Introduction
Students, even if they have communication devices and apps at their fingertips, can be reticent or removed from the interactions that are offered in a digital teaching and learning environment. Whether in class or online, it is important to establish norms of communication with students. The language you choose to use reflects your expectations of students, and to how they should interact with you, the course, and their peers in the online environment.
The screen can become becomes a barrier and not a mechanism for interactions between all the class participants. Students may not readily translate face-to-face classroom “norms” to the online format. A common reaction to silence would be to berate those who lurk and remain on the periphery. Or to cajole them into participation while mentioning the consequences of absence. As the term progresses, mounting time pressures makes even more difficult to attend to passive students.
Setting, clearly communicating, and modelling your expectations from the start will help your students (and you) build in care and connections. Below are examples of different ways to design communication and build community into your class. Feel free to cut and paste any of these elements directly into your course and then customize where necessary.
I’ve seen how the combination of f2f
and online allows my students to feel
more connected to me, their peers
and their studies.
Office Hours
Dedicated time set aside for a one-to-one with a lecturer is commonly called “office hours”. This is the opportunity for students to share whats on their minds, and for an academic, who is teaching them, to listen.
During office hours, I will be available in person / via Zoom on ____ from ____ to ____. If you need to schedule a time to chat outside these days/times please email me directly. You will have also have ongoing access to me (and your peers) during the course. My primary form of communication is [Email | Twitter | WhatsApp]. Messages to [Email | Twitter | WhatsApp]. will be checked daily during the week. I will do my best to respond to questions within 24 hours or, if sent on the weekend, the following Monday.
We notice the quieter student who
does not like the spotlight, is reserved
and prefers to keep their own counsel.
We don’t want to belittle anyone or
embarrass them. We think that in
a hybrid environment, interactions
can be both immediate and timely or
asynchronous and considered.
If care and connections are built into
the fabric of a course, then we can
interpret and attend to silent and loud
voices.
Screens feel lonely. I'm a social being. Any human contact?
