The following are the results of a web survey that I sent out during the months of April and May 2006 to online instructors in higher education.  The results were used to help me write an article titled: "The Higher Education Online Bully"

 1. Survey Consent Form

Research Participant Informed Consent and Privacy Authorization Form for Web Survey

Title: The On-line Bully: Identification and Strategies

Purpose: To explore the questions:
How do we, as higher education on-line instructors, define the term “on-line bully?”

What teaching/disciplinary strategies can we, as higher education on-line instructors, utilize to best work with this student population?

The researcher intends to write an article based on her professional experience and the information gathered in this survey.

Working Definition of Online Bully: Any student that makes posts to the Discussion Forum or Cyber Café, that are designed to intimidate, or personally offend the instructor and/or other students even if their post is directly related to the course material.

Principal Investigator: Rosemary R. Reigle, Ed.D.
I am an adjunct instructor employed by several local as well as out of state colleges. I am not representing any of these institutions.

This survey will be available until 12:00 A.M. on 4/30/06.

Date: March 23, 2006

You are invited to participate in the above referenced research project. This research is being conducted by Rosemary R. Reigle, Ed.D. in an effort to help online instructors identify the on-line bully and to make recommendations as to what teaching/disciplinary strategies works best when interacting with these students.

You are a volunteer. You may quit at any time without fear of penalty or exposure. You are not obligated to help the researcher.

If you take part in this survey confidentiality of any information you provide is guaranteed. You must be aware however, that the researcher will keep detailed notes of regarding all data that is compiled. The researcher will protect your privacy however, by the immediate shredding of all documents after the data has been compiled.

A Certificate of Confidentiality is inclusive in this authorization form. This document protects the survey data. It also protects your privacy from federal, state, or local courts or public agencies’ action. The researcher will not give out information to a court or public agency.

If you have questions directly related to the survey you may contact the principal investigator at: 1-360-458-2346 or via e-mail: rosemary10@earthlink.net.

There is no conflict of interest in this survey for the researcher. The researcher is currently employed by the State of Washington as a higher education instructor. The researcher has nothing to gain by undertaking this survey other than the publication of an article and the knowledge of how we, as instructors, can identify the on-line bully and strategies we can use to help work with these students.

The researcher cannot make promises of added financial resources or professional promotions to the respondents. You will not be paid for your participation.

Other than the time spent filling out the survey, there is no cost to participate in this survey.

The benefit of participating in this survey is that you will be given the opportunity to play a leading role in identifying and helping on-line higher education instructors deal with on-line bullying.

Students, regardless of age or grade level, are not part of this survey.

By submitting your responses to the researcher, you:
1. Understand the information given to you in this form.
2. You accept the provisions in the form.
3. You agree to join the survey.
4. Understand that you will not give up any legal rights.

Your participation in filling out the survey will serve as acknowledgment that you accept the terms of this survey.
 

 

1. Please list the highest degree earned.
  Response Percent Response Total
    Bachelor
2.6% 2
    Master
43.6% 34
    Doctoral
53.8% 42
Total Respondents   78
(skipped this question)   0

 

2. I have been an on-line, higher education instructor for: If you are not an online instructor, please quit the survey here.
  Response Percent Response Total
  0-6 months
2.6% 2
  6 months - 1 year
10.3% 8
  1-3 years
29.5% 23
  3-5 years
24.4% 19
  more than 5 years.
33.3% 26
Total Respondents   78
(skipped this question)   0

 

3. Do you teach at a
  Response Percent Response Total
    Community College
59% 46
    University
24.4% 19
    Private Higher Education Institution
16.7% 13
    Other
0% 0
Total Respondents   78
(skipped this question)   0

 

4. Have you ever had a student post to the Discussion Forum or Cyber Cafe their personal racial, political opinions that were designed to incite a negative reaction in other students or the instructor?
  Response Percent Response Total
    Yes
44.9% 35
    No
55.1% 43
Total Respondents   78
(skipped this question)   0

 

