Effective Immediately! Distance Learning Norms
Online learning is "the thing” now. With many governors declaring Stay-at-Home Orders, it is now safe to say that school systems aren’t returning to finish out the school year, well at least not in a physical building; however, instruction via platforms as Google Meet, Zoom, GoToMeeting, Blackboard, Screencastify, and many others are occurring daily.
While recently scrolling through my feed, I was perturbed at several online classes that I witnessed! My, my, my… Where one looked to be either a high school or college format, I witnessed behaviors that would make any instructor close their laptop and declare to never offer an online class again. Students weren’t listening. They were talking over each other, some students left their video on and it recorded one smoking a substance, another had music with explicit lyrics playing in the background. In another video, I witnessed one student eating what looked like a hamburger and it must have been delicious while another student looked to be in bed with a scarf over her head.… I was ashamed and embarrassed at what I saw. But then I realized, students need to be taught the expectations.
Also, after hearing some colleagues’ concerns about their online experiences, I decided to write this post.
I can bet that many teachers did not start their first Live session by discussing the rules and expectations of online learning. Teachers expected students to behave correctly and basically, do the right thing. What should be common is not so common. So I would encourage teachers of all sectors to review your norms with students immediately! (This applies to adult learners as well.)
New Norms:
Be On-Time If you give a window to your online session such as class is from 9:00 am-10:00 am, students may believe they can enter WITHIN that time frame. Therefore, make it clear to students what time they should log in. (Ex: 2 minutes before start time)
Participate in Discussions and Ask Questions Do you have students who just sit there? They don’t respond to questions, even the ones such as “Are you able to see my screen?” Encourage students to use the Chat-box option instead. Chats during instructions should focus on instruction. (Some students are still getting acclimated to the new setting. Also, if they were quiet and shy in your physical classroom it will more than likely continue in this setting.
Be Presentable Encourage students to either keep their video off or look as if they are coming to learn. Students should not be lying in bed under the covers while on full display.
Wait Your Turn to Speak You, as the instructor may have the ability to mute all participants upon entering the Live. However, if not, remind students that everyone should have a chance to speak without being interrupted, including you!
Find a Quiet Spot Encourage students to eliminate noise and distractions and find a place where you can have their undivided attention. Also, although students may want to show off their cute little dog or little brother and sister, this is not the time to do so. Maybe opening up the Live session 5-10 minutes before or after will allow students to relax a bit and “show and tell”. Students miss you so including downtime at some point is recommended.
Show Respect to the Instructor and Your Peers This goes without saying, but it is necessary to help students understand what this looks like for your class. We can’t assume they know. What respect looks like for one may be different from another. (I have so many stories about this, but I’ll keep it simple for now).
Don’t Share Links with Non-Class MembersStudents’ (and your) likeness and names should be protected. I recently saw a video of a lady who was on Live and mistakingly used the restroom during a Live session! (I know, I know..I’m still embarrassed for her). How did it get out when there were less than 10 people on the video? A classmate has to be the culprit! If it makes you feel more comfortable, choose to allow access to the video, or recording briefly and then remove it. You may also encourage parents to help maintain student privacy by not allowing anyone who is not a student in the class to view a virtual class.
Refrain from Eating on Camera Self explanatory, right? But, remind students that proper etiquette is not eating on camera. You want their undivided attention. If they must eat, they should block their camera.
Setting the norms is imperative to maintain order in a healthy, open learning environment.
I hope these words find you well!
-Dr. E
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