When Kayla missed the discussion deadline, she quickly emailed her instructor: 鈥淗ello, A family situation popped up, and I missed that post. Are you good with me submitting this now?鈥� Her only answer was a zero in her gradebook.
Isaac felt great about his work, right up until it was time to submit it. Then, his internet crashed, causing him to miss the assignment鈥檚 due date. He emailed his instructor immediately, expecting understanding. Instead, their response raised questions about 鈥渁nticipating the unexpected鈥� and 鈥渂ackup plans鈥� and told him not to expect any feedback outside office hours.
Mandy loved her in-person undergraduate experience, but her confidence slipped when she started an online MBA. It felt like everyone else knew the steps for writing a 鈥済ood鈥� discussion post and how to use a Zoom breakout room.
Online education鈥檚 hidden curriculum impacts everything from grades to mental health. What is it, and how can you master it?
What Is Hidden Curriculum in Education?听
Within the educational system, the hidden curriculum is a concept introduced by educational scholar and professor Philip Jackson in his 1968 book, Life in Classrooms, and includes how we interact with authority, manage time and understand social cultural norms. It is everything we learn without being taught explicitly, like when students learn to raise their hand before speaking or find their seat before the bell rings. Although we won鈥檛 find them in the formal curriculum, these expectations are vital for success.
Hidden Curriculum in Online Education vs. In-Person听
The hidden curriculum in traditional and online higher education is fundamentally different. Digital spaces are more complex and come with unique social dynamics and technological barriers. Even students who have mastered the invisible rulebook in traditional settings can miss it in a virtual environment.
We learn to pick up social cues through in-person encounters. Facial expressions, body language and casual conversations help us orient and decipher relational dynamics. The absence of these natural social interactions online creates a set of new, unspoken expectations.
Virtual teaching and learning also makes everything either hyper visible or completely invisible. Students comfortable being on camera might be seen as more engaged, while those who can’t or won’t appear may be perceived as disengaged.
Traditional classrooms have a built-in structure. Online learning assumes students know how to manage time, create study spaces and motivate themselves without explicit instruction. Students are often left on their own to learn these skills and may feel judged for not having them. All while learning to navigate platform-specific behaviors and decode different instructors鈥� unspoken clues.
Navigating Hidden Curriculum With 颁辞苍蹿颈诲别苍肠别听
The hidden curriculum affects everything. Others may make assumptions about your effort due to things you don鈥檛 even know they expect. Wondering what you may be missing can lead to unfair pressure or anxiety, but once you know where to look, the clues are everywhere.
How ACE Simplifies Hidden Curriculum听
At 番茄视频 (ACE), we encourage students to explore available resources that bring hidden curricula to light. For example, we house a full repository of guidance in our online student portal, Student Commons, along with many other resources outlining community norms, expectations and practices.
Our team of expert curriculum developers suggests students consider key strategies to approach hidden curricula with confidence.
- Explore course materials.听
Check out the course syllabus and learning management system. Many curriculum developers address the hidden curriculum when making decisions about course content and how it鈥檚 presented.
At ACE, we focus on making expectations clear from the start without pressuring students with ambiguity. We use course templates to ensure consistency and help students understand exactly what to do by plugging in support links in assignment directions so they鈥檙e readily available.
- Watch what gets rewarded.听听
How do instructors respond to discussion posts and comment on your assignments? What鈥檚 the tone of your instructors鈥� announcements? What do your classmates say, and how do they say it? Does the tone vary from a discussion post to a private chat?
Notice how others communicate and hunt for assumptions. Watch and listen for phrases like 鈥渁s you know鈥� or 鈥渟tudents should.鈥�
- Monitor your stress level.听听
Do you feel anxiety rising when you face a certain situation or dynamic? Could that be a clue to part of the hidden curriculum you鈥檙e still discovering?
What to Do With Hidden Curricula听
Recognizing that a hidden curriculum exists is a great step. What鈥檚 next?
- Ask questions. You鈥檙e probably not the first to have the question, and it鈥檚 unlikely you鈥檒l be the last. Lean on the support services available to you.听
- Be proactive about participating and planning. Create time in your schedule for managing the unexpected and networking with peers and faculty members.听听
- Talk to your classmates. Make new friends, compare notes and swap strategies for academic success.听听
- Don鈥檛 blame yourself if you feel behind. You鈥檙e all in progress, and there is always more to learn!听听
Can the Hidden Curriculum Be a Good Thing?听
The advantages of mastering the hidden curriculum extend far beyond the classroom.
Career Readiness听
Digital communication skills, time management and initiative directly translate to work environments. Learn them now, and you鈥檒l have a head start on career readiness.
Imagine Kayla lands her first job at a hospital. While reviewing onboarding materials, she has a question about the deadline for submitting paperwork. She knows her hiring manager prefers email, so she drafts a professional message asking for clarification.
颁辞苍蹿颈诲别苍肠别听
Understanding unspoken expectations increases adaptability. You鈥檙e more confident entering new online courses, professional development programs and virtual job interviews.
Remember Mandy? Suppose she鈥檚 a few weeks into a new role when the manager asks her to facilitate an online meeting. Knowing how she felt when she started her MBA, she creates a welcome slide for the meeting, detailing the camera options and steps for coming off mute.
Networking and Relationship-Building Skills听
Learning to connect with instructors and classmates online develops sophisticated relationship-building abilities. You learn the art of making virtual connections, participating in digital discussions and maintaining professional relationships across distances.
Elevated Academic Performance听
Students who understand the hidden curriculum often perform better. It鈥檚 not because they’re smarter, but because they think like a detective. They know how to ask questions, engage and meet their instructor鈥檚 expectations. This can lead to better grades and more opportunities.
Critical Thinking Skills听
Realizing there鈥檚 a mystery to solve makes you a more analytical thinker about institutional systems in general. You begin to spot unwritten rules wherever you go. Knowledge and skills like these give you an advantage in complex environments.
Better Mental Health听
Instead of constantly wondering, “Am I doing this right?” you know how to decode the unwritten rules. Knowing it鈥檚 okay to ask questions or say, 鈥淚鈥檓 still learning,鈥� reduces stress and anxiety.
Let鈥檚 say that after earning his doctorate, an online institution hires Isaac. He doesn鈥檛 want his college students to miss the hidden curriculum like he did, so he creates a list of tips for clarifying the implicit expectations. Isaac鈥檚 actions reduce his students鈥� stress levels as well as his own.
The hidden curriculum in online education affects every student, but when you recognize the clues, you can master this invisible playbook. With curiosity, peer connections and critical thinking, you’ll turn this challenge into a powerful career advantage.
贵础蚕蝉鈥�
It鈥檚 everything you鈥檙e expected to know or do that鈥檚 not explicitly taught. For example, raising your hand before speaking up in class, communicating 鈥減rofessionally鈥� and according to your instructor鈥檚 preferences and submitting assignments in a certain way.鈥�
Teachers may expect you to know how to send formal emails, contact them during office hours, show up on camera or use certain digital tools.鈥�
Be proactive in asking questions and talking with peers. Don鈥檛 hesitate to say, 鈥淭hat鈥檚 new information for me鈥� or 鈥淕ood to know! I haven鈥檛 heard that before.鈥澨�
番茄视频 offers our students a plethora of digital resources and a support team to ensure they can successfully navigate both academic and hidden curricula. Explore our fully online programs today.听