5. If your response was yes, what action, if any, did you take?
 Total Respondents  
35
(skipped this question)   43
If your response was yes, what action, if any, did you take?
1. I emailed the student directly and confronted her with what she had said and the reason it was inappropriate.
2. Informed students of which posts were offensive, explained why they were offensive and why they would be deleted from the message board, and deleted the offensive posts.
3. Deleted their response and sent an email requesting more appropriate response be posted.
4. I sent the student a private email warning him that his behavior was objectionable and would not be tolerated.
5. I reminded the student about our online code of ethics. When this did not work I deleted the posting from the classroom.
6. Redirected the students back to the discussion question. Once I deleted the post. I also would email the student and explain the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct.
7. I confronted the student and gave her an opportunity to change her statements. She softened the content but it was obviously done in a half-hearted manner. I then added a statement to the entire class about the right to express opinions but the need to be sensitive to other's feelings and ideas.
8. I called the student and let him know that this was inappropriate behavior.
9. I ignored a political statement about the war in Iraq though indirectly I told him to stick to the point, stay on task.
10. The offending student was reminded of the policy on "flaming" and was penalized in the grade using the school's "professional development form" instrument, which accounts for professional behaviors among which are "interacts respectfully with fellow students" and interacts respectfully with faculty."
11. I took no actions and the students ignored it.
12. Made a comment in the chatroom and emailed the student directly to discuss the issue.
13. Deleted the posting and spoke one on one with the student
14. 1. I responded to the class in general stating the academic reasons por the forums. 2. I called the student on the phone and discussed the issue with him in a live conversation-letting him know that there was no room for such comments in this class. This was followed with an e-mail about the conversation.
15. Posted a message about general discussion board etiquette, my expectations and the consequences of inappropriate messages. I also emailed the student privately.
16. Remind the students that they need to be respectful of the ideas of others.
17. Typically, the response is a private email or phone call to discuss the O.B.'s motives for such behavior, and to intimate my own desire that such behavior cease. This is usually accompanied by an explanation that incendiary remarks are understood as a disruption of class, and that anything that disrupts class is a violation of others' ability to learn. When this happens, I am then obligated to act as disciplinarian in order to insure that ALL students are "getting what they paid for".
18. I contacted first public safety and filed a complaint; next, I contacted my dean and said I didn't want the student in the class any longer; finally I contacted the teckies who were able to block his access to all the students, allowing him only to communicate with me. He was brought before a disciplinary panel and dropped the course.
19. Devil's Advocate (DA) positions are stated... my experience has led to the suggestion that DA postings be identified as such. There has been some xenophobia, but the comments were not directed towards a particular group. I have asked students offline if the message was what they intended to say. Generally, the postings didn't meet the level of deleting the post from the system.
20. NOt sure the intention was to offend but winter '06 one student in his "biography" posted an anti President Bush peroration that verged on a rant. Whatever my personal response--and I tended to agree with him--I judged that this might polarize class opinions and would in general contribute heat but little light to the discussion of fossil hominids and the evolution of agriculture and the rest of the topics to be treated in an introductory anthropology class. I made no general response to the posting but e-mailed the student in question and reminded him that since half the electorate had voted for the current administration, the odds were good that some fellow students would find his comments offensive. Further, since they had no direct relevance to the course material, I would ask him to desist. He responded in an e-mail that he just had to get this off his chest because he felt so strongly about it all.
