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Jul 22, 2020

7 Digital Learning Environment Etiquette Tips

National Holistic Institute takes pride in helping you develop a career in massage therapy that you will love.

As a student at NHI, you will be mentored by a team of dedicated professionals committed to your success. The expectations for online learning and classroom learning are the same however, with a few variances. For example, in-person your instructor and peers can pick up on an immense amount of verbal and nonverbal cues that help them understand your reasoning and thoughts. In an online classroom environment, students only have written words to rely upon and must interpret meaning through context clues.

Online etiquette in a digital learning environment is very important. We may not have cues like body language and facial expressions to help others understand your thoughts and concerns like you would in a on campus classroom setting.

Here are seven tips on how to make sure the communication you intend to convey is received properly!

 

Be Respectful

If you would not say it to someone’s face, please do not say it online. It is so easy to be received as “critical” when you cannot see how your comments may directly affect another. Keep in mind the perception, feelings and opinions of others even if they differ from your own. Avoid sarcasm and typing in all caps to prevent any misunderstandings.

 

Check Your Grammar and Spelling

In an educational setting, your communication will be professional. Misspelled words and grammatical errors are often frustrating to the reader and can cause your message to be lost in translation. While making an effort to use proper grammar, be gracious when it comes to other’s mistakes. Constantly calling out or drawing attention to your classmates’ typos is not kind nor proper netiquette. Always feel free to ask for clarification when needed.

 

Cite Your Sources

During online discussions, you will want to remain authentic and credible. If you use the intellectual property of others to come to a conclusion or support an argument, make sure you give the proper credit. Assigning proper credit when referencing sources is a sign of being a respectful and trustworthy participant. This is a standard protocol and a legal obligation we have as students. At NHI we call this “Spot lighting” our partner or collaborative group.

 

Avoid Short and Generic Replies

Replies such as, “Yes”, “No” or “I agree” without follow up, prohibits the depth of class discussions and also from moving forward with the discussion topic.  At NHI we prefer to have “open ended discussions” which helps us better serve our clients.

Ask for your classmates’ input or pose a question about a point that was made earlier. Include supporting evidence for your stance during a discussion. Being thorough in your discussion responses helps you and other students learn about classroom topics from a different point of view.  When we are more engaged in conversations, we are also retaining more of the knowledge!

 

Review Before Submitting

If you feel misunderstood while chatting with someone face to face, you have an “in the moment” opportunity to rephrase your words to provide clarity. However, when we communicate through written word, we must work twice as hard to be understood clearly since there is not an opportunity to provide clarity in real-time.  Remember, once it is written in the cyber world, it is there forever.

 

Follow the Proper Procedures for Submitting Your Work

Your success is important to us, whether online or in-person.

We know it is imperative to understand how your instructor prefers you to submit your classwork via the online learning format. Pay attention to your instructor’s assignment submission requests, for example, acceptable file formats and specific naming criteria.

This will help prevent your work from getting “lost” among all other classmates’ submissions and aides in keeping your instructor organized.

 

Remember, What Goes on the Internet, Stays on the Internet

NHI takes your safety as a student seriously. Please do not share any personal information about yourself or others that will put someone at risk. Be aware of your comments and submissions online, once you submit it, it cannot be taken back. This includes pictures and any social media postings without expressed consent.

 

While the online learning environment is different than being in-person, the value of the material remains the same, high quality!

With this, we welcome all our students to embrace this new environment until we can be together on campus again, and hope YOU are as excited as we are in starting your journey at National Holistic Institute and “Having Work You Love!”

Learn more about NHI and becoming a massage therapist by chatting with an admissions representative today! Fill out the form to get more information.