A crucial aspect in the learning process is developing effective communication between the instructor and the student. Effective communication can help develop a healthy rapport between the student and instructor as well as lessen the difficulty in delivering instruction. This can be difficult in the online environment as many of the typical communication indicators are lost. In the online environment, the student is typically "invisible" to the instructor concerning many social indicators. One social indicator that is apparent is the students' gender, and knowing this might help effect better communications better the instructor and the student.
von Neuforn (2007) noted men and women have different perceptions of online communication in three different areas: length of communication, address in communication, and sentence length. Regarding the length of communication, men tended to prefer shorter communiqués as they perceived such communication as concise and to the point. Women, in the study, tended to favor longer communications as lengthier communication indicated more interest by the instructor. The findings also indicated a divergence between men and women regarding the address (greeting) initiating the communication by the instructor. Women indicated formal greeting as important, while men perceived formal greetings as less salient. Regarding sentence length, the findings from the study indicated men preferred shorter sentences as shortness indicated conciseness, while women preferred lengthier sentences as lengthiness was associated with involvement and attachment by the instructor.
The general findings of the study indicated there are importance differences regarding how men and women perceive online communication, and this could be important toward how online instructors communicate with their students. Communication in the online milieu has limitations and understanding how to communication to students in the most effective manner can improve the educational process. There is, however, the danger of stereotyping student based on their gender, as differences between population-groups certainly exist. The findings are nonetheless interesting and could be helpful in determining how we communicate with our students. I hope to hear your thoughts on this subject and if you perceive gender-specific communication to be applicable in an asynchronous communication environment.
Reference:
von Neuforn, D. S. (2007). Gender gap in the perception of communication in virtual learning environments. Interactive Learning Environments, 2, 209-215. doi:10.1080/10494820601104899
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4 Comments
Eric, you bring up some very thought provoking points, and I'm sure the research findings are accurate. However, I do think to a large extent we online instructors need to be true to ourselves. If you are a woman and are very verbal (and not all are), then by all means express yourself in large paragraphs, being careful of wearing yourself out in the process. But if you are a guy and you value brevity (and not all do), then by all means keep your posts to the point, being careful of being too abrupt. Both forms of communication may be equally effective.
The important thing is that we acknowledge the value of the one we are addressing, that we show appropriate concern or tone, that we engage the student in a way that challenges and brings out their best, that we present ourselves as approachable and eager to help. The most serious problem with online communication is what is missing. Our students cannot hear the tone of our voice or see the expression on our face, so we need to be sure our words are sufficiently expressive so as not to offend or be misunderstood.
David
Hello David:
I think you bring up a very salient point concerning how we need to "be true to ourselves" within the classroom setting. Attempting to create a false persona within the classroom can create less then optimal results regarding student learning, as we should try to bring our whole selves to the classroom. I do think, however, that we should attempt to orient our communication to the individual student - based upon what we know about them - as much as possible, though this is often limited. True, knowing a student's gender is not a panacea toward how we communicate, but it can be part of improving the communication process. As you noted, the online modality is limiting in how we communicate, and try to individualize our communication to students can help improve the learning process.
Thanks,
Eric
Hello Eric and David,
I'm new to online teaching and I benefit from your exchanges.
Might a useful assignment for a research class be a reflective one in which the learners examine the qualities of communication in the class in conjunction with reading more formal research on learner demographics?
So interesting!
--Pam
Hello Pam:
I think that is a great idea. Having students study online communication, and the possible affects that learner demographics have on communication, could be an excellent way to improve communication within the online setting. Students then could draw connections to how they prefer to receive online communication and extrapolate from there. What might the assignment look like?
Thanks,
Eric