Public
Activity Feed Discussions Blogs Bookmarks Files

Getting to know the student = greater rewards for everyone

I believe that if we get to "know" our students in the online/virtual environment - we interact with them in a chat room, in discussion board,even a personal contact at the beginning of the session - that adds so much more to the overall experience - and not just for the students, but for us as facilitators and instructors as well. I teach because I enjoy the experience - as I'm sure most others do - and I want to be able to interact with my students to the point of having that "connection" with them - even if they are across the world!

Thanks,

Toni

In that endeavor the welcome discussion thread is very important in the virtual classroom. Setting that tone of accessibility very early on is very important to that connection you are talking about.

I agree Toni. If students are more comfortable then you will be able to get more participation out of them. The more a student is willing to discuss topics, the easier it is, as a teacher, to guide and aid them. This is always a good thing.

I agree. Developing relationships with our online students is important. This is more difficult in an online course than an on-ground course, but it is well worth the effort. Students' motivation to learn increases when they feel the instructor is concerned with them as a person, not only as a student.
Sharon

Sharon,

I agree - students feel more engaged if the instructor is!

Jon

if they are across the world....what a wonderful chance for the added benefit of cultural diversity!

Hi Toni,
I agree with your insight completely in that anything we can do to help the students feel as if they "know" either their instructors or their fellow classmates increases their feelings of comfort and, ultimately, boosts participation. There is a difference between logging on to see what I have to do in class and wanting to log on to see what several of my classmates might have said in response to my own comment.... the latter fosters a feeling of involvement both with the class and with the material and can be highly rewarding for the students... and for the instructor as well!!
Deb Christie

In a few online classes that I have particpated in instructors ask for students to post and comment on each other's biographies. This is a great way to get to know each other and see how diverse classmates are.

Deb,

I completely agree, anything we can do to "humanize" ourselves and the classroom helps to increase student persistence.

Thanks,

Jon

There are so many ways we can get to know our students. I almost feel I know my online students better than the ones I have in a face to face class.

I agree and what i do is try to get to know my students and in particular their work environment and experiences. Then try to tie course concepts and course assignments to their own personal experiences and issues that they are dealing with in their company environment. Plus it makes them feel more connected to the class and to the professor...and i get better work out of them.

Agreed! It would be an additional benefit to us, as instructors, if we could somehow see when our students are online. The Chat feature is great as a tool for us to "schedule" chats, but I think we could improve this feature and the interaction with our students if there were a way for us to see when our students are online through the Chat feature.

I am a firm believer in knowing my students. This allows the instructor to better teach the student and also give incite into any changes which may be needed in the curriculum. There are times when instruction needs to be tailored for the type of student taking the courses.

I agree. It really helps to know where your students are comingf from. I sent out an email this quarter asking my students for some brief background information. Only 2-3 replied! I have individually emailed several students that are doing really outstanding work and asked them their backgrounds. If anyone ever mentions a problem, I try to get their story too. Unfortunately, too many just don't care.

So....how do we get students involved more?

Toni, this is great to do for all of the benefits that you offered here.

I think that the real challenge is when you have a class size of say 35-40. It is then next to impossible to connect with them given that we still need to do grading, run chats, and have full time jobs too.

Toni I completely agree with your words regarding getting to know the students. As an online learner I was asked at the beginning of each class to provide a biography about myself which included my upbringing, my work history, school history, goals and aspirattions, likes, dislikes, and what I expected to achieve out of the class. This afforded me the opportunity to tell about myself and I was able to ready my fellow students biographies along with my instructors so that I would gain a little more insight about them as well. This practice really helped me to see why they responded in some ways due to their histories, ethnicities, family life, and so on. It was truly beneficial getting to know my peers especially during group projects so that I was informed on how to address them professionally and respectfully and vice versa. I encourage all online teachers to take advantage of this practice.

Working in a hybrid program where a portion of the resident course is on-line is ideal. The ability to get to know, interact, remind, and encourage the students in both the resident and on-line portions works harmoniously. I feel that even though it is still a struggle to get students to complete their online assignments, I have a greater influence on them as I approach them on-line.

Sign In to comment