e-chronicle

E-mail is the most commonly used tool for asynchronous one-on-one communication between the online instructor and student. It is easily accessible at low or no cost; provides the student a sense of connectedness and privacy, ability for convenient and quick transfer of information, and quick response time to their queries; and studies have demonstrated improved student involvement and motivation through e-mail use, as well as improved student writing. However, e-mail communication can involve an extensive amount of time for the instructor, and untimely responses can be detrimental to student connectedness. To use e-mail effectively, the author suggested a number of basic principles to follow, e.g. establish boundaries for how often and when e-mails will be responded, sensitivity to e-mail netiquette, and asynchronous communication norms; use e-mail to provide individual feedback, and use a phone call if an in-depth response is needed; before giving a negative comment constructively, share something positive first; and keep the e-mail positive and personalised.

Dawley, L 2007, ‘E-mail’, in The tools for successful online teaching, Information Science Publishing, Hershey, pp. 50–69. 

This entry was posted on May 17, 2008 at 9:31 pm and is filed under Web 1.0, Web 2.0, communication, e-learning, learning, learning community, sense of community, social learning, web-based learning tools.