Don't engage when Angry
One lesson I have learned is never engage an (on-line) student immediately after he/she has done something antagonistic in front of the class. All it takes is on bad episode to spiral out of control as from a on-line facilitation perspective, it is extremely tough to put the genie back in the bottle again :-)
My recommendation (if this occurs in an online class):
(1) Whatever response you make, ensure you had ample time to think about both the content and medium
(2) Go private - Resist the temptation to let everyone know who is the boss
Vince and Alvin,
I have had so many students tell me that online courses are harder than they thought they would be. I always say, "Welcome to online learning!"
Alvin,
I have encountered far too many students that have an attitude online. The majority of online students think that they bought a passing grade in a class when they paid for it, so if you give them anything but a good grade, they have a fit. I have had numerous students try to get smart and post grading related comments. I have to discipline myself a lot sometimes.
Sincerely,
Vince
Carlos,
Good point. We shouldn't engage students when we or they are angry. This is a good example.
Aundrea,
Sharing your experience will be helpful to others. Responding properly to students is a great think.
I absolutely agree with your point and recommendations. I have experienced this type of incident wherein the student not only became antagonistic in front of the class, but also made attempts to pull other students into the antagonism through the discussion board. I believe that if the instructor has a great level of self-confidence and self-control, the instructor understands that he/she has nothing to prove. Attempting to "make a point" in front of the class can quickly backfire. It is better to give time to process what has occurred, form a proper response and allow the student to calm themselves, and inform the administration regarding the issue. While the response should be concise, direct, and honest, it should be seasoned with wisdom and temperance. I found that you cannot communicate with an angry person, so space and time can only help the issue. Finally, it is good to at least inform the administration of the issue so that you are covered in any potential backlash from the student that can jeopardize your own reputation as an instructor.
I had to dismiss a student from my classroom because while I was giving them a motivational speech to do better in the course, he fell asleep and was snoring. I had to take sometime to not show my discontentment with the student and anger to the class, but I was assertive. He missed the next class, but returned and finished the course. At the end of the course, the students gave me a card where he apologized for having felt asleep in his class.
Alvin,
Good point. When you engage them further, the conversation can go a bit crazy. Good advice to go private. Thanks.
