Museo Botero, Bogotá, Colombia- Photo by Jonathan Acuña-Solano
Troublesome
Students in Forum Discussions:
What to do in this case
By Prof. Jonathan
Acuña-Solano, M. Ed.
School of English
Faculty of Social
Sciences
Universidad Latina de Costa Rica
Sunday, May 20, 2018
Post 322
During the 2nd week
of the BlendIt course with Prof. Janet Bianchini, participants were confronted
with various situations that can take place along an online course. One of
these situations was the following:
As
requested, the search for causes, consequences and ways of dealing with
situations like this is necessary. And we were provided with these questions.
1)
What are the possible CAUSES for this situation?
2)
What are the possible CONSEQUENCES on an online course if this situation isn’t
addressed?
3)
What can the online teacher do to DEAL with the situation?
What
would you do in this situation? Depending on the language used in the forum
post (the possibility of the absence of netiquette or use of foul language),
the post has to be removed or hidden. In this particular scenario, emailing the
student for some clarification is necessary. This communication must include
the re-explanation of the forum netiquette and what the appropriate way to
complain about course content or the instructor is. One needs to politely
answer -via email- and try to provide sensible arguments depending on the
“issues” pointed out by the student.
If
there is not foul language, the student can be courteously answered to try to
provide a response to his complaints regarding the course and tutor. Still it
is a good idea to make the forum post invisible for the rest of the class to
avoid other students giving opinions. For instance, if the learner complains
about:
Tutor’s
availability
|
Remind him/her about of the time one is available and present in
forums, other tasks, and the provision of feedback, which is normally
provided up to 48 hrs. after submissions but weekends.
|
Student’s
expectations regarding course content
|
Tell him or her that if s/he is requesting or complaining about an
element of the course, or its absence, it is necessary to review the course
outline/course learning path to avoid “false” expectations.
|
Types
of “not that appealing or lengthy” tasks
|
Redirect our troublesome student to the course description/learning
path shared with all course participants to remind him/her of their
responsibilities and commitments.
|
Pair work: If s/he complains about this because of the way they were paired up
with someone “irresponsible,” offer to become a mediator.
Group work: If s/he complains about group members’ conflicting schedules to
meet, e.g., synchronously, prompt him/her to gap the differences or suggest
the use of collaboration tools to work asynchronously.
Deadlines: If the complaint is about this because it is impossible to be met by
this person, see if some flexibility is applicable. Let’s keep in mind that a
course is meant to help train learners, not to punish them.
|
|
Lack
of explanations and/or guidance
|
Also redirect them to the guidelines for tasks provided within the
platform. And if necessary (and you have some spare time), offer come extra
coaching via a virtual meeting
|
There’s
always a solution to most problems in an online course. We have to be proactive
and assertive to deal with students like this. Also, be mindful and don’t take
it personal; your personal well-being is much more important than a situation
like this, which is just hot air in the end. And finally, it is necessary to
identify the kind of leadership needed to help learners despite all their
complaints and dissatisfaction.
PS For a list of
leadership styles and how one uses them in the classroom, go to http://reflective-online-teaching.blogspot.com/2016/11/what-kind-of-leader-am-i.html
Journal Entry 05 BlendIt Course
Sunday, May 20, 2018
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