21. In my course policies, I explain that the class message board is MY instructional tool (in the same way that my textbook, laptop, etc. are instructional tools), and that I have the right to decide the extent to which students can make use of it. So, since I expect students to communicate in a civil, professional tone that enhances the classroom dialogue, if there are posts that I think do not contribute to the discussion in a constructive way, I will remove the post. Certainly, students have posted opinions about race, sex, sexuality, and religion that are (in my view) problematic, hateful, or uneducated. Typically, other students respond to these posts in sophisticated ways--by challenging them with questions, comments, and alternative points of view (similar to what happens in "real" classrooms), so often I'll wait to see how such conversations play out, and then I'll intervene by writing directly to the student or responding to the whole class, depending on the circumstances. To this point, I've only had to remove a post ONCE in over six years of teaching. Last semester, a student called her classes "immature dumbasses." This is not an example of political/racialized speech, but I told her name calling didn't seem to be advancing the discussion, so I was removing her post. If she had questions about it, she could talk to me after class. She never did, and enrolled in another class with me this semester.
22. Speak directly to the student making the comment, and the student who was affected by the comment.
23. I utilized customer service tactics in getting them to think about what was written. I teach Customer Service and it played into course work that they later learned from.
24. Several scenarios - Political beliefs / Religious beliefs - reiterate course policy of respectful discourse and need to stay on topic.
25. yes- 2 male students said anyone who did not believe in biblical creation was "self-centered and selfish" My replies are below: Hi you two- I need to give you a heads up in regards to posting the words "so self-centered and selfish" in your postings and replies....be careful with labeling people's ideas and views with words like this. This class may have Hindus, Buddhists, agnostics or atheists in it, and everyone's personal views must be respected. Questioning their views is ok, but respectfully. In a college debate it is better to say "this thinking does not make sense to me" or something. A good rule of thumb is: if someone called you "selfish" or "self-centered" in a disagreement in a classroom, would it add to a calm, respectful, debate of ideas? And CERTAINLY if any class member disrespected your views with similar words I would, and will, say something to them too. I am also sending a general debate etiquette email out to the whole class ***** (general class email) Be careful with labeling people with negative words (some examples would be "stupid idea" or "arrogant behaviors") In a college class debate, it is better to say "this thinking does not make sense to me" or "their actions do not match with their words" or something like that. A good rule of thumb is: if someone called you "stupid" or "arrogant" in a disagreement, would it add to a calm respectful, debate of ideas? or only escalate emotions?
26. I do not design my questions to elicit negative reactions, but I teach anthropology. This means we explore how to deal with diverse views. I have had students who were negative. The most severe situation was 4 years ago. I student was past negative and actually confrontational. I asked for WAOL assistance. They said as long as the student was only posting to ME s/he had the right under academic freedom. They said that they would only intervene if s/he was confrontational to another student. I was appalled! This behavior had a very detrimental effect on our class. I had to stop other students from commenting on the disruptive student's postings. After 5 (!) weeks s/he disappeared from the class. This would never have been allowed to occur in a traditional class. I am convinced that the reason it did is that most WAOL coordinators are not teachers, have no classroom experience.
27. I informed the student privately that those comments were inappropriate for the discussion board and they should limit their responses to communication relating directly towards the class. I also removed the message from the discussion board.
28. I engaged the student head-on about their ideas in a respectful way. I also said that racist posts were not acceptable and went through the reasoning for that. I had to remove one post, but that was it.
29. Took away their live discussion and chat room privileges in effect silencing them.
30. I deleted the comment, wrote an email to the student reminding him of our class rules, and then I followed up in person.
31. In one case I deleted the posting and informed the student in a private email message that I had done so and why. There were no further problems. On other occasions, I have answered the student postings publicly with a response asking for clarification and stating how the message might be received. This has also been effective. My class focuses on racism, and the potential for attack and defensiveness is part of the discussion from the beginning. I forewarn students in the syllabus about the necessity of using restraint and respecting each other's words, and I urge them not to respond to inflammatory postings but to let me know about them. This has worked very well.
