OEC Communication Tools 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which feature of a Learning Management System (LMS) is BEST suited for facilitating asynchronous class discussions?
- Live chat
- Discussion forums (Correct answer)
- Video conferencing
- Screen sharing
Correct answer: Discussion forums
Discussion forums allow students to post and respond at different times, making them the primary asynchronous communication tool in an LMS.
Question 2: An online educator wants to provide personalized feedback to a student without the rest of the class seeing it. Which approach is most appropriate?
- Post feedback in the public discussion board
- Send a private message or email through the LMS (Correct answer)
- Announce feedback in the next live session
- Leave comments on the class blog
Correct answer: Send a private message or email through the LMS
Private messaging or email through the LMS ensures feedback is confidential and directed only to the individual student.
Question 3: When using video conferencing for virtual office hours, what practice BEST supports student accessibility?
- Requiring students to have their cameras on at all times
- Recording sessions and sharing them with students who could not attend (Correct answer)
- Limiting office hours to one platform without alternatives
- Conducting office hours without a scheduled agenda
Correct answer: Recording sessions and sharing them with students who could not attend
Recording and sharing sessions ensures that students with scheduling conflicts or connectivity issues can still access the information.
Question 4: A student reports that they are unable to open an attachment sent via the LMS messaging system. What is the BEST immediate solution?
- Ask the student to upgrade their computer
- Re-send the file in a universally compatible format such as PDF (Correct answer)
- Tell the student to find the information elsewhere
- Post the attachment on a public social media site
Correct answer: Re-send the file in a universally compatible format such as PDF
Converting the file to PDF ensures compatibility across different devices and operating systems without requiring special software.
Question 5: Which of the following is an example of a synchronous communication tool used in online education?
- Discussion forum
- Recorded lecture
- Web conferencing (e.g., Zoom) (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Web conferencing (e.g., Zoom)
Web conferencing tools like Zoom require all participants to be online at the same time, making them synchronous communication tools.
Question 6: To ensure clear communication of urgent course updates, which method should an online educator use FIRST?
- Post only on the course discussion board
- Send a course-wide announcement via email or LMS notification (Correct answer)
- Wait for the next scheduled live session
- Update only the course syllabus
Correct answer: Send a course-wide announcement via email or LMS notification
A course-wide email or LMS notification reaches all students immediately and is the most reliable way to deliver time-sensitive information.
Question 7: Which practice BEST maintains professional communication norms when using email in an online course?
- Responding to all student emails within a few seconds regardless of hour
- Using informal language and abbreviations to appear approachable
- Setting and communicating a clear response-time policy in the syllabus (Correct answer)
- Copying all students on every individual reply
Correct answer: Setting and communicating a clear response-time policy in the syllabus
Publishing a response-time policy sets realistic expectations for students and establishes professional boundaries for the instructor.
OEC Communication Tools 2
Which feature of a Learning Management System (LMS) is BEST suited for facilitating asynchronous class discussions?