Unique Student Situations

Allison McComb Updated by Allison McComb

Unique Student Situations

From time to time, students may overstep the bounds of thoughtful discourse and you, as the facilitator, may feel that you need to intervene. Below are some suggested responses to a few illustrative examples drawn from actual class discussions and student emails. If at any time you feel a student is being disruptive or even abusive in a course please escalate to ec_facilitation@cornell.edu so they can both support you and document the behavior as necessary.

Click the headings below to read more.

Religious References
The situation: "A student in my ILRSM511 class, a minister, just wrote a post that mentioned God eight (yes, 8!) times — as in: 'I learned to trust God to send in projects that were right for me' or 'God led both of us to seek each other out' or 'I thank God for her and for delivering her out of those trials.' He also was 'blessed' at least 3 times in this message."
The response: There is an important distinction between proselytizing and professing one's faith. On the basis of what this student is writing, it sounds like he's doing the latter, not the former. At the point that he begins suggesting to his classmates that they'd be happier, more successful, etc., if they accept God into their lives, he's crossed a line. But as long as he's only celebrating his own faith, then his message is acceptable.

If the student is strongly pushing others to accept their faith, or questioning others faith, etc., it would be appropriate for you to send an individual message to the student mentioning that at eCornell we aim to be inclusive of all beliefs and lifestyle choices. It would be appropriate for you to ask them to revisit this post to ensure it is fostering an inclusive environment.
Potentially Offensive Statements
The situation: In their "Meet the Class" post, a student writes the following...
"My name is Kevin but I prefer to be called Tanya. I live in South Carolina with my English Bulldog. She is fat, white, and smells bad so of course her name is Onion. My job is traveling the country teaching carnival workers proper dental care. If you have been to a carnival lately you will realize what a miserable failure I am at this job. For the record, no I don't know why they smell like cabbage. This is my second class and Jason was very helpful in the first one so don't let us down this time. I enjoy golf, studying history, and shaving my grandmother's back. I am currently single but girls swear it isn't because I am 3 foot 4 with a club foot and the inability to pronounce the letter T. They say that it is because I am too arrogant."
The response: It is possible that this student was joking, but much of what they have written could understandably be read as insensitive (at best) to various populations (including some protected classes). In this case, it would be entirely appropriate for you to contact the student individually. You could remind them that the written medium of the discussion forum often doesn't convey the author's sense of humor and, as a result, their classmates may misinterpret the posting as mocking or ridiculing — which you're confident wasn't the intention. You might also suggest they post a clarification.
Explicitly Offensive Statements
If a situation should occur where a student has publicly posted content considered to be explicitly vulgar or offensive (such as threatening language, that of which is harmful to an individual, or targets a specific group of people) please send screenshots of the communication and any relevant information to to FST (ec_facilitation@cornell.edu), with your PFM and Rachel Ricci (rachel.ricci@cornell.edu) included.

Guidelines for your steps in this situation can be found below:
· Entitle the subject of the email “Potentially Offensive Statements on Discussion Board”
· Please ensure to provide the student’s full name and name of the course
· Provide a link to the discussion board or other assignment and a screen capture of the student’s post
· Do not copy the student on this internal correspondence.
· Send this correspondence to your PFM, FST (ec_facilitation@cornell.edu), with your PFM and Rachel Ricci (rachel.ricci@cornell.edu) included.
· In a separate correspondence, please let the student know via the Canvas Inbox that their post appears to violate the Code of Conduct Policy and is being reviewed internally.
· Please welcome the student to resubmit a post that aligns with eCornell’s Code of Conduct guidelines
Potentially Illegal Statements
The situation: In a discussion assignment, a student writes the following...
"I would never hire anyone over 50. They don't work as hard as others, they can't see well, and they have more physical problems."
A check of the student's profile reveals that they are located in the Caribbean.
The response: In this case, it would be appropriate for you to send an individual message to the student mentioning that, in many countries, the statement would be considered illegal in a real-life employment scenario, and including a suggestion that the student consider nuancing the post with a more thoughtful discussion of the issue with older workers. In the discussion forum, you could also post research on the productivity of over-50 workers and open the discussion to the students.

