What Your Online Body Language Says About You Originally published by eLearning Industry Jan 21st 2016

Everyone knows that your body language conveys much –if not more– than what you say. And we usually approach the online environment as if there were no body language. But there is another way to look at this: Your online body language can be powerful as well as body language in person.

If you are not investing your full self into your online courses, your online body language says that you don’t care about your student. If your course is set up as a list of files to open and links to read –without dialogue, images, activities, or engagement from you– then no matter what you contend, your online body language says that the students as individuals –people who have ideas and experiences to contribute to the learning experience– are not very important to you.

If your courses are mainly a series of multiple-choice tests based on the readings or PowerPoints, then your online body language is challenging; your arms are crossed; perhaps you are stifling a yawn. Go ahead, try and pass this course. I actually don’t care whether you do or not. You may find that your students end up yawning as well, and leaving your course unimpressed and more than ready to forget the material.

On the other hand, if your course is made up of links to an outside subscription site, where students have to pay as part of their textbook cost, what your online body language is saying is Leave me alone. There’s the material, over there to study. It’s enough that I have to enter all these grades! Not only are the students paying for something that you probably could provide them (with some effort and Open Educational Resources), your attitude in many cases negatively affects how they feel about the subject and the class. Not to mention how they feel about you.

If your course is devoid of images to illustrate ideas and stimulate discussions, without giving the students different ways to show that they understand the content, your online body language conveys the fact that you have no understanding of the diverse learners you have in your class, and little patience with those who don't already know what you know. Your online body language in this case is dismissive; if you can’t learn content the same way I remember having to learn it, then go somewhere else. (And you may find that students actually can go somewhere else, and may very well do so.)

It’s Not Too Late To Change

Fortunately, online body language can be changed. If you really want your students to enjoy learning, your attitude counts more than your knowledge. You can adjust your online body language by being aware of how strongly it “speaks” to your students, and revise your course to reflect your new online body language. Consider raising your awareness of different learning styles, exploring some online tools that may be useful for you, taking or finding some photos and utilize them in your course. Create a discussion around a topic that allows students to share their ideas; have them create videos, upload photos, and become part of the fabric of your course. Build on that energy; allow your course to be a place where everyone is leaning forward, across their desks, collaborating and learning.  This feeling can be created online, with an engaged online body language.

You can even insert a quick survey into a current course; ask your students what is working for them, what they are confused about, and what their biggest challenge is in your course. Experiment with some different ideas – consciously leaving your own comfort zone is a great way to mentor a growth mindset with your students.

If you engage your students with a variety of activities, provide personal feedback on assignments, boost your curriculum by taking advantage of the internet tools and resources, and provide safe places for formative assessments (such as practice tests), lots of visuals and a clear direction for success, your body language says: I care about you. I want you to succeed.  I am here to help. Your smile is genuine; your voice is sincere. Your online body language can pull struggling –sometimes even reluctant– students along.

Yes, online body language exists. Be aware that no matter what you say (or write) your online body language has a strong effect on your students.

Promoting Professionalism, Inclusiveness, and a Growth Mindset in a Week Zero course

Our new week zero is being rolled out as I type, and I've thus far read more than 200 assignment submissions, and responded to them individually.  What I am seeing is that our students are determined, motivated, eager to learn, with a lot of life experience and demands, from a variety of  backgrounds and cultures. 

I'm from China. I‘m currently taking an  ESL course to improve my English skills. I love children very much and I want to be a teacher in the future,  so I will taking the child development associate course in the summer quarter.

I work full time on the graveyard shift that is why I am taking this course online. I have three children two of them are grown and out of the house but I do have a 7 year old still home so I am hoping to better my life so that someday I can do this from home and open my own business and be successful at both jobs.

The material in this course was put together so that students can navigate in the new Canvas platform, with lots of step-by-step guides and images; in many ways, what one can expect from an introductory Canvas course. But it was also constructed with three other somewhat unique but important concepts in mind. 