32. I responded to the post by pointing out its deficiencies and how ludicrous it made the poster appear.
33. I posted a reply to the thread, indicating that the language was unacceptable. In addition, I privately emailed the student to emphasize my reaction. In one case, I had to follow through with disciplinary action through his college.
34. If the post was extreme, I copied it, deleted it, and sent an email to the student explaining my actions, with the copied post. I gave them a chance to rephrase their post in a less offensive manner.
35. Emailed student and responded in the forum
6. Have you ever had a student purposely offer a lewd or otherwise unprofessional/unacademic response to a Discussion Question or the Cyber Cafe?
  Response Percent Response Total
    Yes
32.1% 25
    No
67.9% 53
Total Respondents   78
(skipped this question)   0
7. If your response was yes, what action, if any, did you take?
 Total Respondents  
24
(skipped this question)   54
If your response was yes, what action, if any, did you take?
1. The student's posting was marginally inappropriate. I responded indicating as much in the forum.
2. Same as above
3. Same - remove inappropriate response and send an email to writer of the posting requesting that crude language be omitted from forum. Refer student to syllabus.
4. Warned the student that his posts would be blocked or deleted if he continued.
5. I contacted the student by email and phone to explain why their email was inappropriate.
6. The student was pushing his gay status. I ignored it, and so did the students.
7. Deleted the message as soon as I saw it and emailed the student.
8. See above. If I am on casual speaking terms with the student, I may, frankly, inquire after their level of social skills.
9. I pointed out to the author how the comment was offensive and suggested removal and apology.
10. Students sometimes make jokes about the material or about each other's postings. If they seem inoffensive, I do nothing. I have not encountered anything "lewd" or any use of low vulgarisms so far.
11. I'm not sure how to connote unprofessional/unacademic responses--do you mean sexualized responses or propositions? Students do get chatty on message boards--yes, sometimes I've seen students use the chat rooms to discuss social events, etc. But again, I see this as similar to the kinds of interaction that take place in a real classroom setting.
12. same as above
13. One student was quoting someone and wrote a word like "crap", I said use to use "cr*p" instead-we would all know what they mean, and this guide line is in my syllabus too. ----- I also had one student go down the wrong road in examining a rape case. The question was "what was the Uncondtioned Stimulus?" My comments to their answers have //// by them: 1a) An unconditioned stimulus in rape would be any stimulus of the vagina. //// huh???? b-UCR? 1b) The unconditioned response would be the natural lubrication due to a stimulus of vaginal tissue. /// you are talking about regular sex here -this is not what happened to her, in fact rape causes severe tearing often because it is an attack, not sex. read that part again-can re-do if you like -3
14. See 5 above.
15. I remove the post and email the student.
16. I informed the student privately that those comments were inappropriate for the discussion board. The student was making these comments because he was failing the course and was about to drop the course. I also removed the message from the discussion board.
17. Sent them an e-mail warning them not to send me anymore B&D images, and cut off his interactivity privileges. I set the rules in the syllabus - no this, that and the other - if you do - you may not participate in discussions and chats and un-previewed uploads.
18. I ignored the behavior.
19. I deleted the comment, wrote an email to the student reminding him of our class rules, and then I followed up in person.
20. I intervened immediately, discussing the matter with the student in person. I also created online assignments discussing this issue with the students.
21. I responded to the post by pointing out its deficiencies and how ludicrous it made the poster appear.
22. Same as above.
23. Again, I delete these messages and immediately email the student with my reasoning and expectations.
24. Lewd (please note the spelling!) responses are difficult to define but since I teach a course which entails use of a textbook called "Art and Culture" which includes nude (please note the spelling!) depictions there are occasionally immature responses. I deal with them by responding in what I hope is dignified and mature language in the hope that I will be imitated.

