By ALICIA FEYERHERM
Tiger Media Network
Online Student Government Association (OSGA) hosted its first Town Hall on Wednesday. The event featured FHSU faculty members as well as members of OSGA and was open to online students.
“Our goal, both in this discussion and future panels, is to strengthen communication, deepen understanding, and foster mutual respect between faculty and online students,” OSGA President Heather Flick said.
One of the main topics discussed was engagement with online students.
Matthew Clay, an assistant professor in Teacher Education, said one of the biggest challenges with teaching online courses is the lack of body language and tone of voice to determine if students truly are grasping the material.
“Losing that facial expression component, I feel like it’s really difficult,” Clay said.
OSGA Public Relations Officer Eileen Moore said she had a professor who recorded a short introductory video and being able to put a face to the name made all the difference.
“Just that one simple little two-minute video, I will be honest, carried me through the semester,” Moore said.
CD Clark, a professor in Physics, said he puts his students into Microsoft Teams groups so that they can message him there instead of sending an email.
“I like that much better than email because it’s much more just sort of like a conversation,” Clark said.
The more informal nature of the communication can make students feel more comfortable asking for help.
Attendees said it is important for professors to cultivate an environment where students feel comfortable asking for help, but they also need to be able to provide that help in a timely manner.
“If you email me on a weekday, my golden rule is always 24 hours,” Associate Professor of Social Work Tami Radohl said.
One online student mentioned that the weekends are the only times they are able to work on coursework, so having professor availability during that time is important to them. Radohl said she understands this and does occasionally answer emails on the weekends, but she also has to be cognizant of how her actions impact those around her.
“On the other hand, I have to be really careful because if I set that precedent and my other colleagues can’t do that, now we’re creating issues within the department,” Radohl said.
While professor-student relationships are very important in online classes, professors recognize the importance of peer-to-peer interactions as well.
In addition to discussion boards and Yellowdig, professors have utilized other methods of connecting students.
“The other thing that we have done is, and don’t throw things at me through the screen, I do use sometimes even though I love them and I hate them at the same time, group projects, if they’re done correctly,” Radohl said. “And I want to say that because not all group projects are created equal.”
Radohl explained the variety of difficulties faced by online group projects, including different time zones and schedules, but said they can provide value and make students feel more connected to their classmates.
When asked to describe what an ideal online class looks like, online student Stephanie Kerr said organization was most important.
“I have taken many different classes,” Kerr said. “I absolutely love the ones that are organized, and I try to pick that same teacher again.”
One of Kerr’s biggest frustrations is when there is outdated or incorrect information. The syllabus, Blackboard shell and gradebook should be in alignment.
“I would say eight out of ten are usually not organized and there’s mismatching data and it’s very confusing for online students,” Kerr said.
OSGA Senator Allyson Baloga added on to that, saying that detailed feedback enhances the learning experience.
“Zero out of five, 10 out of 15, that isn’t as helpful as getting more thorough feedback,” Baloga said.
Flick thanked everyone for attending and said OSGA plans to continue this town hall series in the future as these conversations can lead to change.
“Let’s take what we’ve learned tonight and continue to build those connections, work towards positive change together, because ultimately we’re all on the same team, right?” Flick said.