have several noisy students and several quiet students.
I have found that noisy students can usually be quieted by giving them a little additional attention. It seems most of these students want to be acknowledged, and if this happens I find they tend to stay on subject.
I totally agree. I had a noisy student before that not only deviated from the original discussion but even emailed me other discussions they felt should be included. Sometimes a Noisy student can be a distraction.
De Monte,
This is usually a sound policy. Nice job.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
I have also found myself fighting the very same issue. I tend to set the tone early by notifying the students that off topic discussions should be reserved for the QA forum, with a points deduction for those who continue not follow the rules.
De Monte`
Nathan,
Yes, sometimes it is the attention that is required. If we can keep it on a helpful and caring note (instead of punitive) it is often much easier to resolve. Thank you for your input.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
I have taught on ground and online and have found that disruptive students online have not been a major problem. It could be the platform but most of the time students stick to the discussion topics and do not dominate or become unruly. When they do you send an email or request a phone call like Dr. Vaillancourt suggested and the issue is usually resolved quickly and without the classroom being disrupted.
Lauren,
One key principle to maintain is "praise in public, correct in private." When you have good things to say about students, many times it can be appropriate to state them in the discussion posting area. However any time a student needs to be corrected (academic or behavioral) it should be accomplished through private communication - e-mail, telephone, etc. Usually if you follow this principle and you had success in the traditional classroom, you will be fine in the online classroom.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