 

8. Have you experienced students purposely humiliating other students on the Discussion Forum or the Cyber Cafe because they may not have agreed the other student's post?
  Response Percent Response Total
    Yes
34.6% 27
    No
65.4% 51
Total Respondents   78
(skipped this question)   0

 

9. If your answer was yes what action, if any, did you take?
 Total Respondents  
28
(skipped this question)   50
If your answer was yes what action, if any, did you take?
1. Same as above
2. Restated my policy on respecting one another that is in my syllabus. I also reminded the student that I have the right to drop students who disregard this policy.
3. A student remarked and implied that the posts of two students' were so similar that one of them "may have copied" the other. I ignored the remark and implication. The remark was not malicious and it may not have been with the intent to harm. The phrase, "Just joking...," was a part of the student's remark also. Both students are teachers in the same school district and the discussion prompt had asked the students to describe a particular school program.
4. Again, I redirected the discussion. I may have removed it if there were no posts attached to it yet. I also would email the student and explain the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct.
5. I used the confrontation as an opportunity to teach students about the importance of collaboration skills. I used a conflict resolution model to help them reach consensus on a difficult topic and then reinforced their willingness to grow and learn.
6. Same as e. above.
7. I spoke with the student privately about the inappropriate response and further enforced the verbiage on my syllabus about what I deemed inappropriate language.
8. I would not tolerate such behavior, Ii would correct them publicly in the strongest terms.
9. I posted Christian guide-lines for the online class.
10. 1. Since this was a public offense that everyone could read, I corrected and disciplined the student in the forum. 2. In this case, I demanded an apology from the offender and clarified that there was no room for humiliating others because of academic or ideological disagreements.
11. see above
12. A new forum begins: we begin to discuss concepts of free speech and why it is important to coming to knowledge.
13. I don't use these
14. I would say the student merely disagreed, but the posting student seemed to take the disagreement highly personally. From the student's perspective, it could have been interpreted as humiliating. The students that disagreed apologized for the misunderstanding, so I didn't take action.
15. Actually, it is not that they humiliated because they did not agree with another's post, but because of frustration that teammates have not sufficiently participated.
16. In most cases it is not clear that the intent was to offend. I have had students make quite direct corrections to someone else's posting in a way that I felt was less than tactful. This usually elicits a similarly direct growl back from the offended party. If it stops there, I do nothing. If I think it will escalate, I e-mail the participants separately telling them that although the criticism was accurate, it could have been made more tactfully. I remind them that the problem with on-line communications is that we lack any of the non-verbal information that tends to soften the verbal message, so we have to be particularly careful to avoid unintentionally offending, and similarly we need to be careful not to take offense when perhaps none was intended.
17. see #7
18. same as above
19. In addition to 5 above, I sometimes get a student who goes over the line. This is usually due to the lack of body language in OL classes. They do not intend to be rude. I email the offending student and explain why this is not acceptable. I post what I call a "play nice" announcement. In all cases, but the person I described in 5 above, this has worked.
20. I remove the post and email the student.
21. I sent the student a private e-mail. I always assume it was an accident and not intended to offend/humiliate anyone. I give them the opportunity to apologize if they wish. I remind the group that our written postings don't have the non-verbal cues the spoken word does. I also remind the entire group to discuss the issues and not the person. I encourage using the word "and" instead of "but" when giving another side.
22. Students can have some pretty rough-and-tumble debates. I set discussion standards early, particularly if I think that there may be challenges with the topic at hand. I also clarify that we're not going to solve the world's issues in one class. Rather, our goal is to surface and discuss ideas. Being adamant shuts down discussion. I model civility.
23. Sometimes students make comments on the quality of work posted, stating they were stupid or not very scholarly. I have a NETIQUETT policy posted in my syllabus and remind folks of the statement.
24. I cautioned all students in the course that "flaming" would not be tolerated. I reminded all students that mutual respect was a prerequisite within the discussion board assignment area.
25. I informed the student that their response was inappropriate and that should such input be continue, then I would report the student to the proper authorities at their college and request that disciplinary action be taken.
26. My response is the same as for the inflammatory comments. I either delete the posting and explain why in a private email, or I comment on the posting in the discussion and ask for clarification.
27. I responded to the post by pointing out its deficiencies and how ludicrous it made the poster appear.
28. I joined in the discussion with the aforementioned tone with the purpose (and usually, result) of transforming it.

 

