High Maintenance On-Line Students
by Evelyn Beck
BARBARA CHECKS INTO your on-line course regularly, but has not posted anything during the first three weeks.
Lee Ann, on the other hand, posts much more than is required. Her posts are long and increasingly personal. She has revealed not only confidential details about a conflict with her last boss, but also that she was born with some male sexual characteristics and that she and her husband have an open marriage.
Darvon failed his last test, and fired off an angry e-mail accusing you of being a lousy teacher.
These three examples illustrate some of the unique challenges of on-line classroom management. Here are some suggestions on how to deal with such students:
The Clams
Don’t assume that lack of participation means the student is disinterested, unmotivated or lazy. The student might be confused about the technology and course software, may have misunderstood the due dates, or there may be a personal crisis that has pulled the student away from schoolwork. It could also be that the student is disorganized and needs help focusing; I’m amazed at how often students will be unaware of some of the course tools that help keep them on track, such as the calendar. It can sometimes make an enormous difference if you gently direct a student to the available resources. Send reminders about upcoming due dates. When students miss a weekly discussion or an assignment, send an e-mail reminding them that it’s overdue and asking if everything’s okay. This sends the message that you are concerned, and will encourage them to try to overcome obstacles rather than to give up.
The go-getters
For students who take over the discussion board, who reveal inappropriate personal information or use profane language, special tact is needed to keep from dampening their enthusiasm. You might call or e-mail the student, starting with praise about the student’s wonderful participation. If you want the student to pull back a bit on the postings, emphasize that when he or she posts so much, other students sit back and respond less because they rely on this student to carry the class; thus, you might enlist the assistance of this overeager student to help elicit more discussion from the others. In fact, you might even ask the student to respond with more questions to guide classmates into more discussion.
If the problem is postings that are inappropriate because of language or personal revelations, you might ask the student to consider how such postings might affect some of the more conservative-minded students. Or you might emphasize practicing professionalism that will help the student become ready for the workplace after graduation.
The Hot Heads
To try to prevent problems from the start, it’s helpful to discuss network etiquette, or “netiquette.” At the very least, offer some rules for good behavior when communicating on-line. For example, ask students to remember that misunderstandings in electronic communication occur often. Remind them to be patient and to forgive others’ missteps. Encourage discussion with students about which kinds of behavior are appropriate on-line. Ask students to find information about netiquette on-line, and then to share the best tips they’ve found.
If a student “flames,” or attacks, another student, step in quickly with a public posting that reminds students about netiquette. Send private e-mails to the attacker explaining that the postings were inappropriate and to the victim ensuring that you are on top of the situation.
If a student approaches you inappropriately by e-mail, respond calmly and politely. For example, if you receive a nasty note about the unfairness of a grade, write back and say that you’re always willing to discuss issues if approached in a friendly and professional manner, and that you’d be glad to chat if the student would like to send a more appropriate message. This defuses a potentially explosive situation and an apology usually follows; the student has cooled off by that point and is more likely to recognize how the note came across.
Two Strategies
1. Establish a Positive Tone
The best way to manage problem students is to set a positive tone from the start. Do this by being personal, polite, open and responsive in communications you have with individual students and with the class as a whole. When responding to students’ questions and comments on the discussion board and in e-mail, always use their names, and consider signing messages with your first name, which seems friendlier. Make frequent use of terms like “please” and “thanks.” All of this takes extra time, but it’s worth it.
2. Create a learning community
Students are more likely to remain appropriately engaged and not feel overwhelmed by problems if they feel they’re not alone. One way to do this is to make yourself available at times and in a manner that is most helpful for students. This doesn’t mean that you need to chain yourself to your computer 24/7, but it might mean that you hold an on-line office hour one evening a week, perhaps the night before an assignment is due. Make it easy for students to get hold of you instantly, either in a chat room through the courseware or via instant messaging.
It also means helping students to feel part of a classroom community. Have students post written introductions (and photographs if possible) on the discussion board—and post one yourself. Encourage students to find connections with other students; this will help them reach out to create informal learning communities.