Remind the student that at eCornell we require considerate and mutually respectful communication, and ask them to revisit this post to ensure it is fostering an inclusive environment.
Status Challenges Within a Course
The situation: A student emails you and says that she can't post what she really wants to in a discussion forum, because her supervisor is in the class and may interpret her statements as critical.
The response: Tell the student you understand her dilemma. Ask the student to compose what she would say to her supervisor if she could, making sure her feedback is constructive and respectful, and send it to you via the Canvas inbox. Some instructors have found that this kind of coaching and practice helps students feel comfortable posting their ideas in the discussion forum. But if the student is still uncomfortable, ask her to message you the final, edited version of her response via the Canvas inbox, and then manually update the gradebook as complete if and when you approve it. Note: If you adopt this approach, be sure to provide a detailed explanation in the comments area of the assignment in case there are any questions later from Course Operations or the Student Support Team
Perceived Rudeness or Offense
The situation: A student emails you to complain that one of the students in the class insulted him with her response to his post.
The response: Read the post in question, and then respond accordingly:

- If the post does appear to be rude, let the student know that you are sorry he has been insulted and that you will address this privately with the student who made the post. Follow up with the student who made the post and remind them that at eCornell we require considerate and mutually respectful communication, and ask them to revisit this post to ensure it is fostering an inclusive environment.
- If the post doesn't seem explicitly rude, let the student know you are sorry he feels someone has been rude to him. Go on to remind the student that, absent nonverbal visual cues, words online can have more impact than speech, and it could be that there was no ill intent in the post. Ask him if there is anything you can do to help.
Incomplete or Abrupt Discussion Posts
The situation: A student's post, in response to a complex and thought-provoking discussion post by a classmate, reads: "No comment."
The response: The following message, posted in the forum as a reply to the first student, would be a good model for responding to such an abrupt and incomplete effort:
I'm glad to see you've jumped into the online discussion for this course, and that you're already using these financial tools for decision-making at Belo. I'm curious about the meaning behind "No comment" in one of your posts. I'm not sure if it's directed to the discussion question, or to your classmate's response. Could you add to your comment so its constructiveness and context is more apparent to us all? If, by any means, you have an issue that can't be dealt with constructively, please let me know via the Canvas inbox so we can work through it one on one.

Should the student continue to be unengaged in the discussion, or refuse to answer, it would be appropriate for you to remind them the discussion is a mandatory component of their course, and they will need to complete it in order to pass.
English Language Challenges
Our courses are delivered in English, and our students come from all over the world. Inevitably, some number of them will not be entirely fluent in English, and some may have significant challenges with assignments that require them to put their thoughts into a context that is not their first language.

We will not turn away any student solely due to English not being their first language. We ask you, as a facilitator, to be flexible when assessing student work. For example, if a submission shows evidence of challenges with written English (grammar, punctuation, etc.) but otherwise conveys understanding of course content, you should mark it as "Complete."

That said, if you perceive that a student is struggling with the discussions and/or the course material because English is not his/her first language, and you believe, as a result, the student is not understanding the course content and/or is unlikely to complete the course successfully, please contact the Help Desk as soon as possible to discuss.
Issues with Video Recordings
Our courses sometimes include assignments in which students are required to incorporate a video recording of themselves as a component of the work. On occasion, and for a variety of reasons, a student may be unable or unwilling to submit such a video.

If this situation arises in your courses, begin by following up with the individual student to gather more information. If there is a technological hurdle or a low-level discomfort with the process, you may well be able to guide them to resources that will resolve the issue (such as putting them in touch with our Student Support Team at ec_helpdesk@cornell.edu). In other cases, however, you may discover that there is a more serious obstacle — for example, if the student is on active military duty, there may be a prohibition on sharing video for security and safety reasons.

