Most of the rules for general classroom participation are the same in an online course. Keep the following tips in mind and you’ll be well on your way to a positive online learning experience.
- Be yourself. Do not attempt to be overly formal, overly persuasive, or overly eager to belong.
- Share. Sharing requires both expressing your own feelings and experiences, but also reading and appreciating the feelings and experiences of others.
- Be willing to accept the views of others, even if they have quite different backgrounds or positions, are not as knowledgeable or capable of expressing themselves in writing, or seem to break some of the rules of netiquette.
- Don’t be afraid to express your feelings or to ask for help if you are upset by or confused about a topic.
- One experienced online community member listed being “intellectually honest” as the most important piece of advice she would give to participants in an online community. This means you should be able to look at issues from other perspectives, to make decisions based on facts and logic rather than emotion, and to constantly consider and reconsider your position and be willing to change your mind when necessary.
By Online Learning Tips Staff
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