How to deal with different types of online students
I've learned that there are different methods for counseling students. I will be exploring the chat feature.
The student wanting to challenge my teaching due to their knowledge is very tough to overcome, but with the rules by our organizaton and being Able to counsel helps out. Counseling over a chat is new to me and may try this on a minor situation.
It's important not to engage in procrastination ourselves and to make time for individual interaction with each student as needed.
The need for developing organized and easy to retrieve recordkeeping is essential. This task cand be great, but it would seem over time the instructor could find systems that would help in many task of the online instructor.
What I found to be the most difficult hurdle of all is the student's lack of discipline. They admit this. You have students who are able to handle the differences in the online environment, but for those that struggle with logging in and learning, it takes relating it to something they are familiar with. Not just the idea of needing this for a job, but I ask them if they play video games and if they ever set up meeting times to get online with friends. I say that this isn't really much different. It is the same as being in class, but now you're saving gas!!
Keeping the students participating in the online environment can be a challenge. As an instructor I would have to be aware of individual needs. Communication is very important.
I have learned that I will have to deal with students who have different personalities and sometimes conflicting personalities. I will have to be able to identify those particular personality traints and deal with them accordingly. I will also need to keep records of my interactions with students, and keep copies of school guidelines on hand in case I need to use them or share them with students.
There is the potential for conflict/angst in online learning as well as in person. Understanding your institutions policies regarding these types of conflicts will help you move forward.
The instructor must be alert to a lack of participation in online discussions by students and attempt to diagnose the cause in order to provide effective guidance.
I have gotten ideas for handling issues online with students that can help me.
- reminder emails to students of the level of commitment necessary to complete your course. Provide them with guidelines for setting priorities.
I will be incorporating the recommendations for managing inquires from students. Like in a traditional classroom environment, more outspoken students may ask a question that other students wish to know the answer as well. By utilizing discussion boards or a FAQs area, students are able to help themselves and see if their question has been answered previously.
My students I taught last year and am surprised how I was able to fit every one of them into the different categories.
Personally I find the best way to manage the system is to provide clear strucutre.
For every facet of the LMS( or CMS depending on word choice) I include a set of clear guidelines and rules.
I also let each student know that if they follow these rules they will succeed, otherwise I have a clear policy in place that will be folowed.
I've learnt that effective communication is key to resolving conflicts, managing attrition, counselling students and managing the learning environment.
Is there any research on styles of teachers in the online environment? I was wondering, as I was reading about types of students and potential interventions, if any thing like that was available for self-awareness as an instructor. I think I probably would be a procrastinator. Well intentioned, but busy and so doing things at the last minute. I'd love ideas for how to avoid doing things at the last minute.
COMMUNICATION....REGULAR, FRIENDLY, ENCOURAGING, and SUPPORTIVE COMMUNICATION is very necessary for student engagement. Providing students with the necessary resources or at least providing them with info on where to get help is critical. As an instructor we need to create a supportive and shared learning community for the students.
I teach nursing where the student must have good learning or in Excellent skills. The program is long and patience is a quality each student must have. As for different types of personalities one must be able to adapt and follow the student handbook. It will be challegening.
Though I have yet to deal with as much conflict in the online learning environment as I did with students at a physical campus, there are similar methods to deal with disruptive students. The worst thing I have seen so far from my online students has been plagiarism. Of the three I caught recently, and yes, I did mention three, all were dealt with to varying degrees since all were separate incidents. One student ended up being suspended until the pending meeting with the judicial review board because this student had committed plagiarism multiple times in the past in other classes. The other two who had not been caught cheating in the past were allowed to resubmit their assignments while also receiving a stern warning from me that this type of behavior will not be tolerated. Though I gave them this stern warning, I was also encouraging of these students to ask me for help in the future when they need it. Some of the other issues I have encountered in the online learning environment are similar to what I found with my students at a physical setting. There were work obligations and family issues that stood in the way of their pursuit for an education. This module has addressed how to handle situations like these, though I threw in the plagiarism incidents to make this a little more interesting. We will face many issues like these as online faculty members, and with the right techniques we can overcome them.
