There are people who love online classes, and there are some who absolutely despise them. Either way, It’s easy to see why: the classes bring convenience, but at the cost of human interaction. However you feel, it is universally acknowledged that a college class, online or off, will be attended by people with annoying habits. Worried that you might be one of those people? If you do these things, you just might be.
- Refusing to talk in breakout rooms.
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Listen, nobody wants to be here, but we are paying to be here. Breakout room discussions don’t need to be awkward! Even if all you say is, “I’m so confused, I don’t know,” it’s better than saying nothing. We all feel that way and saying so will break the tension.
- Treating class time like office hours.
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Zoom fatigue is setting in, we’ve all been on camera for over two hours, why are you asking questions that only apply to you? Save it for office hours! There’s nothing wrong with asking questions, and sometimes it’s helpful to everyone… but please consider reading the syllabus before you make us all stay on Zoom way longer than we need to?
- Letting your roommates sit-in on class.
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Or your family members. Like, at least have them sit off-screen (or turn off your camera). It feels so weird and invasive to have some random person come in and stare at everyone. Just don’t do it!
- (Purposefully) leaving your mic on.
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When you can have your mic on: during a breakout room or when you have something to say. Otherwise, don’t make me listen to your roommate playing GTA or the construction outside of your house.
- Using the class chat instead of the private message function.
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Before you hit send on a message to the “everyone” chat on Zoom, ask yourself, “Does the entire class need to see this message or is it just for the professor?”
If it’s the latter, consider directly messaging the prof instead.
None of these are world-ending behaviours, but being considerate of your classmates is free, and it prevents them from deciding you are their new least favourite person based on nothing but the fact that you were eating baby carrots with your mic on for an entire class.