10. Does the policy manual for the institution that you work for define the term on-line bully and does it have strategies in place for how instructors are to work with this student population?
  Response Percent Response Total
  Yes
13.9% 10
  No
86.1% 62
Total Respondents   72
(skipped this question)   6
11. Is there any information or experiences that you would like to share with others regarding the idea of On-line Bullying?
 Total Respondents  
41
(skipped this question)   37
Is there any information or experiences that you would like to share with others regarding the idea of On-line Bullying?
1. To try and ensure that I don't miss any offensive posts, I now appoint at least one student in each online class as the unofficial "moderator." The "moderators" inform me of any posts which they believe may be inappropriate. Extra credit points are given to the moderators for performing this task.
2. I actually don't know exactly what the 'policy manual' states, but sample syllabi suggest statements be included regarding use of inappropriate language, etc.
3. We do not have a definition for On-line bully per se. However, we have a professional development form for students. This includes their interaction with others and is part of every syllabus.
4. I would like to urge online instructors to anticipate this type of student and have information in the syllabus about how this behavior will be handled if it does occur.
5. Our school does have an online user policy that all students must sign. If they violate that policy they lose their access.
6. Once case where misunderstanding took place and thus was inflammatory. I had disabled the option for posters to remove their comments. Once it was realized they tried to remove and it was resolved. Not bullying per se but the ability to recall a posted message is an important consideration.
7. (Ques. # 10 - One of the universities does the other does not.) There have been some students that were somewhat impolite, but I did not consider that bullying.
8. E-mail messages and Web sites have increasingly become vehicles to threaten, tease, and humiliate other students. I try to be pro-active and let students know that online discussions are professional discourses.
9. I have no comments at this time.
10. No, I am relatively new so I do not have that much experience.
11. Yes. The concept is bogus. Online bullies target others in high and middle schools and make their lives miserable among young, fragile teens. Students at the undergraduate and graduate level who try to embarrass or humiliate others aren't online bullies. They're immature adults who need to have their collars yanked up quickly. Oh, and one such moron did come after me personally as the professor in a course, and when s/he responded badly to counsel about actions, received a letter from my attorney. The problem was immediately solved, and I don't have folks pull that stuff any more.
12. Never had this happen yet, and last term I had 162 online students! I have had students inappropriately slam a denomination or religious personality, but they have always been open to correction.
13. Take immediate action to diffuse the situation or to take disciplinary action if needed. Ignoring it or hoping it was just a one-time occurrence usually just makes it worse. Letting it go in your class only means someone else will ultimately have to deal with it.
14. I work for a strong Christian Institution and most of my students do pretty well. My advice is to deal with the problem immediately and let the entire class know that on-line bullying will affect their grade.
15. I am very interested in how to avoid. Also there is a function in my courses (using Blackboard) in which students can email each other or batch email the entire class. I had a situation in which one student was continually emailing the class concerning his complaint against the course--creating a "class action" complaint as a result. A nightmare for me and for many of the students in the course. Out of my control. I see on-line ed as continuing and growing. NEED to find solutions that are proactive to these situations. THANK YOU for defining and giving this problem exposure.
16. Usually, once a student has been spoken with about such behaviors, then these behaviors stop. The anonymity of e-contact unfortunately gives one a false sense of what can be tolerated in their interactions with others. Once this is directly addressed, the problems usually cease and students regain a "normal" sense of propriety.
17. It is like road rage in the automobile - the student doesn't have to face the objects of his/her actions
18. Our sub-department trains people who tend to be somewhat different from the rest of the population. Introverts who believe that the world has a greater impact on them than they have an impact on the world can be an odd lot sometimes. As a result, I allow students who have a fear of opinions to stay off the class board if they have a fear of people taking exception to their usually innocuous comments. Some of the same folks that are highly sensitive in social situations are also highly sensitive in online situations. I accept that bullying is in the eyes of the bullied. Most students resolve their own conflicts within a day of the misunderstanding. If they don't, I take the discussion offline.
19. I don't know the answer to Item 10. But there is another comment I have about online bullying. Your survey assumes that it is the student, not the teacher who is the bully. I have seen an online instructor purposefully demean and intimidate online students, just as he does in a face-to-face class, apparently to build his own ego. There is even curricular bullying, where, for example, biased texts containing dogmatic writing are expected by one instructor to be adopted as creed by his students. Another comment I have concerns academic challenge. Most online graduate students seem reluctant to offer meaningful criticism. It takes quite a bit of work and encouragement to get them to the point where they offer truly critical though constructive comments to their colleagues. The fear of hurting another's feelings, standing or grades is a default condition for most, and those who receive rather harsh though meaningful criticism may at first feel hurt, even seeing the criticizer as a bully. I would hope that your research identifies the distinction between bullying and critical discourse. Much has been written about roles online students can take to promote cognitive discourse, and some of these are pretty harsh (such as the "Bloodletter" role mentioned by Bonk and others.)
