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Online education should be looked
upon as a social construct where learning is supported by
technology.
- To help build a sense of community
and reduce the feeling of isolation, the facilitator should
encourage students to post their biographical information
in the first online activity.
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| Ways to convey your personality
online: |
Use emoticons
(smilieys :-))
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Use exclamation
points
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| Use phrases typical
of speech (but be careful not to seem rude or unsympathetic) |
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- Interpersonal-communication techniques
are particularly important in an online environment where
there are fewer verbal and physical cues to help smooth
dialogue.
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- The energy and personality of an
online instructor can also be effectively communicated through
the warmth he/she brings to the forum. Many online facilitators
believe that increasing warmth online is a way to reduce
the psychic distance among the forum participants.
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- Another way to bring warmth to
the forum is by treating students uniquely by identifying
them by their names.
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- Creating a friendly, social environment
that promotes learning essential for the success of an online
forum. This can be achieved by promoting collaborative work,
and providing the opportunity for other interactions through
the development of a café where students are free
to discuss intellectual and personal matters on their own.
(Figure F3)
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