I’ve worked on many group projects while in college and one thing I’ve learned is that being able to communicate with both my instructor and my peers is the key to being successful. This week I learned even more tips that I believe will be helpful to other college students. The first important tip I have for other students is to make relationships with your peers and instructor. Taking the time to get to know them and their schedules can be crucial to making a project work. Each time you reach out to someone over email, for example, it is important to make sure you take to time to read over what you wrote to check for spelling errors or any language that could be considered to be offensive. Sometimes you may want to make a joke or use sarcasm in an email, but I would avoid this since it is very easy for a miscommunication to occur over email. This happens because they can’t see your body language or hear the tone of your voice, so the other person may just think you are being rude. It is also frowned upon to use all capital letters in order to get a point across and express anger in an email. If you do this, an instructor or peer will be less likely to feel the need to help you. In order to ensure your success with a group project, try to avoid miscommunications like these. Finally, the most important concept to always keep in mind when communicating and collaborating with your instructor and peers is to remain professional. A student should use the correct title when addressing an instructor and verify what class they are in so they aren’t left guessing. You should also make sure to ask questions nicely and end the message by saying something like “thank you for your help” so that they know you appreciate them taking the time to answer your questions. This same courtesy should be extended to your peers when communicating with them as well. No matter what type of online communication you use, these tips will always be useful because being professional and sincere will always be of value.
(Tips retrieved from: Watkins, R. & Corry, M. (2014) e-Learning companion: a student’s guide to online success. (4th ed.). Chapter 6 Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.)
Emily,
I enjoyed reading you blog. I really liked a few points that you went over. I really like the tip in regards to getting to know your instructors and peers. I agree with this because I feel like other people have different ideas that can contribute positively to our academic experience. I also liked the point that you made in regards to sarcasm and tone. I believe that it is very important to watch how you present things in writing online. Lastly, I am a firm believer in treating people with respect as you mentioned towards the end of your blog. Thank you for contributing this information.