Ako Ipurangi: Learning Online

4. Communicating effectively online

• 4. Communicating effectively online

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    Topic 4 'Communicating effectively online' answers the following questions:

    • How do I communicate with my tutor and other students? How will my tutor ensure that I receive important information about my course?
    • What is Messaging? How do I use it?
      
    • What are Chats? How do I use them?
      
    • What are Forums? How do I use them?
    • What are the key differences between Messaging, Chat and Forums?
      
    • Are there any guidelines I should follow when communicating online?

    Click on the questions above to go directly to them.
    

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    How do I communicate with my tutor and other students? How will my tutor ensure that I receive important information about my course?
    
    

    If you have online classes, you will have regular opportunities to communicate with your tutor and other students via Zoom (see Topic 3 for more information about installing and using Zoom).

    Between classes, NorthNet has a variety of tools which you can use to communicate with your tutor and other students:

    • Messaging
    • Chats
    • Forums

    You tutor may also share important information about your course via the Announcements forum. You may also be informed of recent changes or events in your course via Notifications. 

    The following sections of this Topic explain in more detail what these communication tools are and how to use them.  

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    What is Messaging? How do I use it?
    
    

    Messaging is NorthNet's instant messaging tool. It enables you to exchange private messages with your tutor and other students. It is very similar to other instant messaging tools you may have used, like Facebook Messenger.

    To use the Messaging tool, follow the steps below. 

    
    

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    What are Chats? How do I use them?
    
    

    Chats - like Messaging - are a means of communicating with your tutor and other students in real time. 

    The difference between Chats and Messaging is that Chats are created by your tutor for a specific purpose, and all participants communicate via the same chatroom. This contrasts with Messaging where you may have multiple separate chats with different people, and you can use Messaging at any time. 

    Your tutor may use Chat to give you a means of communicating with other students during an activity in an online class. 
    

    Follow the steps below to find out more about Chats and how to use them.   

    
    

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    Example Chat

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    This is an example Chat. 

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    What are Forums? How do I use them?
    
    

    Forums are similar to Chats in that they enable you to exchange ideas with your tutor and other students on a particular topic. However, unlike Chats, Forum discussions are not intended to take place in real time. Contributions to discussions are displayed in chronological order on a messaging board - similar to a Facebook wall - and participants can read them and respond at any time. 

    Follow the steps below to learn more about how to use Forums. 

    
    

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    Example Forum

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    This is an example Forum. 

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    What are the key differences between Messaging, Chat and Forums?

    NorthNet communication tools compared
    	Messaging	Chats	Forums
    Access
    Availability	Any time	Times scheduled by your tutor – typically during online classes	Any time
    Interaction type	Real-time if all participants are online – messages are sent and received instantly and cannot be edited	Real-time – posts are displayed instantly and cannot be edited	Asynchronous – posts can be edited after they are published, and other participants can read and reply any time
    Audience	Private – visible to specific individuals or groups	Public – visible to all course participants and your tutor	Public – visible to all course participants and your tutor
    Format	Text only	Text only	Text, media and files
    Typical use	Communicating instantly with other students for a variety of study-related purposes	Collaborating with other students during an online class	Discussing a topic or question with other students as part of an assignment

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    Are there any guidelines I should follow when communicating online?
    
    

    You may already be used to using text-based messaging services (WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, etc.) to communicate with friends and family. On the face of it, NorthNet's Messaging, Chat and Forum tools are very similar.

    However, an important difference between NorthNet and social media is that it's likely you will be communicating with people who don't know you and who you have never met face-to-face. This has some important implications for how you should communicate.

    Read the guidelines below, and try to follow them when you are interacting with your tutor and other students.