1.3.5 Scenarios

1. Introduction

This section has a little different form of practice. You are asked to challenge yourself with three "Scenarios" describing realistic situations when course participants encounter problems with the learning environment and need your guidance.

Browse through the scenarios and reflect about a possible solution you would suggest. You may ask yourself: If this happened in a course in which I am the trainer, what would I do to deal with the situation? Think about what you would do and how (including the means of communication available in Moodle, like talking privately to the participant using Messages or posting a comment in the Forum, etc.). Perhaps there is a problem with the interface? What tools can you use to diagnose the problem? What Moodle tools can you use to address it? You may like to think about immediate solutions and also if there is anything you could do to avoid a situation like this occurring in the future.

2. Scenario 1

This happened in one of your online courses.

You used a Questionnaire to investigate students' experiences with online learning and Moodle. You know from this pre-course survey that it is the first time Michel is taking an online course. The course is taught in English, which is not Michel’s mother tongue. Unlike other students, Michel has never posted anything in the Forum. However you checked the Logs report and it shows that he logs into the course website every day.

How would you react? What Moodle tools will help you to address this issue and implement your solution?

2.1. Possible solutions

If you suggested using a personal message or email, this is well-chosen. Personal investigation on the issue is definitely the way to start.

First of all it would be best to consider the most evident aspects of this case, like the possibility of a language barrier. There might be different views on the importance of the language skills also depending on the nature of the subject and course level. If we teach English literature, perhaps we have higher expectations. But there are fields, where the language is secondary. Nevertheless, online environments are often based on written communication. It can be an advantage for some, as they have time to think, use dictionary, check spelling etc. On the other hand, it may be a discouraging for those who do not feel confident in writing. Inexperienced online students may need an extra courage to post the first message.

Another thing that comes to mind in this case is that Michel may be “lurking”. Some people prefer to read and observe before participating actively. It may be due to lack of time, personal preference, or a lower level of engagement planned for a course (some courses let students decided on their level of participation). Perhaps trainers working with full-time professionals involved in “on-the-job courses” can relate to the problem of a shortage. But if the activity in a forum is part of the learning assessment, then the facilitator needs to encourage everybody to take part in it.

To finish, reflect on this interesting thought*: “Online silence can be richly expressive of a variety of meanings and forms. These can include reflection on what has been shared and what remains to be shared. One of the greatest advantages of text-based, asynchronous online communication is the time it allows for reflection.” Do you agree? How is it different from the case of silent students in classroom courses?

* Zembilas, M. and Vrasidas, C. (2007). Listening for Silence in Text-Based, Online Encounters. Distance Education, Vol. 28, No 1.

3. Scenario 2

This happened in a Chat session.

The Chat session was meant as an introduction to one of the first topics in an online course, Jean (one of the course participants) comments a couple of times in a negative and rough way on the other participants’ questions and the structure of the upcoming session.

What would you do during (and possibly after) the Chat session? Can you think of ways to avoid this situation? What Moodle tools can help you to implement your solution?

3.1. Possible solutions

In tackling problems in a real-time situation, the reaction has to be immediate.

You may have proposed some personal or one-to- one communication via a private message. This is a good immediate reaction and taking it privately would avoid other participants making comments too. Surely if comments are sent from other participants, these would be with the intention to help, but it could turn the chat into a very uncomfortable situation for the whole group.

Following up with a private email after the chat session would be advisable even if the situation gets into control via private chat with Jean during the session. This would give you the opportunity to further discuss the “rules”, or shall we call it netiquette? You may start the email by giving a good example, but having a standard document with guidelines will also help learners to interact online. In many cases a Netiquette document can be reused in many different courses. (See 1.3.2 Introduce Netiquette and Code of Conduct)

One extra thought which you might also want to consider is if the message was intended to be rough, or whether it was just “more direct”, because the person who was sending it is a non-native speaker. Sometimes typing quickly in a foreign language can unintentionally lead to what sounds like an inappropriate comment. A private chat message, as suggested by many, could help to get a clearer idea of the intention of the comment made. A friendly private message would be a good way for the facilitator to transform an initial uncomfortable situation into a valuable learning moment. This can be very significant in helping a learner “to find an appropriate voice” in a foreign language.

Have you ever felt that others who do not speak the same native language as you may have not interpreted your comments in the way you intended?

4. Scenario 3

This happened in a Forum.

Topic 4 of the online course you are teaching is all about convective storms. You set up an activity asking the students to analyse a case study, which is provided as a .pdf File to be downloaded, and to identify the weather features that are most related to Topic 4. They are supposed to identify and discuss these features in the Forum. When checking the Forum you observe that none of the students mention the most relevant features you were hoping them to find and discuss. Adding to that, as students reply to each other forums’ posts, they are discussing a lot more about one single feature that is not so important to Topic 4. Ann, one of the students, contacts you via email saying she is very frustrated because she cannot understand the reasons that single feature is so important.

What would be your actions in this situation? What Moodle tools can help you to solve it?

4.1. Possible solutions

Some might argue to stop the discussion when it starts to diverge from the main topic stream. Others would suggest to seed the discussion that guide it away from peripheral directions. Let's see what could be a possible solution in this situation.

As facilitators we need to keep balance between redirecting learners to the interesting or important topics, and letting them explore and grow as independent learners. We may need to use more “weaving”* when we work with younger or less experienced learners. Weaving in this context is a strategy involving leading participants’ discussion to a constructive end. For example, a weaving action could be to monitor the activity completion and other available reports, to help to focus or redirect the discussion (during the activity), or to give feedback when the activity is completed. However, depending on the content and task, maybe “a constructive end” simply limits learners’ creativity and forces them to think just like the teacher. Why shouldn’t they explore the way they chose?

Please watch the "Leaders and followers: what tango teaches" video, which interestingly highlights how relationship between learners and teachers is similar to tango dancers, who interchange roles of leaders and followers: 

Link: http://ed.ted.com/featured/ypFEhSjj#review 

Finally, consider that the resources are not adequately getting across what you want. Adding more resources might be useful in this situation. It would be also worth checking if the original resource posted is clearly visible, and checking that the “explanation” was understandable. And you should definitely reply to Ann, like to any other colleague who sends you an email, and thank her for pointing out the limitation of the discussion so far.