Communication in Classes
Hear and Be Heard
Communication at its best is cooperative and beneficial, creating an environment where each student has a voice, and all students participate as active members of a learning community. It helps you connect, learn, research and share ideas. When you communicate with others, learning becomes collaborative, experiential and real.
It is critical that you learn to communicate effectively in all classes. There are some important differences between communicating in a F2F classroom setting and communicating in an online class that we should address.
Benefits
In the online environment, each student has an equal voice. Students who are usually quiet and don't speak out in a F2F classroom have an opportunity to voice their ideas and be heard. Students who tend to speak out more often have an opportunity to listen to others. Everyone has the opportunity to reflect on their own and others' contributions to the discussion, and students can return to the discussion at any time to review something they found valuable. Most importantly, in classes where students don't physically see each other, a strong sense of community can develop through online communication.
Challenges
Most of you are aware of the pitfalls of bad communication in social media. When people harm others with words, communication breaks down. When you communicate online, it's important to be respectful, and communicate as you would if you were in a F2F classroom setting. As a college student, you are expected to follow a code of conduct, in and outside of the classroom.
Types of Communication
In online courses there are two important types of communication.
- Communication with your instructor: As a student at Cal Poly Humboldt, you are expected to participate in your own learning. This means that it's your job to understand course elements, materials and assignments. If you don't understand something, your instructor expects you to ask questions. Asking questions, seeking help and getting the resources you need are important to your success. The sooner you communicate with your instructor, the better. This gives you the leverage of time, and your instructor an opportunity to assist you. Your online instructors will will provide a Question & Answer Discussion forum that allows you to ask questions in your online class. Usually there are other students with the same questions, so everyone benefits.
- Communication with fellow students: A great way to learn is to share ideas with your classmates and thoughtfully consider differing perspectives and viewpoints, to delve deeper into your subject matter. Online course discussions serve to enhance your understanding of course material. Successful communication allows for a cooperative group environment, where each student's voice is heard and all perspectives are welcomed. As mentioned above, good communication is essential for developing a learning community.
Methods of Communication
Depending upon your instructor, the following methods may be utilized on online courses: email, chat, blogs, video-conferencing, discussion forums, workshops, and shared documents.