Communicating in the Online Classroom

Communicating with your instructor and classmates in the e-learning environment can be a challenge.  From my own experience, I tend to think of the online class space as my personal learning portal, and often forget (unless required) to engage my peers.  Further, I don't utilize the instructor as a learning resource as much as I would in the face-to-face environment.  But that doesn't have to be the case, and the e-classroom can be just as engaging as the traditional one.

Depending on the class format, there are times when I don't have any formal interaction with my instructor.  I simply turn in assignments and complete quizzes, checking the to-do list items off.  I would recommend, however, at least introducing yourself to the instructor.  We were fortunate enough to have this as a requirement.  To enhance this relationship, continued communications and requests for feedback are encouraged.  Also, responding to instructor questions/responses on discussion boards/wikis has already helped me feel more connected.

For me one of the biggest hurdles to getting to know my peers is first impressions.  Not in all classes, but in some, I find I have classmates who appear to be taking an online section because they perceive it to be "easier".  In some cases, I have even had students ask for copies (scanned to them) of book material so that they didn't have to purchase one.  I have probably been crass in my response, because I am put off at the request, and for that reason a negative first impression exists on both ends.  A tip, provided in the E-learning Companion, is to make sure that interactions are specific and workable, and not to overuse emoticons.

Organization in the online setting can also help with communication.  I tend to be a first minute or last minute poster to class discussions.  In the former situation, I will post and reply to what is available to me at that moment, almost never checking the discussion again - meaning I don't get to see what the majority of my classmates are posting and "talking" about.  In the latter situation, I am usually so rushed that I'll post my discussion and reply to the one posted in the most proximate time to my own.  Similarly, I lose the ability to interact at a meaningful level.  With a well thought out organizational plan, I could check in at set intervals to post and read, thereby providing my the best chance of getting to know my peers.

The one tip I liked the most, and seemed most familiar to the traditional learning environment, was "adding a personal touch".  Asking a classmate about their own performance on the last quiz or assignment, is a nice icebreaker.  In the traditional classroom I would liken this to walking out the door on test day and everyone comparing notes on how well they did.  Using the common experience usually provides a gateway to a more natural conversation.

I think we're such a connected society that not having face-to-face interactions feels natural to many of us, yet we could benefit from enhancing those interactions in the online learning environment.