I think Netiquette is probably the most important, followed by clairty of intent and rules. It is very difficult to get across in black and white things like scarcasm or jokes, the posts should be clear and precice with little to no chance of being misunderstood.
Gail,
Knowing your audience and how to communicate best with them is essential. I was at a confernce a couple of weeks ago and another online instructors said he asks his class how they want him to communicate with them. He gives them the option of a Facebook group, Blackboard discussion board, or email. They choose one and that's how he communicates with them. Then, they are responsible for checking the one area because it's the one they chose.
Thanks.
understanding your audience and understanding how to use the communication tool
Miranda,
The communication code of conduct helps students understand what is ethical and respectful. Negativity can hinder any classroom. We learn from the past. Keep going!
Thanks.
The two most important things to consider in my opinion are time and respect. The students need to know how long they have to respond, and they need to remember to speak to everyone with respect. I remember an instance in the past (fortunately, that hasn't happened recently) where several students "ganged up" on other students and used a lot of negative, racial language. That damaged communication in the class for a while, but now I know to establish a communication code of conduct, which will hopefully prevent such a thing from happening again.
Rhonda,
You are working tonight! Thanks for another post.
Just the word "civility" may be something new to some students. Incorporating it in online discussions, email communication, group work, etc. helps them understand how important it is.
You are the role model for the students. Nice job.
I think that it is important to consider structured policy on "classroom civility" meaning how to respond to another post, tone again is important as well as the relevance of the content. I also think that providing guidelines about timelines of response from both the student and the instructor will benefit the integrity of the class.
Christina,
You are busy this morning too. Thanks again for your input.
Open ended questions give you so muc more information from students. And, I also like peer-evaluation.
I have students use the rubric to self- and peer-evaluate on about every project before they give it to me for summative evaluation.
Nice job.
Good morn,
Two important patterns of communication to consider are:
1) Open ended questions. If the discussion topic is a closed question, the students will simply copy the first couple of people who posted. This does not engage critical thinking skills and encourages students to copy off other students. Also, if the questions are not engaging, the student can become bored with the class quickly and not participate fully or drop out. Either way, the potential of the student is not being tapped and facilitation (or learning) is not reaching its full potential.
2) Peer-Evaluation. In an online enviroment, the majority of the students are working non-traditional adults. I feel it is necessary for students to feel comfortable in evaluating other students, although they may not be 'experts' on the subject. Taking the extra time to critique in a clear manner in an online classroom gives the students pratice to critique others in the home or workplace enviroment. Critical thinking skills are engaged during this process as the information is being analized, judged, and applicable teaching methods are formed.
When establishing a pattern of communication, my two most important considerations are 1) Setting Clear Expectations and 2) Consistency.
In approaching any classroom, a student must adjust to the preferences of each individual instructor. As an instructor, one must make his or her expectations clear at the onset of the course. By outlining what a student needs to do to succeed an instructor can prevent the student from feeling lost and unsure (at least to some extent.) This is especially important in an asynchronous environment.
Consistency is also extremely important when establishing a pattern of communication. Although online classrooms typically don't require specific "office hours," students need to know how frequently their instructor is online. This frequency can be outlined as specific days (i.e. Monday-Friday only), general times (i.e. daily in the morning), or a time frame of response (i.e. all questions will be answered within 24hrs.) A student must be able to rely on his or her instructor for guidance when needed, and timely responses - although not immediate - reassure the student that his or her instructor is available and equally invested in his or her success.
Rasiel,
You are correct in that the communication cycle has four components: sender, message, receiver, and feedback. It is important, as you noted, that you think about the course content and specific information you are conveying within this cycle.
Thanks for you input.
choose the right tone of the message during the communication, honesty in what is going to communicate, and find strategies to get content the way you want
there is a basic process of communication that includes the person giving the information the pathways by which they transmit or channels for information and codes that are used, and the person receiving the information or receiving the basics in this means of communication, but taking into account the content of the course is important type of information we want to convey, context, verbal and nonverbal, what methods we use to reach the student and whether are correct depending on the type of student to be evaluated.
Diana,
You are correct. Tone and timeliness go hand in hand. It's always important to be professional. If at all possible, in any contact with students, try to be positive first even if negative or constructive criticism is to follow.
Thanks for you input.
I think the two most important things to consider are:
1. tone--it is extremely difficult to convey tone via e-mail. Every e-mail should therefore be professional and courteous while conveying the message whether it be positive or negative.
2. timeliness--students need to know there is an instructor out there who will get back to them within a reasonable amount of time.
Lisa,
Thanks for your input. The first session is the opportune time to go over all of the expectations, code of conduct, etc. I am like you and use the 24 hour rules on getting back to students.
All of what you are doing is helping you establish your pattern for communication.
I agree in the professional level of no texting language. Nice job!
I think that providing a code of conduct in the course syllabus or course expectations is important. I like to review course expectations in my first chat session and allow for questions. Input from the students on which email address they use, how often they check email and their feelings of best way to communicate is important as well. I let students know I check email a minimum of once a day and sometimes twice. If they have not received a response within 24 hours from me, they need to resend, because it did not make it to me.
Also important is establising a pattern for communication by considering feedback from previous students, summative evaluations and ongoing communication.
When responding to students I respond with full sentences, proper grammar, punctuation and capitalization. I let them know it is a professional world we work in; even though we are a society of texters, work should be done at a professional level and is expected.
Diana,
Thanks for your input. I like your saying "You are one click away from spell check." But, as you know - that doesn't catch everything. ;-)
Even if you feel you should have done something in the past, you can learn from the present. You can also pass the information about taking a refresher course on toyour students. They may feel the same way.
And, as you noted in your last sentence. . .being prepared to communicate is essential.
Thanks again.
I appreciate the code of conduct. I believe students should adhere to guidelines and policies as if they are attending class in person. Appropriate grammar, sentence structure and spelling should apply in each submission. I always tell my students. "You are one click away from spell check." I am an instructor and I am also attending school to complete my Bachelor's degree. I am too far into the program to change anything now, but in hindsight, I should have taken a refresher class in proper writing skills. I can see how beneficial that would have been for me. Also, it would have been a good administrative idea to have all on-line students take a prerequisite on-line code of conduct class and sign off that they agree to abide by the rules. This way students understand the on-line requirement, faculty can ensure students are prepared to communicate properly and all the cards are on the table.
Mernoush,
You have been consistent in mentioning tone in your forum feedback. Thanks for keeping this important point in the conversation for everyone.
