Practicing Patience in the Online Classroom

3 February, 2010 (09:16) | Success in the Online Classroom | By: Sandy

Online Students “Patience is a virtue,” as the old saying goes, and it seems to me that it is becoming more and more unusual to find a person who has the virtue of patience. In our world of instant gratification and having most everything we need at the touch of a button, are we as an entire culture becoming more demanding and less patient?

In my role as an online instructor, I find some students who are very polite and respectful, and then there are others who think they are the only students in the classroom. One phone call and one message is not enough, I pick up my phone only to find FIVE phone calls and FIVE messages from the same person. Good grief, Charlie Brown! One will do and I will respond just as soon as I have a moment.

I pride myself in my responsiveness to students. I check for questions, I respond to phone calls, and most of all, from the beginning, I try to convey to students that I am there to help them succeed. So what’s this all about – demanding answers to questions within the hour or leaving a hundred messages on my phone?

I’d just like to say to all students everywhere – traditional or online – “You have classmates, and your instructor, if he or she is doing the right thing, is doing his or her best to meet your needs to provide the assistance you need.” It’s a good thing to remember that “Patience is a Virtue” and a very good one to develop.

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