Etiquettes to follow during online classes

The current state of the world has confined us to our homes at a time when social distancing is very important. This has led to closures of major places of interactions such as malls, restaurants, and schools. Prolonged closures threaten to disrupt the general flow of life; however, efforts are being made to keep disruptions to a minimum. Major schools and universities all around the world have introduced online learning and some Bangladeshi schools and universities have also launched similar programmes. However, before students can jump onto his/her laptop and join that conference with the rest of the classmates, they need to make sure they know the proper etiquettes which should be followed during an online class.

Although most of these are common sense, many people lack these etiquettes which warrants writing an article on the topic.

Maintaining a professional appearance and attire: Although students will be accessing classes from the comfort of their home, it is still a professional setting and their faculty/teacher will still be watching all. Learners are advised to maintain a professional attire throughout the duration of the class as this will show their dedication and grooming to their teacher as well as the rest of the class. Now this does not mean one needs to be all suited up but just maintain the bear minimum as one would in a regular class.

One can only choose to dress up for the part that will be visible on camera. However, one can completely ignore this step if the class is audio-based only.

Knowing the tool(s) well beforehand: Students need to know the ins and outs of the specific tool used by their teacher and take some time beforehand to learn all the features. This can save an attendee probable embarrassment in the live classes by avoiding unintentional errors. There are many blooper videos online where students end up making embarrassing errors because they were not too well versed with the call software the class was using. One student even ended up muting the teacher by mistake without realising it. Taking precautions is a must if a student is not familiar with the online tool his/her class uses.

Being wary of the environment: Since most of the students are accessing online classes from homes they need to be wary of their surroundings while accessing classes so as not to cause any distraction or disruption to sessions. It needs to be ensured that the person is in a quiet place during class so that there are no sudden sounds which can be heard by the entire class. If someone is attending a video call, he/she needs to make sure a plain background behind so that it is not distracting for others. Moreover, nobody should want other participants to catch a glimpse of their personal life more than required.

Not mixing it up with other online platforms: Even though most platforms have video conferencing and chat features, it is better not to mix it up with social media sites. It is still only to be used for official communication and one should refrain from sharing irrelevant information and media. Proper grammar and punctuation should be used while interacting on platforms. Students need to be respectful of others and keep humour and sarcasm in check as well. Also, although tempting but they need to avoid using emojis and abbreviations like lol, rofl, and XD.

Being punctual: Participants should follow the timetable of the class very strictly. It is still a classroom session and punctuality is a must. Participants need to be sure to keep some time for logging in and unexpected technical difficulties. Joining mid-way can be very distracting for other participants and will not be viewed too favourably by the instructor either. This advice also extends to all assignments and submissions that are time-bound. It is important to try to submit well within time to avoid penalties.

Active participation: Online class need to value the fact that teachers are going out of their way to adjust to this new form of teaching. They are doing this so that students may continue to learn despite school closures. This mode of teaching will only be successful if everyone participates and contributes to the discussion. It is a two-way street that works by paying attention and actually learning from the sessions, otherwise they will be ineffective. Not only connecting to the class, but also trying to engage in the discussions are crucial for everyone.

Maintaining regular classroom etiquettes: At the end of the day, participants of an online class need to remember that it is a classroom setting, consisting of all learners' classmates and teachers. Students need to follow all the etiquettes they would in a regular classroom. A lot of university and professional courses are taught online, so this be an opportunity to learn proper online classroom etiquettes.

The writer has completed BBA from IBA, University of Dhaka and is currently working in a telecommunication company of the country. He can be reached at
[email protected]