In cases where there is a valid rationale, please do your best to work with the student on an alternate approach to meeting the requirement. An option we encourage is a one-on-one Zoom call, wherein the student can display their mastery of the requisite skills in essentially the same format.
Ultimately, we do expect all students to complete all course requirements, either exactly as written or through an approved alternate mechanism that meets the same standards. If you have any concerns about a student's unwillingness to follow through with the video portion of a project, or with your ability to reasonably facilitate a different solution, please reach out to the Facilitation Support Team and your Program Facilitation Manager for assistance.
Concerns about a students’ well-being:
From time to time, students may share (with their instructors or peers) concerning information about a personal struggle or a sense of compromised safety or well-being. This may include thoughts of despair or self-harm. You, as the facilitator, may be in a unique and trusted position to listen and to connect the student with support and resources.

If a situation should occur where you believe a student may be at risk of harming themselves or others, please send screenshots of the communication and any relevant information to to FST (ec_facilitation@cornell.edu), with your PFM and Rachel Ricci (rachel.ricci@cornell.edu) included.
Guidelines for your steps in this situation can be found below:

· Entitle the subject of the email “Concerns about student in [Course Title]
· Please ensure to provide the student’s full name and name of the course
· Provide screenshots of your direct Canvas messages with the student which cause you concern, and share links to discussion boards or other assignment that have relevant details.
· Do not copy the student on this internal correspondence.
· Send this correspondence to your PFM, FST (ec_facilitation@cornell.edu), with your PFM and Rachel Ricci (rachel.ricci@cornell.edu) included.
· In a separate correspondence via the Canvas inbox, please let the student know that you have concerns about their communication and are escalating their communication to internal teams for their well-being.

In addition to this, the "Help Others." section of Cornell’s Mental Health website includes specific recommendations for those hearing such concerns. It provides language and resources that correspond to related to levels of distress. Remember, you are never alone in guiding a student. The website also includes links to 24/7 Help Lines (with talk/text resources). that you, or the student, can call upon at any time for assistance.
Student Working Together on Assignments
The situation: When reviewing two students' assignments in your course, it is apparent that they have submitted identical work.
The response: The following message, sent privately to each student via the Canvas inbox, would be a good model for responding to students in this situation:

"I am sending you this message to advise you that based on a review of your [Assignment names here] it appears that you may be working with another student in this class.

Although we welcome you to collaborate with classmates and colleagues, please kindly note that this course requires individual students to provide a unique submission to each assignment containing their own individual thoughts. Please pay particular attention to this requirement for the remainder of assignments in this course. If you believe there is a misunderstanding about this situation, please let me know if you would like to discuss this matter."

Should the students continue to be submit identical assignments, it would be appropriate for you to contact the Facilitation Support Team (ec_facilitation@cornell.edu), and your PFM to discuss next steps.
Suspected AI Use
The situation:

In a course discussion or project, a student submits work which you believe may be AI generated.

The response: Ultimately, students are able to use AI to help enhance their own responses. However, they may not use it to solely create their responses, per the eCornell code of Conduct.
Our general stance regarding AI, similar to other sources of information, is if we are certain a student uses AI in their work (i.e, verbiage that indicates “Written by Chat GPT”, for instance), we are able to reference the source and indicate the requirement for an original response.

If you are certain a student used AI to create their response, it would be reasonable for you to comment on the students assignment with guidance such as the following:

"Hi [Student Name] it appears much of your course project has been AI generated, can you please update your response using your own words and content from this course [provide an example of a tool they may find the needed information in within the course]? Thank you! Please note, per the eCornell code of conduct, which you can find on this pageLinks to an external site., that we do require any use of AI to be properly attributed, and that students may not use AI to solely create their assignment responses.”

Once the student resubmits their work, as long as they meet passing requirements for the assignment, you are able to provide them a passing grade.
If a student disputes their use of AI after you have asked them to resubmit, do your best to grade impartially based on the assignment rubric alone. In accordance with our standards of facilitation it would be appropriate to request resubmissions, accompanied by specific feedback, if a student has not met passing qualifications. If a situation should escalate to be disruptive or disrespectful, please reach out to Facilitation Support Team (ec_facilitation@cornell.edu), with your PFM included to advise on next steps

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