Students and Online Learning

Introducing Students to Online Learning

Netiquette

Using Discussion Forums

Using the Chat in Blackboard

 

 

 

 

Introducing Students to Online Learning

Whether you're using online learning as a supplement to classroom teaching, or you are teaching a course completely online, students need to be provided with information about how to operate in this new environment. Although the number of students who have experience with online classes is increasing, it isn't safe to assume that they know:

• what tools they need
• how to access the information for the course
• how to navigate through a course website
• the norms of communicating online
• how your particular course will operate

And administrators shouldn't assume that instructors know how to do this either! Or that instructors know how to plan online teaching that will result in effective learning. After all, it's a relatively new environment for all of us to work in.

There are some hints that can help students begin a class online. One of them is an introductory letter. Prior to class beginning, or at the very beginning of the class, you may want to send a letter to enrolled students that details:

• where they should log on
• whether your course follows a set schedule and what that schedule is
• the types of activities they can expect to participate in -- for instance, whether there is a great deal of communication between students or online chat sessions that are scheduled
• the URL if you have posted a schedule online
• textbooks that they need to secure before the start of class
• how they can attain an email address
• contact information for technical support
• contact information for the instructor

Many students are not aware of how an online course will proceed, so you want to provide as much information as possible to let students begin the course with the same level of comfort that they would have walking into a physical classroom. If your class is a hybrid course, where you will meet occasionally on campus but the majority of the class is over the Web, then you can supply this information at the first class meeting and offer a quick tutorial to those students who aren't familiar with Blackboard so that they can see how to log in.

Netiquette

Some students are not sure how to behave in an online environment. Other students are used to being online chatting with friends or playing interactive games. In either case, students can benefit from hearing what you expect for appropriate behavior in your class. Etiquette for the online world is often call Netiquette.

Guidelines for acceptable behavior in discussion forums should be provided at the beginning of the semester. While you will want to customize the list to fit your particular class, some items you may want to include are:

• students should "listen" to others respectfully
• online learning is devoid of physical cues that often support communication; students should strive to utilize language that is thoughtful, respectful, and collegial when communicating with fellow students
• sometimes students may disagree with one another, which is perfectly acceptable; strive to critique ideas in a respectful and constructive manner, not criticize an individual
• direct comments to fellow students, rather than to the professor
• try to understand other people's behavior and perspectives rather than simply criticizing them
• avoid stereotypes and humor that are disparaging of others
• intervene politely if someone is being disrespectful or unfair to others
• use language, spelling and grammar that is appropriate to an educational setting; do not use slang or Internet shorthand, and remember to proofread work prior to posting it for the class to read.
  

Using Discussion Forums

One of the benefits of an online class is that students may log into the course at different times and days and carry on a conversation about the subject content. But online conversation doesn't occur without the instructor providing structure to the students and requiring them to participate. It is up to the instructor to post an open-ended question, usually concerning the readings for a particular section, as well as a timeline for students to respond. It is also important to supply instructions on how to use the Discussion Board for students who may be new to online learning. This section specifically addresses how to use the Discussion Board in Blackboard to conduct asynchronous conversations online.

The first thing is to understand how to get to the Discussion area. Once you log into Blackboard (Bb) there are buttons to the left that help you navigate around the course website. To communicate with everyone, you'll click on the Communication button. Then you can go to the Discussion Board. Each topic of conversation will be given a new "forum" by the instructor. It is also good practice to include a brief introduction to the forum that tells the students the topic of discussion.

You can read someone's message (what we call "posts" for online conversations) by clicking on it. And there is a "reply" button so you can respond to that message.

To add your own post click on the Add New Thread button, type in a Subject and type in your message. The word "thread" is kind of odd here, but it stems from the idea that this is a "threaded discussion" -- a discussion where you can follow a particular topic all the way through.

It's that easy! Discussion occurs as everyone reads and responds to each others postings -- a slow motion version of what would occur in a seminar classroom. The good news is that if you are a morning person you can log in and "discuss" at 6 am or if you're a late nighter that might be the time that you're just logging off! This aspect of the course means that it is "asynchronous" -- not occurring at the same time.

Prefer the step-by-step route? Here it is (it might help to print this out so you can reference it as you go through):

1. Click on the Communication button
2. Click on the link for the Discussion Board
3. Click on the link for a forum
4. To submit your post, click on the button labeled "Add New Thread"
5. When the new window pops up, type in a subject line for your "post" and then your message in the Message box
6. Click on the button labeled "submit" -- it's down in the bottom right-hand corner
7. To read someone else's post, click on the link that is their subject line and the message will pop up
8. You can reply to someone's post by clicking on the Reply button -- bottom right corner of the message
9. When the new window pops up, type in your message in the Message box
10. Click on the button labeled "submit" -- it's down in the bottom right-hand corner

That's all there is to it!

Since many students will be new to online learning, it is a good idea to begin with a very easy topic -- such as having the students introduce themselves. This way they can learn about the technology and become comfortable with it before they also have to tackle the new content for your class.

Establishing a schedule will also help students to understand what they should be doing and when. For instance, if each module for your class will last one week, then you may require the students to post their initial message by Monday and respond to 4 posts before Friday.

Using the Chat in Blackboard

Although the Discussion Board is great for convenience, there may be times when you wish to communicate with a student in real-time. The Blackboard system provides a chat space for this very purpose. Although similiar to commercial chats, the Bb Virtual Classroom is only available to students who are enrolled in the course.

In a chat you are typing responses back and forth to simulate a conversation. Think of it as sending email back and forth when you know that the other person is online waiting for your response. One advantage of chat is that you can have more than two people involved.

In Bb the chat space is called the Virtual Classroom. You can use it for synchronous conversations, meaning that you have to be logged onto the computer at the same time as the person you wish to communicate with. And you can use it with as many people as you like. Which means if your students are working on group projects, the whole group can log on at a pre-arranged day and time to discuss it. Other uses for it include having open online office hours for your students to drop by and ask questions, or arranging a meeting between yourself and a student to discuss an area he/she might be having trouble with.

To access the Virtual Classroom:

1. Click on the Communication button
2. Click on the link for the Virtual Classroom
3. Click on the link for Enter the Virtual Classroom. Note: your computer must have Java enabled to access the chat space.
4. A new window will open that says "Tutornet Classroom 3.5.0 | New Lesson" across the top
5. If someone else is in the VC you'll see their name displayed
6. Type your message in the very bottom text box and hit Enter
7. Notice that it shows up in the space that is labeled Tutornet Virtual Classroom.
8. When you hit Enter, anyone else who is in the VC will see your message. This is the feature that is used the most.
9. The large white space up the top works as a white board; use the tools to the left to draw a picture for everyone to see.
10. In the very top text space you can type in a URL that can be shared with the other people in the VC.
11. It's that easy. Just remember that you should make arrangements ahead of time to meet on a particular day and time. Note also that all chats are recorded and an archive is kept so you can go back and review what occurred in the chat.