TRANSCRIPT: Effectively Communicating Online

Speaker: Mark Parker

Effectively Communicating Online: Reading & Writing Strategies

Hello, everyone. My name is Mark Parker. I'm an Associate Professor of Communication Studies at University of Maryland, University College. I also teach online courses for UMUC. One of the things that I'm most interested in is the use of technology for higher education purposes in the type of learning that we've come to call over the past few years "online teaching and learning." I'm especially interested in how students and faculty members can make use of the technology and the communication environment in an online classroom to maximize teaching and learning.

Online vs. Face-To-Face

Today we're going to talk about the ways in which an online classroom differs from a more traditional face-to-face classroom of the type that many of you are undoubtedly used to taking. We're going to talk about the differences in terms of communication, specifically the use of written communication and what's called "asynchronous" communication that characterizes an online class. 

Then we're going to talk about how to use those characteristics of communication in an online class to your advantage. We're going to show how written communication leads to a type of permanence that you can use and how asynchronous communication gives you a little bit more time to create your responses and other statements in an online classroom. Then we're going to wrap up by taking a look at a very common reading strategy for success that you can apply in an online class and then finally also a writing strategy.

Definitions

Now, before we move on, I want to define two terms that I'm going to be using throughout our talk today: conference or discussion and posting. The conference or discussion area is the part of a Learning Management System, the software system through which online course is usually conducted, where most of the asynchronous communication takes place. The discussions or postings, the activity that goes into a conference or discussion board, is a very important part of the online class. In fact, a student's participation grade in an online class is often dependent upon how well and in how timely a manner she participates in the discussions or the conferences with her postings.

Differences In Communication: Face-To-Face

The big difference between an online class and a traditional class of the type you're used to taking in the classroom is in the area of communication. In a traditional face-to-face class, the communication that takes place is largely oral communication and synchronous communication. Now, by oral communication I mean the use of the spoken language the way I'm doing right now. By synchronous communication I mean communication that takes place largely at the same time. In other words, there's a very small time lag between a question and an answer, a comment and a response in synchronous communication.

Differences In Communication: Online

On the other hand, in a typical online classroom today, the communication tends to be both written and asynchronous. Written communication of course is just what it sounds like; it's the use of the written language for communication. Asynchronous communication means not at the same time. In other words, between the two acts of communication – a question or an answer, a comment or a response – in asynchronous communication there actually can be a very considerable time lag between those two communication events.

Online Advantages

So what does this mean for you as a student in an online classroom? It means that in the online class, you actually have more time to study a question or a comment made by your instructor or by a fellow student, and you have more time to formulate your response; whereas in a face-to-face classroom you would have to respond or comment on somebody's statement much more quickly.

Also in an online classroom, the questions and the comments – including your own – are permanently recorded; whereas in a face-to-face classroom, you would have to take notes in order to record the professor's or your fellow student's questions and comments.

Online Advantages (cont.)

I'm going to suggest that you take advantage of the extra time and permanence of the online classroom communication in order to read the material in the online class, including the instructor's lectures and questions and comments, as well as the questions and comments of your classmates, very carefully and thoroughly. I'm also going to suggest that you create your own responses and your other written input into the classroom the way you would any other written assignment in the class.

For example, when you're reading the material in the online classroom, ask yourself, "How does it relate to what the other materials are in the class?" For example, the readings you've done in the textbook, any reserved readings that your instructor may have set aside for you, and so on.

Also, if you're fairly well along in the course – if, for example, the course is 14 weeks long and you're in Week 8 or Week 9 or Week 10 – I'm going to suggest that you refer back to the earlier discussions and postings that may relate to the particular topic you're discussing at that particular time.

Reading Strategies

Now, in talking about the reading strategies to use to succeed in an online classroom, I'm going to suggest that you apply the same type of critical reading skills to all of the communication in an online classroom – conference, postings, and so on – as you would to any other type of document that you would use as part of your college experience. For example, you already evaluate sources that you use in writing papers and so on, depending on where that particular source comes from. For example, if it comes from the World Wide Web, you've been taught to look at the domain name: .edu, .gov or .com. You've also been taught to determine how reliable a particular source may be if it comes from a web-based resource.

You already know that when you're evaluating a document or a reading, you think about who the writer of that particular document or reading is. You should be asking yourself the question, "Is the person qualified to write authoritatively on this particular topic?" Use that same strategy when you're evaluating a conference posting or other type of communication in an online classroom. For example, you might assume that the professor teaching the classroom has some authority to comment on a particular topic, whereas your classmates may not have that same level of authority.

Focus On Intention

You also know that you should be focusing on the writer's intention when evaluating a particular document. Now, by "intention" I mean, "What is the writer's purpose in preparing the document?" Is she trying to persuade you to believe and act upon the information that she's providing, or is her goal just to present the information for your consideration? Use that same technique when you're looking at conference postings from your professor and from your classmates in an online classroom.

