When students feel safe and welcome in a classroom, especially an online one, they thrive. They are more motivated and more willing to take risks and express their ideas and insights. Faculty can cultivate a sense of safety and belonging by encouraging and maintaining an expectation of mutual respect and civility. This resource will discuss strategies for setting communication expectations for students.
MISSOURI ONLINE RECOMMENDS
Missouri Online recommends that online instructors clearly state professional/communication expectations for discussions, email, and other course interactions (see item #8 in the Quality Course Review 5 Pillars Rubric.)
Setting expectations
A best practice at the beginning of each semester is to introduce, explain, and model civil online discourse. This is often referred to as netiquette. The value of providing communication expectations in the syllabus or a welcome module is to demonstrate a commitment to civility early in the semester. Using positive language to do so builds a culture of goodwill and is an effective way to set the tone for a course (Galbraith & Jones, 2010).
Syllabus statements regarding netiquette often include the following elements:
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A description of the desired culture for learning
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A specific list of expectations or recommendations for interacting with each other online
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A discussion of the benefits of meeting these expectations or recommendations
Outside of syllabus statements, you could also invite students to participate in a discussion about netiquette and civility, or students could collaborate with you to develop norms and guidelines on respectful communication. Assignment instructions and rubrics are another way to reinforce your expectations for professional and civil communication.
Campus policies and resources
Student-instructor communication
In addition to emphasizing expectations for student-student communication, you may like to discuss and emphasize student-instructor communication. Professionalism in emails from students is a common concern for faculty (Kyaw, 2023). Here are some strategies that you may adopt and use to support and encourage best practices with email among your students.
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Discussion: Hold a conversation, either synchronously or asynchronously, with students about the characteristics of appropriate communication with all members of the learning community, including you.
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Authentic assessments: For an assignment or activity, ask students to write an email similar to one they would while in the workforce. Such an assignment would offer a meaningful purpose, genre, and audience.
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Modeling: Write emails and announcements with the structure, language, and tone you would like students to use. If a student sends an email you consider inappropriate, reply in the manner that you would prefer to see used.
You may sometimes receive emails from students’ personal email accounts. When you receive these messages, please do not respond to them but instead forward them with your reply to the student’s institutional email address. Personal email addresses raise questions and issues involving FERPA. Emphasize to students that they should use only their school email address to communicate with you.
By using syllabus statements and teaching professional email practices, you can encourage students to use civil and respectful discourse in the online learning environment. With such a culture present, all students can better focus on their learning and prepare for the workforce!
References
Arend, B., Archer-Kuhn, B., Kazuko Hiramatsu, Ostrowdun, C., Seeley, J., & Jones, A. (2021). Minding the Gap: Comparing Student and Instructor Experiences with Critical Reflection. Teaching and Learning Inquiry: The ISSOTL Journal, 9(1), 317–332. https://doi.org/10.20343/teachlearninqu.9.1.21
Galbraith, M.W., & Jones, M.S. (2010). Understanding incivility in online teaching. Journal of Adult Education, 39(2), 1-10.
Kyaw, A. (2023). E-Communication skills: Bridging a gap between generations X, Z. Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, 40(11), 28–31.
Created on November 16, 2023