Danita,
What a great post. I think very succinctly stated the keys to developing strong online students.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Chad,
I agree! I will actually continually push students to go back and read the examples over and over again.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Debra,
Great post! You have done quite a bit of work based on your feedback! You provide them examples and I think that is so important.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Charles,
You are so right; modeling is the key. Great post.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Srabasti,
You communicate and model That is so important! Good post.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Dr Crews/Faculty, I inspire my students by advising them how to celebrate their original work. In this way they opt to provide their own critical analysis with support of the literature rather than vice versa. I inspire them to make noteworthy contributions to their fields that are presently non-existent. I find this effectively cuts down on cheating and ineffective citation protocols.
Reginald
One of the ways that I help students of becoming good online citizens’ centers on supporting the guidelines outlined in the syllabus. This is achieved by reiterating requirements and expectations of honesty, defining plagiarism, provide basic details on formatting, using, and citing credible sources in the students’ expectation document. This document is reviewed during the first online lecture and accessible for review by the students later. Second, I provide students with a list of other resources that they may use to improve their ability of becoming strong online citizens. Finally, I emphasize my commitment of supporting their efforts of being good online citizens by being accessible and available to answer questions and concerns when they arise.
Hi Dr. Crews,
I always believed in "leading by example", and have followed this philosophy in my personal, professional, and academic lives. Being a good example is a great way for students to emulate good behavior. I also do include my expectations at the beginning of class. I set expectations for my students, as well as myself, and follow through on them. The students do appreciate that I hold them to such expectations, because it means that I care about their academic well being.
I try to adhere to the policies and procedures put forth in my classes. In addition to this, I make sure that I constantly provide feedback about assignments and discussions that contain spelling and grammar errors. I make sure that my students understand, that even though technology is very prevalent in our lives, using text language in class is not okay.
Shelly, I agree with your golden rule to practice what you preach. I work hard to make sure I remove "attitude" from the equation and keep it professional and respectful...and reassuring.
I use the "feel, felt, found" approach. This is where I let them know I understand how they feel... and I can see how they felt that... but I have found...
This has served me well!
I have never considered the term, online citizen. I now realize I have been helping my students without knowing that is what I was doing. I always tell my students that they can disagree without being disagreeable. I also model the behavior I expect. I believe students will pay more attention to what I do verses what I say.
I make it a point in my syllabi and introductory messages to emphasize expectations for respectful and professional communication in the course. I will outline certain notions I associate with "respect" including respect for cultural diversity, respect for the learning environment and material, and respect towards the interests of fellow students which can be conveyed through professional communication and careful elaboration of reasoning. The last point here is important, along with the respect for diversity, because these encourage students to consider that their immediate assumptions will likely not be shared by everyone in the course and it is necessary to consider this fact carefully prior to promoting opinions and beliefs.
I try to promote good citizenship through my own participation in forums, as well. I do this by working to demonstrate the same principles I promote in my own posts and other forms of communication.
Reinforcement, and more and more practice as they learn.
There are several ways to help students become "good online citizens". Since my courses are for new students, they often have very little experience operating in an online environment. I model the behavior I want them to exhibit, clearly post expectations and requirements, and refer students back to posted requirements when needed.
By modeling good online etiquette, I am setting an example for the students to follow. I am always aware and cautious of the tone of my emails and posts. It is also important to demonstrate proper spelling and grammar in all messages.
I post an announcement with my expectations for all online communications. Some of these expectations include: no swearing, no attacking the person, disagree respectfully, no insults, respect classmates, use proper spelling ang grammar, check for unintended meanings in messages. I also tell the students that it is important to remember, at all times, that there is a real person on the other side of the computer so they should extend the same courtesy as they would if they were face-to-face with that person.
Whenever a student oversteps one of these rules, I gently remind them of the expectations for the classroom communication. Pointing out a specific phrase or statement from the post also can help the student understand behavior which may not be representative of a "good online citizen".
In my courses I provide a expectations document and announcement that includes how to participate in discussion board assignments and how to work in groups. I also provide tips as comments to each assignment. For the discussion boards I remind them that online discussions do not offer the advantage of face-to-face communications where facial expressions and body language can be observed. It is sometimes difficult to gauge someone's intent, or to even recognize humor, so I recommend that they not react if they feel critized or disrespected, and not to "flame" other students. I also remind them that they can respond to others by expanding on a point, asking questions, relating a personal experience that illustrates a principle, or even challenge a point that has been made, albeit diplomatically. For the groups I advise that there should be a leader and they are all invited to provide me with their evaluation of member contributions. I also provide suggestions as to how to proceed with each project, suggested timelines and always offer my assistance when needed.
Developing non technical skills is about knowing how to behave in in the on line environment
respect of the instructor
respect of the fellow students
academic honesty
respecting the deadlines
I am teachinng MBA students, who are, or are planning to become executives.
I post my rubrics.
I make them aware of the knowledge they have to acquire through reading, listening...I state the dead line. I often tell them that they should read as if the paper would delivered to the CEO, that bad performance in the the class woulde sanctioned by a bad grade, but thatin real life, this could be very much worse. Sometimes, it works
Hello,
in the online environment, I stress the need to communicate effectively. This may mean writing a couple of extra sentences to ensure that you convey a complete thought. Sometimes, our way of thinking is not always portrayed in our writing so we have to focus on taking tthe correct measures to ensure that we are communicating effectively.
There are a few approaches that I use to help students become good online citizens.
1. In my course expectations (a document provided to students at the beginning of an academic session), I provide a comprehensive review of expectations for interactions in the course through the various means - email, discussion boards, synchronous sessions, etc. - so students recognize what would be considered professional and productive communications. I think defined expectations are important given that not all students may recognize what is appropriate or inappropriate in a virtual learning environment.
2. I set the example.
3. Throughout the course, there are periodic reminders of expectations.
4. I provide individual feedback when guidelines are not followed with reminders of expectations.
5. I provide positive feedback when students remind each other of the expected standards, including when there are deviations from standards.
Clear communication and regular reinforcement of standards can positively impact online citizenship.
I am a firm believer that modeling and simple examples are the best ways to develop good online citizenship. Clearly, some students are more experienced communicating in an online environment than others. Therefore, I often ask those students if I can re-post their interaction to the announcements. This tends to make a big difference.