1. Creating a Campus-wide Community

First of all, I wanted students to feel that they are part of a campus-wide learning community. They are welcomed into this community on the homepage with an RTC class holding a welcome sign. From the start, they can see that they are part of something bigger, and by seeing faces like their own on the front page, they can see that they are not alone on their voyage. Many of our students are coming back to college for worker retraining after many years away from school, or from other countries and cultures; the more they feel included, the more successful they will be. 

One of the assignments was to practice posting to a discussion forum with a short self-introduction, which allows people to see each others' the goals and backgrounds. It also has the *option* of replying to another post. This immediately started conversations that connected people across campus.

Glenda, I have a four legged kid as well! They are the best :)

Hi Liza! I'm also interested in becoming a surgical tech as well! It's nice to meet you! 

2. Connecting Canvas to Careers

I also wanted to tie the ability to use Canvas to digital literacy (creating a personal bio and choosing an image that represents who you are) as well as our college mission statement, which is to to put a diverse population to work.  Being a productive member of the work force means computer literacy, no matter what field you enter.  Using Canvas is a direct tie-in to their career goals.  One of our instructors, Sarah Zugschwerdt, created a great infographic to bring this point home. 

In their own words

One of their assignment options was to talk about how much Canvas experience they have, and whether they like working on a computer: by calling this out on a personal level, students have the opportunity to express their relationships to computers.

I strongly enjoy working on a computer. I've always done a better work. Somehow, I just feel more inspired, more interested. My computer is my ally, my friend, and my confident. 

I enjoy being able to do homework by myself, on my computer and getting motivated to work at home instead of spending my time for useless things. It is highly motivating, and it makes me feel more comfortable about my work. 

I enjoy the freedom working on a computer allows me, because it enables me to complete assignments/projects whenever I have the time to, (whether this be early morning or late at night), so I would say I really do enjoy working on a computer because it allows me the flexibility to make my own schedule. 

So far, no one has said they dislike working on a computer altogether. Asking this question and allowing the student to answer in their own words has the student acknowledging and owning the concept: Computers are important and useful, and they actually - for the most part - enjoy using them. 

3. Promoting a Growth Mindset 

Promoting a growth mindset was also a focus of this short course: rather than the common "is eLearning right for you?" quiz approach, I created an infographic with the message that anyone can develop the habits of success, and illustrates simple ways to do it. Enough of the false divisions between people who "can" and "can't" do online learning; our courses all include some aspect of it, and everyone CAN do it. 

Numerous resources were also introduced, such as campus resources that include our library and student resource center and virtual help like eTutoring and AskWa.  But for our many students with few college-ready skills I also included links to free online resources for working on math and typing. Making personal use of the internet capabilities is crucial to creating lifelong learning habits. No student should have to feel they need to wait for someone else - or always pay money - to learn. 

Since the course is being rolled out with the new year, one of the practice assignment options is to share their new year's resolution. Having students consider and write their goals is a way to encourage them to carry them out, and anyone who chose this option received  a personal response.

New Year's Resolution: Pass my Aerospace Tooling course.

My New Year's resolution is to be better to myself and my family in the future.

My New Year's resolution is to do well on my first quarter at RTC.

The only quiz in the course, covering some of the important concepts, was set up as a practice quiz, allowing students to take it as many times as needed.  Practice quizzes are a great way to have students see how much they have learned in a safe environment. But the bulk of the interactions were on sharing, encouraging, and celebrating excitement about learning. 

It is a Week Zero course that sets the stage for success not just by presenting information, but by engagement on a personal level, connecting the course goals with personal and professional growth, and rewarding effort. Creating an inclusive community of learners, communicating with them as individuals,  and focusing on how much they CAN do as well as giving them tools for success is what this course is about.  I am looking forward to seeing how it plays out within the larger picture at the college; after all, it is just one part of the pathway to success. 

It has been over 20 years since I graduated from high school and didn't even think I would make it through my first quarter. But with the help of my classmates and awesome instructors I made it. Now I have the confidence to push forward and earn a degree. With this being said, thank you for your time and aloha!