Norms for class community
Another person’s discussion post reminded me the importance of establishing class norms. In any course, communication and how students communicate with each other are important and establishing class norms is an important step to take when creating a community of learners. Through discussion of norms, I can remember several online course I have taken where one of our assignments was to establish norms for communicating. Setting up how to speak appropriately, when to respond to one another, and when to start discussions were just a few of the important norms that I can remember coming up with. In my course, I would like to include the establishment of class norms for communicating as another ice-breaking activity. I think having students, especially those who are new to the online learning environment, set up appropriate rules/standards for communicating and interacting with one another will make them more aware of norms and what to expect. It also shows students the importance of careful verbal communication in online learning since there is no face to face contact. Establishing class norms, a page I came across, gives examples of activities online instructors can use to involve students in creating guidelines in how to conduct themselves in online learning environments. Something as simple as asking student to come up with a list for acceptable class behavior can be discussed. This is also an easy and effective way for students in the f2f class to develop class rules, and create a sense of community. (3)