20. Not sure about the "policy manual" of my hiring college. As an on-line instructor I have been provided little information of that sort. Our course information makes it clear that rude or lewd or crude postings will not be tolerated. It seems to me that since students are signed up for credit and want good grades that we instructors need only threaten to terminate the student's enrollment in the class in order to keep the "bully" in line. I would advise starting with the assumption that the student does not realize he/she is behaving in an unacceptable way and politely pointing out the rules. If that doesn't work I would immediately contact the program administrator and the Dean's office at my college and at the college that enrolls the student who is misbehaving.
21. I think creating an explicit course policy and discussing these potential abuses on the first day of a class--and perhaps even after that--can help set a civil learning environment. Also, I think that you MUST require a minimum number of message board posts and give students points for completing them. If students know the message board (or even chatroom dialogue) is a GRADED assignment, they write (and respond to each other) accordingly.
22. Address the issue immediately. In other words diffuse the situation. I treat these kinds of instances like difficult customers. Win them.
23. No, but I would be interested in some professional development opportunities on the topic.
24. Nip any aggressive or inappropriate behavior in the bud immediately. This requires the instructor to be present in the threaded discussions on an ongoing basis.
25. I don't think it should be acceptable in any form, in any grade level. I think we need to have zero tolerance of this
26. I believe that OL instructors should have the right to lock such bullying comments. Also, I NEVER allow students to revise or remove postings in the Discussion Board. EVER. This is the same as if in a class, what you say is what you are accountable for. Revisions are make by simply reposting with a subject line that labels as such. This removes most of my problems.
27. Setting up clear expectations is clear. They all know what "flaming" is. After the first warning, I don't give credit. In over five years and many students, I've had very few cases of this. By the way, you didn't have an option for someone like me who teaches at both com. college and university.
28. Faculty members should clearly state their policy about on-line bullying in the course syllabus, spelling out specific consequences for the student if the student engages in online bullying.
29. I think it can be hard to distinguish the accident vs the person really trying to incite. I feel I can only determine intent if it keeps happening.
30. Some students seem to feel that they're immune from any repercussions when they're online. As a teacher, I will click through their comments to each other, and occasionally, I'll jump in and share a thought. I think that instructor vigilance is critical in keeping issues from getting negative. I've called (by phone) students before and engaged them on issues based on civility and netiquette. I've also had to intervene for students who were unkind to each other through personal emails to them both. I don't want students to be hurt by each other without some intervention... A classroom ought to be safe.
31. AS stated above, in both Blackboard and Web-CT I had the ability to stop their participation online as soon as they had breeched (sp?) my guidelines for online conduct.
32. The instructor is in the driver's seat. Making an explicit announcement (at the beginning of class) regarding the non-acceptability of any form of online bullying, and stating a zero-tolerance policy with defined consequences will greatly reduce if not eliminate this behavior.
33. I actually teach on-line classes at a technical college and at a university, but my responses are inclusive of both types of educational institutions.
34. Take appropriate action immediately and keep copies of all offensive material and correspondence between instructor and offending student.
35. I do not think that this is a major problem, but I do feel that if it happens, the intervention must be immediate.
36. In my experience, the most effective way to deal with the problem is to anticipate it and prepare all of the students for the possibility and to have a procedure in place and published in the syllabus.
37. Yes, I'm more concerned about the term "online bully" than I am with methods of dealing with it. We teach that the solution to ignorant speech is more speech, not classification and control. By classifying a speech act as bullying you're creating a class of "victims;" those unable to defend themselves. I find that concept as problematic in the extreme. The solution to speech and unpopular ideas, is, in my experience, more speech. Those who post inappropriately can be dealt with in the public forum in a manner that makes it unlikely they'll make foolish or thoughtless comments again.
38. I have incorporated a description of bullying behavior in my syllabus, and include a warning of the action that I will take if it occurs. I have no problem dealing with the bully publicly, as he or she had no problem bullying in public. I warn students that I will handle it this way so they can't complain later. Finally, I warn them that repeated offenses will be reported to their college, and that action will be taken to remove them from class. I've only had to pursue this once in 8 years of online teaching.
39. It's important to spell out standards for human behavior in the expectations for the course. I have to say I've had very, very few problems.
40. I had a student who was particularly offensive but I eventually wore him down with a refusal to descend to his level and many other students took him to task so that I did not need to. Peers can be more effective than instructors.
41. Bullies often fill vacancies left by online instructors who don't accurately monitor their classes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

© 2006 Rosemary R. Reigle, Ed.D. All rights reserved.