Communication Online

Communication Outside of the Classroom : 

Communication Outside of the Classroom How and Why?

Why Communicate Online? : 

Why Communicate Online? 24/7 potential for interaction Student involvement between f2f meetings Deeper conversations for some Allow everyone the chance to be “heard”

Online Communication Challenges : 

Online Communication Challenges Awkward for most Potential for miscommunication, misinterpretation Conversations build slowly Can be time consuming

What can you do online? : 

What can you do online? Student introductions Discussion of reading assignments, (whole class or teams) Peer-to-peer critiques Mock debates Give presentations Role play exercises Forums to ask guest "experts“ questions Team project discussions Reporting "field observations" from lab projects or internships Scheduling office hours Basic course Q&A

What tools do we have? : 

What tools do we have?

Life in the Forums… : 

Life in the Forums… Explicit directions are essential (what exactly to you expect students to do?) Define what “good participation” looks like (act professional, post early)

Common Difficult Situations : 

Common Difficult Situations No one posts Managing conflicts Finding a week’s worth of negative posts One student “poisoning” the forums Extraverts dominating Essay like posts, no real discussion Spreading misconceptions

Strategies for Responding in Discussion Forums : 

Strategies for Responding in Discussion Forums

Dealing with Negativity : 

Dealing with Negativity Remind students of expectations and communication guidelines Students need to be responsible for holding each other accountable and keeping communications civil

Communication from you : 

Communication from you Consider Tone and Presence

Tone : 

Tone “Students will complete week three’s assigned readings and submit a three page reflective essay by Friday, May 26th.”

Tone : 

Tone “This week we’ll be reading two articles about ‘x’. While you read them, keep in mind the perspectives we explored last week and compare ‘x, y, and z’. By Friday, May 26th turn in a reflective essay…”

“System” Feedback : 

“System” Feedback “Upload Complete”

System Feedback : 

System Feedback “Thank you for turning in your essay. To prepare for Wednesday’s class please read chapter 5 of the text. We’ll be discussing…”

Presence : 

Presence

Ways to Create the Feeling of Presence : 

Ways to Create the Feeling of Presence “Check in” regularly Frequent communication (even admin) Use CMS Announcements Use audio or video if appropriate Personal feedback General announcements What else do you do? In person? Online?

Expectations : 

Expectations Set them up front to minimize chaos as the semester progresses Expected levels of participation Behavior in the forums Language (r u there?) Respect, negativity Where to post off topic questions/ comments

Other things to consider : 

Other things to consider How will you contact students? How and when may students contact you? Will you hold office hours? Online office hours in CMS (chat)? Phone/Skype? Breeze? Traditional? What is a reasonable time frame for you to respond to students (via email, etc.)?