Some of the most important things that administrators don't tell you for an online class is how to refrain from being biased. With the virtual classroom, it can easily be depicted that your words mean something that you had no intention.
In other words, body language doesn't count here.
There are plenty of reasons to take online courses. Time management, schedules, family, and transportation are simply a few. But once you get into the classes, how do you know who your teacher is? Or the classmates you are working with?
Here's a hint: names and spellings of those names mean nothing. A Caucasian female, age 25, with three kids can just as easily be named Hadasannah as she can be named Mary. The idea here is to not make judgment. Granted, there are some names and ideas behind the type of people are in your class.
Bias and racism is just as much of a problem in the online classroom as it is in person. Words hurt, and to those who know them and refrain from using them, good for you. But for others, saying words like white, black, Mexican... these are all politically incorrect. Just as is the words like old people, brats, or slang words that are supposed to depict a certain "type" of person. The words, no matter how they are used, are called bad netiquette, or etiquette on the net.
Another set of words that can be seen as mean, rude, or downright bad for "business" is slander towards the GLBT groups. A person's sexual preference has nothing to do with how they operate in classroom, just like if they are married or divorced has nothing to do with the way they learn. Everyone has the right to a fair education, no matter who they are.
So check yourself when you are making your posts online. For corrections or criminal justice classes, make sure that you are identifying persons in the proper terms, not some "black guy" or "Asian chick" or worse.
In other words, body language doesn't count here.
There are plenty of reasons to take online courses. Time management, schedules, family, and transportation are simply a few. But once you get into the classes, how do you know who your teacher is? Or the classmates you are working with?
Here's a hint: names and spellings of those names mean nothing. A Caucasian female, age 25, with three kids can just as easily be named Hadasannah as she can be named Mary. The idea here is to not make judgment. Granted, there are some names and ideas behind the type of people are in your class.
Bias and racism is just as much of a problem in the online classroom as it is in person. Words hurt, and to those who know them and refrain from using them, good for you. But for others, saying words like white, black, Mexican... these are all politically incorrect. Just as is the words like old people, brats, or slang words that are supposed to depict a certain "type" of person. The words, no matter how they are used, are called bad netiquette, or etiquette on the net.
Another set of words that can be seen as mean, rude, or downright bad for "business" is slander towards the GLBT groups. A person's sexual preference has nothing to do with how they operate in classroom, just like if they are married or divorced has nothing to do with the way they learn. Everyone has the right to a fair education, no matter who they are.
So check yourself when you are making your posts online. For corrections or criminal justice classes, make sure that you are identifying persons in the proper terms, not some "black guy" or "Asian chick" or worse.
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