Despite the tremendous amount of progress that has been made in the design and development of eLearning, the online classroom continues to be percieved as missing the “human element”  or that connectivity one experiences between student and instructor in a face-to-face period of instruction.  Many empirical studies note this as a major reason many faculty who teach online continue to prefer face-to-face as they feel more “in tune” with their students (Allen & Seaman, 2006; Bower, 2001; McKenzie, Mims, Bennett, & Waugh 2000).  Empiral studies of students who participated in an online period of instruction yield similar results.

Literally every book written on the topic of eLearning course development and delivery since 2004 emphasizes the importance of creating and maintaining the human connection between students and instructors.  The methods they recommend using include:

• Wikis
• Virtual Office Hours
• Synchronous chat (aka “Live Help)
• Blogs
• Instant messaging
• 1-to-1 (Student-to-Teacher) email exchanges.
• etc…

Sadly however, none of the innumerable books mention the simplest way to maintain the human connection - a phone call!

Brian Fugere, Chelsea Hardaway, and Jon Warshawsky excellent book “Why Business People Speak Like Idiots” includes an excellent story on the value of the phone conversation:

“The voice is the ultimate weapon in the war on anonymity and the best way to create a relationship. If you have a tenuous relationship, if you exchange five e-mails without one live call, if you are dealing with an important issue, or if you are trying to persuade someone of something, invest a few minutes in a live call. On the phone, you have a better chance of hearing the truth, complete with all of those editorial comments and undertones that separate humans from business idiots. If you really want to know, pick up the damn phone.”

Herein we find another example where an older technology (the telephone) is seen as old and obsolete and easily replaced by technology.  In the delivery of eLearning, there is no such thing as “old” technology.  The motivational value of something as simple as a phone call to the student cannot be measured.  It is the ultimate demonstration that the instructor cares enough to want to connect with the student by way of the next best thing to a face-to-face meeting - a phone conversation.

It is indeed interesting that proponents tout the benefits of Wikis, Blogs, etc., in developing a “connection” with students when in fact, all that is happening are attempts at replacing the personal nature of person-to-person voice contact.  The simple phone call is never mentioned (at least not in any of the innumerable eLearning books I’ve read) by any of the “great eLearning thinkers” yet it remains the most valuable and important method of connecting with the student.

If you are teaching online, set a schedule for yourself to call a few students each week at their phone or cell numbers.  Ask them how they are doing in the class, what they remain curious about, and what you can do to help them in the course.  Get to know them, their families, their day-to-day concerns, their hopes and aspirations.  The connection you will make will not just last for the duration of your course, but quickly word will get out what a great teacher you are simply because you took the time to treat a student like a real human being as opposed to a posting on a discussion board. If you make a habit of calling a few students each week you will be amazed with not just the increased activity in your Wikis and Blods, but also the quality of the responses posted there.

Is calling a few students each week an unreasonable burden on the online instructor?  Not at all.  It is quicker to pick up the phone and call than it is to compose an email.  It is quicker to pick up the phone and call than it is to respond to a student’s concerns on a Wiki or Blog.  More importantly though, it is far more rewarding for both you and your students knowing that there is a real, live human at the other end of the cold, lifeless monitor who cares about their success and who they are as people.