Introducing Chat

Chat

Chat is quite different from asynchronous Forums and Dialogues and is more like text messaging. You generally write only a few words or very brief sentences at a time and responses can be almost instantaneous. Chat is used best when you arrange with other students to be online to use the activity. You can, however, chance it and see if anyone is available to chat with you. Your tutor may also arrange group chats with you during your course.

Chat sessions in this Course are all logged (archived or saved) and you can view previous Chats, even if you did not take part in them, by clicking the 'view past chat sessions' button at the top right of the screen. Chat sessions with only 1 person, or lasting less than 5 minutes are considered to be tests, and are not ever logged.

You can only Chat with someone if they are online, in this Course, at the same time as you. It is therefore important to communicate with fellow Course Participants to arrange and agree a time for any Chats you wish to have.

How to use Chat

• Choose "Click here to enter the chat now"
  
• You will see if anyone else is in the 'room' from the names (and photographs) listed on the right.
  
• Type your message in the text box at the bottom, press the enter key when you're ready and the discussion is built up line by line in the big text box on the left.
  
• You could agree a time to meet a colleague here to try it out, but there is also nothing to stop you trying it on your own. You may want to use the Dialogue activity to agree a time for a Chat with another participant on this course.*

To manage Chats, the following might help:

• If you're replying to a specific Chat entry from someone or if you'd like a specific person to respond then indicate this clearly by naming them at the start of your entry e.g. 'y, could you please explain what you mean by x?'
  
• Be prepared for abbreviations and poor spelling - spontaneity is sometimes preferable to careful spelling/typing in a Chat - unless it gets to the point where responses are incomprehensible.
  
• Before you post an entry (by pressing the Enter key) read what might have come in as you were typing (NB fine keyboarders won't need to do this but some of us have to look at the keyboard not the screen when we type!).
  
• Think about setting an order of responses if you want everyone to be involved - NB this does mean less spontaneity and can put people on the spot but if, say, 3 of you were chatting then you might decide it would be useful to wait for everyone to post a reply before you continued.
  
• Following conventional maxims of conversation is desirable. When you are going to leave the Chat, say so. When you do leave (by closing Chat box) all will be told you've left - someone who leaves without saying they're going probably has a technological blip - wait for them to come back!
  
• Remember that Chats are open to anyone online in the Course and that Chats are archived for both posterity and for anyone enrolled in the Course to read.
  
• Chats can usefully lead to a Discussion Forum or Dialogue - feel free to suggest this as you're Chatting.
  
• Remember the golden rule of chat is to keep dialogue brief and to the point.
  
• It's probably helpful to enlarge the Chat screen so that you can't, inadvertently, switch to the screen 'behind it' and leave Chat by mistake.