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[yatchie]

This is my second semester teaching online and I am blown away by students who rarely or just plain do not check their email.  Two weeks have gone by and students still have not purchased access to the course website.  (I'm using MyMathLab.)  I've sent numerous messages the last two weeks warning them that they would be dropped if they don't start the work. 

I know that some of them are waiting on financial aid, and if they had said something like that upfront I could have done something about it.  Others, I'm not quite sure.  I gave them info on how to get temporary access, and I KNOW it does not take a week to get started.  I'm not tenured yet, so I'm not sure how firm to be with these drops.  But two weeks with no work???

[astronomygal]

This is my second semester teaching online and I am blown away by students who rarely or just plain do not check their email.  Two weeks have gone by and students still have not purchased access to the course website.  (I'm using MyMathLab.)  I've sent numerous messages the last two weeks warning them that they would be dropped if they don't start the work. 

I know that some of them are waiting on financial aid, and if they had said something like that upfront I could have done something about it.  Others, I'm not quite sure.  I gave them info on how to get temporary access, and I KNOW it does not take a week to get started.  I'm not tenured yet, so I'm not sure how firm to be with these drops.  But two weeks with no work???

Do you have an instructor withdrawal process? We can have students removed from the rosters after 10 days from the beginning of classes if there is no activity. I usually don't do anything because they will either catch up or drop and I like to leave it up to the student.

If you don't have a process, just stick firm with your syllabus policy, whatever that is (no credit for late work or a percentage off for every day it is late). They are already in the hole, but if they can dig themselves out, that is on them.

[thundering_m]

Listen to Astronomy Gal, Yachtie.

These are adult students who self-select their opportunities to succeed. You are asking an important question related to a very broad layer of your job, which in turn you can explain to your students via the syllabus.

CYA by including many invitations to make contact, and document well your syllabus and cyber communication. Include official missionspeak from your university regarding policies that apply. Publish the 'drop dead' dates for withdrawals with and without penalties. When someone misses a deadline, enter a zero and make the online gradebook viewable by the individual. Include an FYI of how to locate this information the first time you post a grade. Finally, for the online exams, include some metacognitive/reflective questions specific to their decisions regarding frequency of engagement.

[magistra]

They have to purchase access to the website?  Did they know about this before they signed up?  If it's not standard at your school and explicitly stated to online students, this might be a problem for you.

Follow your school's and your syllabus' usual policies for non-attendance.  Students are supposed to be checking their school e-mail no matter what.  This is fairly common in online education, and frankly, part of the reason why it's so popular with admin -- it makes it a cash cow.  Be grateful you have less grading.

[yatchie]

Thanks for your responses -- just needed some confirmation that I'm not being unreasonable.

Yes, they have to purchase access to website (but not a textbook since the online version is included in the cost).  I sent out emails beginning a week before the class with the required supplies, announced it at the mandatory orientation (that about a third of the class chose not to attend), as well in emails for those who registered late.  I've also sent out about three reminders in the last week alone.

Those who have not started working will get dropped this afternoon!

[kedves]

Thanks for your responses -- just needed some confirmation that I'm not being unreasonable.

Yes, they have to purchase access to website (but not a textbook since the online version is included in the cost).  I sent out emails beginning a week before the class with the required supplies, announced it at the mandatory orientation (that about a third of the class chose not to attend), as well in emails for those who registered late.  I've also sent out about three reminders in the last week alone.

Those who have not started working will get dropped this afternoon!

So these holdout students don't have the textbook either?  It sounds as if they are only pretending that they are going to complete the class.  You have done everything possible to help them face the facts. 

[erikjensen]

This is a sad and routine part of online learning in general. You will always have several people who sign up, poke around a tiny bit, and either drop or get a failing grade. The numbers who do this will be significantly more than in your face to face courses. I recommend that you make a reasonable effort to coax them into getting involved (it appears you have done so), and then spend the bulk of your sweat on the students who choose to work. I also recommend allowing higher enrollment than usual so that you can compensate for these non-starters.