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[debvk]

I have never taught an on line course and have a few questions for those of you teaching on line.  How does one taking an on line course learn about the diverse cultures of the individuals within the class? I am assuming students can be located globally.  Are their specific expectations of the instructor and students when interacting on line related to diversity? and Do instructors complete ethnic diversity training sponsored by the institution or engage in some other professional development opportunity?

[spork]

No.

You'll have to find another way to do your research.

[irinabaker]

I have never taught an on line course and have a few questions for those of you teaching on line.  How does one taking an on line course learn about the diverse cultures of the individuals within the class? I am assuming students can be located globally.  Are their specific expectations of the instructor and students when interacting on line related to diversity? and Do instructors complete ethnic diversity training sponsored by the institution or engage in some other professional development opportunity?

My students create personal Web Pages and introduce themselves. I teach Math that is why there are not that many issues connected to diversity.

[octoprof]

I have never taught an on line course and have a few questions for those of you teaching on line.  How does one taking an on line course learn about the diverse cultures of the individuals within the class? I am assuming students can be located globally.  Are their specific expectations of the instructor and students when interacting on line related to diversity? and Do instructors complete ethnic diversity training sponsored by the institution or engage in some other professional development opportunity?

My students create personal Web Pages and introduce themselves. I teach Math that is why there are not that many issues connected to diversity.

My students are required in the first few days to post a self-introduction and photo in a designated discussion area.

[glowdart]

My students are required in the first few days to post a self-introduction and photo in a designated discussion area.

As are mine. 

The kind of diversity you get depends on your institution.  The most "diversity" we see is traditional students and non-traditional students (age & attendant life situations).  There are other schools where you might actually have people from all over the place and people who are posted (military, work, etc.) all over the place.  I'd check with your school and see who normally enrolls in your on-line classes. 

[neutralname]

I've thought about asking online students to post photos.  I already ask them to introduce themselves.  How does it work asking them to do photos?  Does it make any practical difference?  I quite like students and myself not knowing what the students look like precisely because it reduces the risk of being affected by their looks.

[octoprof]

I've thought about asking online students to post photos.  I already ask them to introduce themselves.  How does it work asking them to do photos?  Does it make any practical difference?  I quite like students and myself not knowing what the students look like precisely because it reduces the risk of being affected by their looks.

If you ask them to introduce themselves in the discussion forum, just also ask them to attach a photo to their self-introduction.  It gives me a face and a mental image AND if they happen to show up at my office door, I at least have a clue who they are.

There's virtually no subjective grading in my course, so I think it's unlikely I'd ever be swayed by looks. I don't believe I am in traditional teaching, either.

[neutralname]

I've thought about asking online students to post photos.  I already ask them to introduce themselves.  How does it work asking them to do photos?  Does it make any practical difference?  I quite like students and myself not knowing what the students look like precisely because it reduces the risk of being affected by their looks.

If you ask them to introduce themselves in the discussion forum, just also ask them to attach a photo to their self-introduction.  It gives me a face and a mental image AND if they happen to show up at my office door, I at least have a clue who they are.

There's virtually no subjective grading in my course, so I think it's unlikely I'd ever be swayed by looks. I don't believe I am in traditional teaching, either.

I don't think I am either, but most of the social science research suggests that people are more swayed by extraneous factors than they believe they are.

[octoprof]

I've thought about asking online students to post photos.  I already ask them to introduce themselves.  How does it work asking them to do photos?  Does it make any practical difference?  I quite like students and myself not knowing what the students look like precisely because it reduces the risk of being affected by their looks.

If you ask them to introduce themselves in the discussion forum, just also ask them to attach a photo to their self-introduction.  It gives me a face and a mental image AND if they happen to show up at my office door, I at least have a clue who they are.

There's virtually no subjective grading in my course, so I think it's unlikely I'd ever be swayed by looks. I don't believe I am in traditional teaching, either.

I don't think I am either, but most of the social science research suggests that people are more swayed by extraneous factors than they believe they are.

I'm sure you are right about that. However, the worry about being swayed by looks is not so important to me as the need for students and professor to feel less like the class is one with robots and nameless or faceless beings that may or may not really exist.

[proftowanda]

I've thought about asking online students to post photos.  I already ask them to introduce themselves.  How does it work asking them to do photos?  Does it make any practical difference?  I quite like students and myself not knowing what the students look like precisely because it reduces the risk of being affected by their looks.

If you ask them to introduce themselves in the discussion forum, just also ask them to attach a photo to their self-introduction.  It gives me a face and a mental image AND if they happen to show up at my office door, I at least have a clue who they are.

There's virtually no subjective grading in my course, so I think it's unlikely I'd ever be swayed by looks. I don't believe I am in traditional teaching, either.

I don't think I am either, but most of the social science research suggests that people are more swayed by extraneous factors than they believe they are.

So let them post photos of someone else, as so many do on the internetz, anyway. 

How would you know?  For those already asking for photos, how do you know?  Some campuses automatically do this with campus ID photos, but otherwise. . . .

[jljoseph39]

Diversity is more than just looks.  Diversity extends to learning styles and preferences.  A quick survey can address this for an instructor. 

[oldfullprof]

Arrrgh.  Be real!

[jfrye919]

I have been a student in an online course. The professor had us post an introduction about ourselves and we could attach a picture (optional). I thought this was a great way to get to know everyone in the class. It was posted on a blog so I could learn about everyone. You have to allow your students to be able to make connections with their peers, that way they will have their "buddy" to turn to for help.

[prof_cj]

When I ask for introductions (both online and in-person), I ask for a little bit of personal background as well as academic/work background, to be able to more fully gauge the "diversity" in class. Then again, working primarily in communter/community/"for-profit" colleges for my career so far, the student body tends to be fairly diverse regardless.

[spork]

Diversity is more than just looks.  Diversity extends to learning styles and preferences.  A quick survey can address this for an instructor. 

Learning styles is a bogus concept that has been thoroughly demolished in the scientific literature.