DoIT's Early January Events

Coping with Student Incivilities in the Online Environment (sponsored by the Instructional Technology Council)

• Date: January 9, 2007
• Time: 1:00-2:00PM
• Location: Your computer and telephone
• Cost: $25.00
• Registration: contact Sarah Stark DoIT Director, at 847.925.6805 before the event for registration and support for event cost)

Respectful conduct is vital to academic endeavors. Unfortunately, faculty, staff, and administrators must often contend with discourteous student behaviors. Incivilities affect the instructor’s capacity and desire to teach, the students’ ability to learn, and create emotional distress for all involved. Whether passive or overt, these disruptions are difficult to cope with, in part, because of their wide variety and often ambiguous nature. However, if not addressed, disrespectful behaviors rarely diminish, and will often escalate.

Although this program explores student behavior, the emphasis is not on the student, but on how we as educators can best approach these difficult situations. In the online environment these incivilities can be especially severe, because some students choose to write extremely inappropriate statements that they most likely would never say to a classmate or instructor in-person. What proactive strategies will reduce the occurrence of incivilities in the first place? And when incivilities do surface, what tactics minimize their negative impact on the class.

Discussion topics will include: student, faculty, and institutional factors influencing incivilities, proactive strategies for minimizing the incidence of incivilities before they occur, strategies for dealing with incivilities after they occur, reflective listening techniques, emotional impact of uncivil behaviors, and, increasing awareness on campus.