When I first started teaching after graduating from UCLA, I have taught many shy students. In a face to face classroom, I could lecture the topic of the day and then I would give my students time to answer questions. It was usually the same students who raised their hands to ask questions.
Similarly, when I would quiz students orally on the reading or on the lesson by asking them questions about the topic (to make sure they had done the reading for that lecture), the same students would raise their hands to answer questions about the reading.
Of course, I would do my best to call on all my students evenly to answer questions. But the shy students would resist answering or asking questions. Some students would simply tune out and not pay attention at all.
I remember in the face to face class, I had to be creative to find ways to engage all my students especially the shy ones. I would have my class play games, have debates, look at realia to answer questions or have them do TTP (Total Physical Response--similar to Simon Says.) But for the most part, shy students could get away with being quiet for the most time if that's what they wanted.
When I was a graduate student in the French department, I was a very quiet student. I attended the lectures the French teacher would give, I took notes, memorized facts, ideas and dates and regurgitated more or less the same facts, ideas or dates on written tests in those blue exam booklets. I would spend whole semesters being the quiet shy student in the background.
However, in an online class, shy students are required to post 3 times a week just like all other students. In an online class, a shy student cannot get away with sitting quietly in the background especially if 30% of her final grade has to do with forum participation.
Online classes benefit shy students because shy students are required to come out of their shells, venture out of their comfort zones and collaborate with other students on group projects, peer edit other student rough drafts, express their like or dislike on the topic of the week, and as a result of their increased participation in the online class, shy students bond with the other students and learn to become a community of learners with the class in general.
I would go to the Reports tab to see which students are not participating a lot in the forums and give them encouragement. Sometimes I would send shyer students emails asking if they were okay or if they needed help. If the shy student does not participate in the forums 3X a week, he would lose 30% of his grade, and I did not want my shy students to get a low grade, so I would email them to get them to participate in the forums or to have them set a one-on-one appointment with me for an online live meeting.
Online classes benefit shy students because shy students get an increased chance to participate in class discussions and as a result, they become a more engaged learner. They gain confidence in their writing skills and in their communication skills which is valuable later on in the workplace. Shy students who want a high grade cannot get away with 'tuning out' or 'being quiet' and research has shown that the more students collaborate, form a trusting bond of community and belonging by posting in the forums, the more the student learns the core concepts and this translates into higher grades and higher EOC surveys!
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