Giving feedback is important to assist students to communicate better.
To me a key element for any student's success is Self-Motivation
I find that in order to be successful in an online course the student and the instructor must be open-minded, self-motivated, self-disciplined, time management, basic computer skills, and teamwork. They must conduct themselves in a professional manner as they would in their career.
I have to learn that communication is the key to a successful class. There are different types and situations, the discussion board is a great tool to maintain engagement with students to avoid poor/lack of online participation.
Everyone learns differently. It is good to recognize that and adapt per student accordingly.
Since physical presence is limited or nonexistent, online instructors must make every effort to maintain a sense of presence!
Generational differences should be considered - as a Gen Xer myself, I often find it difficult and frustrating to communicate with Gen Y and Gen Z - not only are tech & communication skills different, professional behaviors and conduct are different as well. This is an area where I personally need to model more consideration so that my team sees that.
Setting the example by showing self-discipline, time management and proper online communication.
Nice to be reminded of the type of behavior instructors need to model in an online classroom.
Be aware of your different generations and their learning and technology skills. It is important to understand why a student is taking an online course.
I've 'learned that different age groups fall into different understanding and learning styles. example Baby Boomer , Generation X, Generation Z, and Millenials. Some are visual, technical, verbal and digital learners. The instructor would have to distinguish the student's learning style in order to create appropriate feedback and knowledge.
Understanding different generations of students is important to understand why a particular student may or may not communicate well in an online class.
Big take away: use expressive writing to create better communication because of the lack of social cues missing in online learning classes.
Students in an online course need to be self-motivates ad have good time management skills, just to name a few. I will add this information to the syllabus.
Code of conduct for communication needs to be clearly articulated in the syllabus and the instructor needs to role model the desired behaviors
Helping student to communicate online is difficult because many factors come to play ie their skill level in computers, their generation aspects, their learning style couple by level of conversation comfort between themselves and others. Instructors must be agile in providing support and encouragement when needed.
As an instructor, it is important for me to understand the generational dynamics of my class and develop a communication style that can be effective for each student. This will require a combination of individual outreach as well as setting a trend for community as a whole.
Reply to Aricka McCauley's post: Reply to Aricka McCauley's post: I loved your advice, "If a student is not effectively communicating with you, have a conversation about how you are not understanding what the students needs from you and maybe the two of you can come up with a cleaner communication line." I realize I need to make a point of individually speaking with those 'silent' students earlier to come up with a better communication line instead of waiting until their grades go down to speak with them.
As the instructor, I must teach students the importance of participating in their online learning experience. I must ensure that students are responding in the discussion boards and participating in all aspects of class..
making she students understand to communcate
