Every educator and every student that teaches or takes an online class knows that it is not always an easy process and there are certain to be challenges along the way. From technology issues to time management, dealing with the basics requires a concentrated effort to complete what is required - and perform according to the required expectations. And then there are times when the challenge of online learning goes beyond managing the requirements. For online educators it may involve addressing uncooperative students, students who don't review their feedback and are unreceptive to constructive criticism, and students who fail to communicate in a respectful tone. These are the issues that demand extra time and attention, and are often associated with feelings of frustration.
With an online class there are a wide variety of students so it is not possible to know how to facilitate a class in a manner that everyone is fully engaged and performing their very best. However, there are strategies you can use when situations arise that involve more than your typical instructional duties. But first it is important to understand both the perspective of the instructor and their students, and why online classes become challenging. There has been an influx in the number of people who are interested in teaching online, especially those that are graduating from degree programs that specialize in teaching with technology, so it is important to understand what to do when a class or a student does not perform as expected.
An Online Instructor's Workload
A majority of online classes are taught by adjunct instructors. That means those who are teaching most of these classes are maintaining other responsibilities, just like their students. And similar to their students, they have a specific amount of time devoted for involvement in their classes. When they are online and working there are specific tasks that must be accomplished. Every instructor hopes that students will be highly motivated, fully present when they are in class, and have a mindset that is open for learning. But as instructors know, it isn't always that way. Whenever a student issue does arise it can take up valuable time and cause some other duties to be pushed back. What can save time is the development of a proactive plan for completing the required duties and establishing productive work habits. However, even with the best plans in place some students can be unpredictable and that is when an instructor and their facilitation methods are challenged.
The Online Student's Perspective
Students usually begin their classes from a positive perspective because it represents a fresh start. They hope that their new class is interesting and their new instructor is either the same as the last class, or different if their outcome was not what they had expected. That underscores the reason why challenges arise - students have an expectation about their involvement in the learning process and believe that instructors must conform to it. As students work on the required tasks they will utilize the same work habits from the last class and continue to perform in their most current pattern of productivity. If students are open to feedback and constructive criticism, that work method and approach to formulating their posts and papers will be in flux - adapting when needed as a means of self-improvement. However, for those students who hold a belief that they know best how to perform, they are likely to feel challenged by anything their instructors have to say. How those students respond determines their involvement in class as it progresses, and they always have a choice - maintain appropriate control of their classroom behavior or become uncooperative.
How Online Classes Become Challenging
Online classes are inherently challenging for instructors because there is no visual and verbal connection. They must maintain a highly engaged presence if they are able to keep the class on track. Then there is the challenge of reading students' discussion question posts and developing substantive replies. Feedback is another demanding requirement that is directly tied to students' progress and developmental needs. But those challenges are the same for every class and over time instructors learn how to address them in an effective manner. But student issues are the challenges that become more difficult to address and resolve. It is very easy for a student to hide behind anonymity and believe they are free to say whatever they like.
It seems there is a growing trend among students - those who do not have a filter on their communication and become aggressive, hostile, uncooperative, and defensive. There was a time when a non-responsive student was my biggest challenge as an online educator. Now I find there are students who have no problem expressing their feelings in an unprofessional manner. I'm still surprised when that happens because I reflect upon the time when I was an online student (not that long ago) and I could not imagine speaking to an instructor in an unprofessional manner. But it seems that some students will establish their belief and expectation about learning and refused to change. It is a situation like this that requires a pre-planned strategy.
Strategies to Use When You Are Challenged
#1. Unresponsive Students: If you are paying attention to your class and monitoring students' progress, you know when to intervene when you observe a student who is off track. You hope that with supportive outreach attempts you can get them back on the right course. But if they don't respond, what do you do? The answer is to not give up and encourage them to contact to you through every option that you will allow or have established - including a phone call.
#2. Uncooperative Students: This is the student who will not comply with any request that you have made. It doesn't matter how small or significant the request was, you had a reason for making it. If the student is uncooperative the best approach is to send a message to them and ask for a reply. In addition, ask for contact and express your interest in their development and progress in class. The purpose is to neutralize any emotions that may arise by you or your students.
#3. Disengaged Students: This is the student who is falling off the radar, who is not showing up for discussions, and/or may not be completing their assignments. The best approach for this type of student is to maintain outreach contact attempts until they respond in some manner. The purpose of these outreach attempts is to show them that they are valued and you want to assist them.
#4. Closed-Minded Students: This is the student who does not see the need to change and will not read or utilize the feedback provided in any form. One approach that you can take is to be very specific in the feedback provided and never change in your approach to using that method of feedback. Within that feedback you can ask questions and encourage a dialogue with them. Try to establish a connection so that they eventually come to realize that the feedback provided is personalized and meant to help them.
#5. Students with Unprofessional Communication: This is the student who cannot interact with you without resorting to communication that is unproductive. It may involve a long string of back-and-forth emails as the student tries to win their point of view. What to do in this situation begins with a response that demonstrates a caring attitude and willingness to assist them. Offer a phone conversation so that a connection can be made without the use of email. If they refuse to contact you and continue with their inappropriate communication, remind them of the student code of conduct. You should also follow any protocol in place for contacting other individuals at your school as needed.
Maintaining Standards of Excellence
This is the most important aspect of online teaching - instructors who maintain excellence in their style of facilitation, their interactions with students, and their expectations of students. As an instructor you can hold an expectation that students will provide substantive work, be willing to learn, and also meet the standards that have been established by the school. To accomplish this goal you must do more than facilitate a class and check off each requirement, you must also be open to creating conditions that are conducive to learning. And just as you expect of your students, you must be willing to receive constructive feedback and adapt your instructional methods as needed. When you have students who are challenging, even when you have done your best to create optimal class conditions, you must be prepared to address it quickly and in a receptive manner.
A challenging student is an indicator of a connection that was never fully established or has now been disrupted. And it doesn't matter that you have put in extra effort before with them or the class, you must do so now even more than ever. Every action you take must be done with the intent of establishing a new or renewed connection. This is not about what students will state on their end-of-course evaluations, it is about reaching out and getting through to a student who is stuck, withdrawn, or unable to be involved in the learning process with an open mind. It is up to you to demonstrate your willingness to support their progress. Will it always work? Probably not; however, if you have done your part and offered to assist them you will either see a gradual change or they will remain stuck and continue to struggle. No matter what, never give up your coaching attempts - even with the most challenging students.
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