Many students are prone to negativity towards the subject matter, the instructor and their peers if the topics are difficult when studying online. Furthermore, their ability to 'hide' behind a computer screen so-to-speak makes them more likely to lash out online versus when taught in person. I have found that the way to combat this is to reach out to students that present things negatively and respond to peers negatively via phone and force a conversation with them. Typically it is due to their own frustrations about their perceived inadequacy in understanding the subject matter and when pushed to the conversation will own this more than they would when in the online forum where they can hide behind typed impersonal words.