Ask Errol! Free

Errol, all I can say is a bunch of thanks to you from my peers and me! We’ve been reading Distance Learning for quite some time, and have learned some valuable info from your columns. And I do have one question, a situation that’s been bugging me for quite some time. I’m no different in this from any other online educator, I suppose, but I have some students who continually miss deadlines of assignments. It seems that no matter what I do—multiple e-mails, even phone calls—the deadlines are still missed. Our school has a policy of X percentage points deducted for every week a student’s assignment is late, and I just hate to do that to a student, but I have no choice. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks!

First: thanks so much for the positive feedback! It’s important for me to hear such comments, by no means for my ego (although it did put a smile on my face!), but rather because it lets me know my efforts in these columns are doing what I intend: helping others become even better online educators! Now, as to your question, it’s one that has been around since the first online course debuted many, many years ago. Many students believe an online course simply has no deadlines because the course is available 24/7. Add to this there is no physical building to access, and the online classroom—and its deadlines—can become somewhat invisible.

From what you write you are doing the two most important items to get students to submit or post on time: numerous emails and phone calls. But in the e-mails it is crucial you play to the students’ initial reason for being in your course: as a component to obtaining a college degree. And always indicate that you understand the student has other things going on in his or her life, but passing your course is certainly a major cog in the student’s life— and getting in assignments on time goes a long way in making that happen. Be sure to ask the student if there is something going on in his or her life that might be getting in the way of a smooth stroll through your course; family emergency, illness, deployment, etc. all can impact the student’s best intentions. (This makes correspondence with the student’s advisor very handy!) Here is where the phone call is especially important, as students will often tell you about problems in their lives more readily in that call than in a somewhat cold e-mail. By no means can you turn around all your students, but doing what you have been doing, yet also adding what I suggested should result in more timely submissions. I know it certainly has worked for me!

Our courses are given to us, and we have to work within the set-up of the course (I teach math). I suppose this is true of all online educators, but I’m not sure, as I’ve only taught online at my current school. Anyway, my problem is one that frustrates me quite a bit: the course could be much, much better—the students often get lost in it or confused by the language of the assignments, and I find myself constantly having to explain assignments to students or remind them where to find this or that component of the course. Making the decision to do something about it is new for me, and I really don’t know how to go about it (nothing has ever been mentioned about changing this course at our school). What should I do?

Remember that the final writing and publishing of a college online course can have one, two, or more authors, plus an editor or two along the way. This translates into one or more folks’ ideas of how a course should be presented in all its parts—assignments, weekly topics, readings, et cetera. And the text you and your students read in every corner of the course also emanates from this course author/those course authors. The end result is a course that simply may not appear “perfect” for every faculty member teaching it. I’ve written or rewritten many online courses, so I know the process well—and the complaints and grumblings that can come from faculty teaching the new or improved course.

When there are minor items that don’t sit well with you—a typo here, stilted language there, perhaps an assignment or two with confusing language—that is not enough to warrant a full course revision. Rather, send your suggestions—never a complaint!—first to your faculty supervisor, always talking (first) about the positives of the course, then add where some minor corrections need be made to result in an even smoother course. But in the case you describe—it appears the entire math course needs a major overhaul—take the time to list each item in the course that you feel could be improved, why it is a problem for the students and/or you, and that you would be happy to help out in any revision of the course. And if you have comments from students—in e-mails or other postings in the class—where students have complained about some area of the course, and you feel the complaint is justified, include those comments, too. You must be as thorough as possible, because what you offer are the questions someone in your school will ask you. (Also: if possible, find out if other instructors teaching the course are having the same problems; include this—but not by name, unless you have permission.) Submit this Need for a Course Revision Worksheet to your faculty supervisor, as you always want to go through the chain of command; he or she will give you directions on what next to do.

I’m writing this to you at about 2 in the morning, after one more very frustrating email from a student in Mexico who was impacted by an earthquake there, and wrote to tell me she cannot get in her assignments on time. But she is not the only one like this: Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma brought similar e-mails—and two phone calls—from students, and I also had two students affected by the fire in Los Angeles! This is an unprecedented number of natural disasters in such a short time, but it has played havoc on folks who teach online. My question: what can I say to these students aside from something like “Hang in there,” “I understand,” and “Don’t worry—I’ll work with you!” These seem so trite. Do have any experience with such students that could result in some info for me and others like me? Thanks, I really appreciate it!

You’re right: online courses have been impacted like perhaps never before over such a short period due to the hurricanes, earthquakes, and fires. (And, yes: I have had many interactions with students whose lives have been turned upside down by such events.) This has put many, many online educators into territory they’ve previously not experienced: working with/interacting with students impacted by these natural disasters. You are right: the expressions you mention are worthless—they give the indication of someone who just doesn’t know what to say—or do. There is little we can do to right the mess these uglies of nature can do to our students, but we can give the impression of teachers who truly care.

First, when disasters like this occur almost always schools immediately come out with missives indicating penalties for late submissions are waived, incompletes have already been approved (for those have difficulty with heir courses due to unexpected interruptions), and students can submit all assignments throughout the course. If not, and you have the authority to do this—do it! Also, when reaching out to these students let them know you will help in whatever way you can to make it easier for them to complete the course, but also stress they should try, as much as possible, to stay active. Additionally, e-mail each of these students, and next call the affected students—whether or not they respond to your e-mail—so they know you really are there for them. For any student whose life has been disrupted by a natural disaster it is a given he or she must know the course faculty member is a compassionate and “I’ve-got-your-back” human, rather than a mere mélange of cold bits and bytes.

Remember: Turtles and many fish have nature “buddies” who help clean them outside and inside—and the turtle and fish shine the better for it.