And then finally, what is the argument like in the statement or document? How does the writer argue her main points? Do the arguments demonstrate appropriate logic and appropriate reasoning? And are the arguments supported by suitable evidence?

Evaluating Online Sources

By the way, my students will often ask me, "How do I evaluate a digital or online resource in order to determine whether it is valid and something that can be used for academic purposes?" Well, we've created a short resource for you to use with some tips on how to evaluate digital and online sources.

Writing Strategies

Now let's talk about the other component of success in an online classroom, and that's writing. I'm going to suggest that in your online classroom you create your responses in the conference area and any other input to the online classroom in the same way and with the same attention that you would pay to any of your other written work in the class. For example, you should decide on the structure and on the length of your response to a conference question or posting. If it's appropriate, you would choose sources to cite in your posting; and if you do, please don't forget to cite those sources. 

You should make references in your posting to what it is that you're responding to; for example, a question from the instructor or a posting from another student. And finally, as I said a few moments ago, if you're fairly well along in the course, it may be helpful before you post your conference comment to review what's already been discussed in the course and to make reference to it if that's appropriate.

Class Participation

Now, keep in mind that in the online classroom, your instructor will usually outline her expectations for classroom participation, including conferences and discussions. And she may even provide a grading rubric for classroom communication. So for example for conference discussions, she may stipulate the number and the length and the type and even the content of postings that you will be graded upon in the conference area. She may give you special instructions for group or teamwork in the online classroom – what roles the members of the team will play and what deliverables they're expected to produce. 

If your instructor uses Chat or some other type of synchronous communication in the online classroom, she'll let you know the purpose and the frequency and the schedule for using that type of communication. The same thing is true if your instructor routinely uses email as part of the communication in your online class.

Discussion Assignment (Activity)

To give you an idea of what I'm talking about, let's look at an example of a discussion assignment in a 400-level English course entitled The American Novel. You'll notice that the instructor has given very specific directions to her students about what the discussion post should include. She writes:

"Respond to one of your classmate's postings to this week's discussion on images of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby. Use appropriate sources to support agreement or disagreement with the person's position."

Now I'd like you to notice two things about the instructions that were given here. One, she wants you to respond to a classmate's posting that's already taken place in this week's discussion on this particular topic. And two, she wants you to bring in outside resources and either agree or disagree with your fellow student's position.

Now take a moment to look at the first example of a possible posting in response to the instructor's directions and then we'll discuss it.

So what do you think of this first example of a post? In a way, this is not a bad response. The student who wrote this did essentially what the instructor was asking her to do. She commented on a post made by a student earlier in the week and she agreed, or she expressed her own agreement or disagreement with that particular student's posting.

"I agree with you, Beth, that most of the references to the American Dream relate to the character of Jay Gatsby himself. As Professor Johnson wrote last week, Fitzgerald places the action in a setting that reflected the 1920s: economic prosperity, social change, and the pursuit of happiness. The older values, as represented by characters like Tom Buchanan, are tied to specific locations such as East Egg, all of which are described as embodying a sense of inherited wealth and traditionalism."

Now I'd like you to look at an example of another possible posting by that same student. And as you read through this response, I want you to think about it in light of the instructions that the professor gave. Do you think that this example is better, worse, or about the same as the first example we looked at?

"Beth, I see your point about the references to the American Dream relating to Jay Gatsby himself. It seems to me though that as Professor Johnson told us last week, Fitzgerald intended Gatsby's dream to be a metaphor for the larger disillusionment in American society during the 1920s. Smith suggested that the specific symbols like Gatsby's mansion and his extravagant parties highlighted the era's materialism and moral decay. He gave as examples, the character's relentless pursuit of wealth and status as a means to achieve happiness, which ultimately leads to Gatsby's downfall."

So what do you think of this second example of a post in response to the instructor's directions?

Personally, I think the second example is quite a bit better than the first one we looked at. Like the first one, the student identified what it was she was commenting about and she stated whether she agreed or disagreed. And as in the first example, the student even quoted the professor on a particular topic.

But notice that in our second response, the student does something else the professor asks for: she brings in outside sources to support her statement about whether she disagrees or agrees with her fellow student's post. This is what separates an average discussion board response from a superior one.

Final Thoughts

So let's finish up with just a couple of general tips or guidelines related to effective communication in an online class. First of all, even though there is supposed to be a time lag in asynchronous communication between communication actions in a class, make sure you don't let too much time go by before posting in your classroom. In fact, it's always a good idea to check the course schedule or your instructor's timelines and due dates and make sure that you meet them.

Second, you'll want to make sure that your conference posting or discussion activity is of an appropriate length. Don't get carried away and write too much. Try to keep it as succinct as you possibly can. And then finally, make sure that the posting is clearly identifiable as yours.

You may want to do this by making use of the subject line in a conference or the file name in an upload and so on.

I wish you great success in all of your online classes.