Communicating You won't have all those non-verbal cues you get in the classroom and neither will your instructor. You will see each other through words on the screen. You will talk to your instructor privately via e-mail and publicly on the course bulletin Board along with other students. Your instructor's role will be less than that of a distributor of information and more that of a guide or resource for you in exploring an area of knowledge. We encourage our online faculty to tailor their teaching to the more collaborative and interactive model of the web.
Participation is mandatory for every student.
Effective communication is always critical to success. It's even more important in the online environment because the instructor can't see your frown or hear the question in your voice. You'll be responsible for initiating more contact and for being persistent and vocal when you don't understand. Your instructor wishes to help. Write your question and send it along, express your confusion, your concern, and be direct.