1. Always be prepared
If the discussion is on a book or reading, make sure you have thoroughly done the required reading before making a comment. In addition, if the discussion is on a video that you were supposed to view, do not participate if you haven't seen the video. Your comments will not be valuable or useful if you have no idea what is going on.
2. Take notes
Takes notes and highlight when reading or listening to class lectures. Doing this will make it easier to bring up the points you have questions about or want to discuss with other students. Have your notes or book handy so that you can quickly refer to quotes and page numbers and other students can subsequently quickly and easily look up what you're referring to.
3. Stay on topic
Even if you liked Nancy Jo's comments in class the other day or Bob's post reminds you of something you saw on television that has absolutely nothing to do with the course, do not post it. These discussion boards or chatrooms are equivalent to an in person academic discussion. If you want to talk to someone about something else privately, make a note to do so and seek him or her out in class or use the network's private message feature to send him or her your note.
4. Be polite
Even if you've never met the others in your classroom discussion, it is important to be respectful of them as if you were talking to them in a classroom environment. Making personal remarks about someone else's intelligence, insulting their comments or any other negative remark is out of line and does not have a place in education.
5. Follow the rules of proper grammar and "netiquette"
This means no typing in all capital letters (which looks like you're yelling) and no typing lIkEtHiS. Remember, this is a formal academic setting and your classmates will want to be able to read what you're saying.
6. Read the rules the teacher has set forth for chatroom or forum discussions before posting or participating
Your teacher may ask that students limit their input to a certain number of comments or require that students provide opinions a preordained number of times. Make sure you follow these guidelines carefully to receive full marks for your participation.
7. Be mindful of the other students
Just as it is annoying in a traditional classroom when some students dominate the classroom's conversation, it can be just as annoying online. Students who are more timid may feel like they can't get a word in edgewise if you're always monopolizing the conversation.
8. Speak up!
Even if you are a more timid type, try and push yourself to make one or two comments past the minimum requirements. This will show your teacher that you are taking his or her course seriously and will help you get to know your other classmates. You may even find you get a bit more out of the course by pushing yourself out of your comfort zone.
9. Focus
This is especially hard in an online setting because no one really knows what you're else doing while you're participating in the chat. In essence, you could have the television blaring or be blasting loud music during the chat or while on the forums. As this is a course and you're usually paying to be there, it is important to take it as seriously as you would any other course. Try and find a place in the house you can go where there is minimal noise and you're away from distractions like children and pets. If your computer isn't portable, ask that others take their conversation to the other room, or close your door so your pets cannot wander in and out and provide distraction. Keep the television off and turn down loud music. Some people may find that music can help them stay focused, so use it at your own discretion. However, it is important to be honest with yourself and not turn on the music if you know it is difficult for you to concentrate while listening.
10. Don't be overly casual
Even if you are best friends with another chatter or poster, it is never appropriate to call someone a nickname or begin to refer to extremely personal events in your life. Stay formal and professional, as if you were talking to peers at work. This doesn't mean you can't be friendly, but you should maintain a line between friendliness and casualness.
11. Take into consideration the things your classmates are saying
A chatroom or discussion board is not a place for you to type out a random monologue about the text or video your class is referring to. Your comments should be relevant to what is being discussed in order to keep the chat going.
12. Excuse yourself if you have to bow out early
If you're on a real time chat, let others know if you have to step out for a moment to attend to children, pets or something else that may have come up. You will usually be able to copy and paste what you missed into a word document so that you can catch up.
While using chatrooms and discussion boards to enhance classroom discussion, or in lieu of personal peer-to-peer contact, is somewhat a new force in technology, if you follow these simple rules, you are likely to have a successful experience.
