Miriam,
Serving as a role model is the instructor's role. Making sure everyone is respectful helps develop a safe place to share information. Communication is enhanced. I stress professional communication and spelling/grammar are essential to professional communication. Nice job.
Mary,
In setting the expectations, professors must make sure to be role models for their students. Students will try to live up to the level of excellence that a professor practices.
Joel,
Yes, we must establish a professional and acceptable use of the English language as one of the priorities to accomplish effective communication.
The primary rule is to be respectful of the class content, professor and students. Without respectful and socially appropriate interactions, the communication channels break down and do not accomplish their function.
Secondly, grammar and spelling is very important in order to effectively communicate on a written manner.
Yvonne,
I agree. Being the role model and following the set communication rules helps the students do the same. Nice job.
The two most important things to consider when estblishing a pattern of communication are:
1. Communication rules. All students should have a guideline for the rules on communication online, with teachers, students, and discussions. This way if the rule is broken, then the instructor can refer the student back to the guidelines to remind them what the rules are.
2. As an instructor setting good examples on proper communication, and consistency would be beneficial. All students should be treated the same way when communicating, and no exceptions should be made.
You have to know that their is guidelines and communication code of conduct put into place in order to eliminate any problems within the learning environment. We have to know from the instructor stand point as well as the students stand point that their are things we can and cannot do.
Reginald,
Removing any barriers is helpful to the communication process. Knowing your audience helps you do that. Thanks!
My two are effective and timely feedback to include all forms of praise for their efforts and achievements, constantly removing any possible barriers to communicating. Barriers is something that is too often overlooked. With the in-flex of international students and cultural differences even within the own region we as professor take for granted as we communicate that our backgrounds are so similar that we don't go the extra mile in ensure our messages are tailored as much as possible to the target audience.
Reginald
As the instructor, I need to "establish the code of conduct guidelines" and follow them. Inform the students about the "conduct guidelines" to assist them in meeting the objectives established for the course. It's going to be 2012 in a few days, so now is the time to reinvent my "habits"!
1)There should be a distinct difference between professional and personal personas. This means emails should not be written in all caps, without punctuation and in fragments as in texting.
2) Instructors need to establish and follow-through with their email availability to avoid becoming 24-7 instructors.
When establishing a pattern of communiation, the two most important things to consider are frequency and consistency. Frequency and consistency are important because it sets expectations.
I believe the two mose important considerations are to state what is NOT accepted or tolerated and to show students what "good" looks like. I find that many students in my intro classes have not been exposed to formal communication in the online setting, so they need to get acclimated to what this means. Also, taking more time to construct their ideas usually results in professional communication, rather than incomplete sentences (as found in texting).
Joel, I've had the same situation often times with the texting language and capitalization issues. Some students do respond to my request regarding these issues, but not all of them.
Establishing patterns of communication is important to inform the students of guidelines so they will understand what is acceptable and what is not; everyone needs to understand boundaries, otherwise there can be chaos. Another reason is to organize the Instructors work. I've had students email me immediately after completing an exam to tell me it is not graded.
Daniel,
The instructor does set the tone. The more communication, the better. You are the role model for sue. Thank you for your input.
I think first and foremost, it is about the instructor and how they interact with everyone. Students will follow your lead and so you behaving in a professional manner will definitely make for a more professional environment, as students will most likely follow this lead.
The second is having clearly established guidelines. Giving students a well thought out set of rules to follow makes it easier for everyone to communicate properly and in a friendly, professional manner.
Michael,
You are right that the communication pattern in a synchronous vs. asynchronous can be very different. Thanks for pointing that out. I like the words you use like consistent, communication, clear, etc. Important "C" words. Nice job.
When establishing a pattern of communication, what do you believe are the two most important things to consider and why?
1. The process of the type of online communication, is this communication synchronous in a classroom chat or asynchronous on a classroom discussion board? If the online communication is asynchronous how often and what time period will the communication be used. To keep students and instructor in sync with the discussion there needs to be timely communication to keep the learning process fluid.
2. Consistently in the online pattern of communication allows student to express their thoughts and ideas clearly to help the group as a whole to learn at a higher level. If the pattern of communication is inconsistent students will not engage in the discussion due to not having a clear guide line to follow; reducing the collaboration of ideas to expand the knowledge of the discussion subject.
Alfretta,
Thanks for your input on this forum. Your are so right - everyone has expectations, the students and the instructor. Making your expectations clear and helping students understand what is expected of them and why those are the expectations, is essential. Nice job.
