Hi, Jim et al…

I’ve taught a completely online course for SUNY Albany for five years or so.  Before I started teaching there, I heard horror stories of how online classes would devolve into verbal brawls.  (Actually, one of my professors there, who is now a dean, came to class one evening near tears over the behavior in his discussion boards.) 

In a bid to head that problem off at the pass, I instituted a discussion during the first week of my class in which we discuss how we will treat one another. Asking them to have that discussion annoys a couple of students at first, but once they engage in it, they realize that they’re dealing with real human beings on the other end of the Internet who have real emotions, real fears, and real goals that are tied up in their learning in this course.  Many of them thank me for having the conversation.

From their discussion, I draw up a “Norms Document” to which I ask them to add, discuss further, or agree.  They always agree.  And the document is always pretty much the same.  I have only seen one – very mild – argument in my course. In that case, I stepped in and said, “Hey – remember – we’re civil here. Please refer to the Norms Document.”  The women promptly apologized to one another and the argument ceased.

Amy

From: Teaching Breakfast List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Jim Greenberg
Sent: Thursday, April 30, 2009 9:46 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Taylor Piece in NYT

Some (many) or even all of you may have read the Taylor piece in the NYT on the end of the university.  The link to it is:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/27/opinion/27taylor.html

The piece itself has generated a lot of discussion, but this email is on a different issue.  While reading the comments on this piece, I noticed there are many hostile remarks back and forth and wonder about "the decline of civil discourse." What has been your experience with students involved with electronic discourse in your courses?  What about outside courses?  What has been your personal experience?  Is the electronic medium causing a decline in civil discourse?

Thanks.

Mr. James B. Greenberg
Director Teaching, Learning and Technology Center
Milne Library
SUNY College at Oneonta
Oneonta, New York 13820

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