Top Netiquette Rules Every Online Tutor Must Follow

Desperate and horrifying situations require immediate attention and effective action. This pandemic has forced everyone around the globe to transfer our education system online while maintaining a social distancing formula, as it is the ultimate cure for the virus. While sincere efforts are made to make the online experience as smooth as possible, there are certain things that the teacher needs to take care of and they cannot be avoided. Similarly, in online classes, there are some mandatory netiquette rules which the teachers are required to follow and practice. It is not a hidden fact that effective and hard-working teachers are the building blocks to effective learning in the classroom, and in the case of online classes, the teaching principles and methods they use are even more vital for making the online learning experience better.

What are the Netiquette Rules?

The majority of the people are aware of the term etiquette and what it carries. In fact, from a very young age, children are taught to behave properly and have good manners. Netiquette rules can be defined as a set of rules that reflect the importance of developing respectful online behavior. These rules tend to change over time due to the ever-changing nature of the online space. To make your task effective and impactful, we have curated a list of important netiquette rules that will help you in simplifying the overall process of online teaching.

Let’s take a look at some of the important netiquette rules for teaching online:

1. Understand and Know Your Technology Well

You can take some time, say an hour, to thoroughly understand and familiarize yourself with the technology. Many companies have started offering online courses and additional training to help in situations like these. As a teacher, it is your responsibility to be very clear and transparent to students about where they should go for technical support. Make sure that the contact information is readily available, and prepare yourself mentally to direct the students.

Related Article: 7 Online Crash Courses That Can Boost Skills Of Your kid

2. Prepare Yourself for Every Type of Emergency

There might be a situation where due to unavoidable circumstances such as a power outage or poor weather conditions, technology will fail, whether it is a video chat not connecting or any particular resource links not working properly. It is advisable to have a well-structured backup plan for all the assignments and assessments that solely rely on technical support. Be transparent in your communication to students about technical failure. For instance, you can put forward a policy that clearly states the actions students can take if they are not able to complete and submit the assignments. You should not be afraid to solve technical problems in real-time, such as during an ongoing class discussion.

3. Maintain Strong Online Presence

For effective learning, try to create your strong online presence, and try to send out messages to all students, by video if possible, and welcome them to online learning. Use video chat rather than using instant messaging while interacting with students, as it will lend a personal touch to your online presence. Encourage students to talk by initiating a conversation on the discussion board. To lighten the load and the mood of the class, make use of non-verbal gestures such as emojis.

4. Set Clear Expectations

The concept of online classes is new for children as well. So, make sure that you make it clear to students how their grades in the course will be determined. Moreover, define and set expectations for the response time. For instance, make it clear that you will respond to their emails and queries within a few hours. Share a comprehensive list of online resources for students and how they can be better online learners.

5. Establish a Sense of Comfort and Create a Community of Learners

It is in your hand to set the mood of your online class. Students look up to you for your tonality. Hence, you should be able to demonstrate enthusiasm about teaching the course online and it will help in alleviating fear, and anxiety. You can kickstart the class by posting a welcome video, a biography, or photos. To make online learning-rich, incorporate instant messaging, web cameras, blogs, and vlogs as this will help in increasing student engagement. You all should strive your best to respond to the community as a whole.

6. Offer Regular Feedback

Perhaps one of the most important netiquette rules for online classes is feedback. Feedback is an essential part of all effective learning environments including online classes. As an online teacher, your feedback will help in creating an effective e-learning experience that is not only informative but also engaging for the learner. Your feedback should be constructive during the ongoing e-learning process so that the students can identify and understand which skills and behavior need to be improvised. For consistent and continuous feedback, you can motivate group feedback through collaborative exercises.

7. Keep the Parents Involved

Apart from interacting and involving the students, you also need to work on establishing and maintaining a stable relationship with the student’s parents. Make sure that you are constantly trying your best to keep the parents involved with engaging communication channels such as weekly newsletters and personal phone calls throughout the academic year.

Related Article: 7 Important Tips For Teachers Taking Online Classes

8. Make Proper Use of Acknowledge Forms

In this online learning environment, you’ll find yourself wondering, “Does anyone read your mails?” To make communication effective add a link to a quick Google Form where a student or their parent will fill in their required information to acknowledge the fact they have carefully read and understood it.

9. Explore Different Teaching Options

Your teaching pattern should reflect an amalgamation of both synchronous and asynchronous teaching. Synchronous teaching through phone calls and live chats will allow students to ask questions. On the other hand, asynchronous activities, such as recorded lectures will enable students to complete their assignments at their speed. Both the styles of teaching and learning have their benefits and are important in their ways.

10. Choose the Right Tools for Your Class

The learning system management that your school has chosen is likely to be the primary tool that you can use for directly managing your communication. You may need to invest in a separate tool such as Google Voice or Zoom or phone calls, live lessons, and video chatting. Well, this is surely a fun part! You can also make use of the important netiquette rules mentioned above to transform your teaching environment and engage your students.

Takeaway

The teachers need to rethink and reinvent their teaching methods which will help in making the online learning experience engaging. In these uncertain times, teachers need to keep their students motivated and consistent in their academic performance. Moreover, they should look out for different ways of teaching that will make online learning fun. All the mentioned pointers will help them in creating a community of efficient learners.
You can also explore the website of PiggyRide and seek guidance from them in improvising your online teaching strategies. You can also explore their workshop section as it will be an excellent addition to your regular online classes. So, let the learning begin with just a single tap.