Forming online relationships

Engage in the Learning Community

Are you afraid if you take an online course that you will feel alone or isolated? Although you will not be in the same physical space as your classmates and instructor, you will still interact with them through discussion forums, chat rooms, collaborative learning with teams, and other activities. In each task, you will rely heavily on your ability to communicate.

There are two important keys to communicate successfully online. First, you will want to be a good listener. Second, you need to write well.

Listening

Proper listening techniques will improve your participation in the learning community.

• Review assignment requirements, due dates and grading rubrics thoroughly before submitting work.
• In discussion forums, read others' posts several times before responding.
• If you do not understand someone's point, ask for clarification.
• Take time to reflect so you do not submit a potentially intense reaction or inflammatory remark.

Writing

Netiquette

If you have heard of netiquette then you know that it is a general term for courtesy in an online environment. A popular netiquette rule is to not use all uppercase when posting to a discussion forum since the format conveys yelling (and is also hard to read). The most important rule of netiquette is, "Think before you post" . [more on netiquette from Wikipedia]

Guidelines

The crux of online discourse is the written word.

• When responding to a fellow student start your post politely.
• Know the difference between reacting and responding.
• Use clarity and brevity in your writing.
• Use white space to make your posts readable.
• Convey humor or sarcasm with emoticons [more information].
• Be familiar with abbreviations utilized in chat rooms [more information].

One of the most important writing techniques you can use in an online environment is to write your contributions in a word processing program instead of working online. This gives you four advantages. First, you can spend time composing your thoughts, jotting down ideas and reworking your text in draft format. Second, once your final draft is complete the software can double check your spelling and grammar. Third, this technique may save you from loosing your work if your internet connection goes down, if your session times out or if there is a server issue. Fourth, you will have a copy of your work on your local machine.

Community

You have an opportunity to make meaningful connections with your classmates by participating in eLearning. You may find friendships and professional contacts that endure beyond the last day of class. One reason for this is that students who have been reluctant to speak in a traditional course open up more easily online. Also faculty have reported that students share more information about their knowledge and experiences.

In addition to sharing thoughts your class may become a reservoir of vetted internet sites, books, online groups and resources. Find ways to incorporate the sharing of topical interests to bolster group knowledge.

Collaborative Learning

When you encounter collaborative learning it may be referred to as a group or team project. Working in a team is a necessary component of your education since during your career you will rely on co-workers to accomplish shared goals.

Instructors may set up teams with or without student input. If your instructor solicits your input you can be better prepared to choose team members if you have good information. In ANGEL fill out your personal information in My Page>Preferences. In your profile include your professional interests. You may want to include your work schedule to avoid a team assignment with members who work opposite shifts.

Collaborative learning will require effort by all members to be successful.

• Appoint a leader to coordinate work efforts.
• Encourage one another's efforts.
• Define and agree on group and individual goals.
• Be a responsible, productive member of your team.

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