In the online classroom and often in
hybrid/blended classes, you communicate with your classmates and instructor
in writing through the public discussion forums, email, and sometimes chat
sessions. "Online
manners" are
generally known as "netiquette."
As
a general rule, you should adhere
to the same classroom conduct that you would in a traditional face-to-face
course.
Some examples of proper netiquette follow.
- Avoid writing messages in all capital letters. THIS IS
GENERALLY UNDERSTOOD AS SHOUTING.
- Be careful what you put in writing. Even if you are
writing an email message to one person, assume that anyone could read it.
Though you may send an email to a
single person, it is very easy to forward a message to hundreds or
thousands of people.
- Spelling, grammar, and punctuation matter. Online and
hybrid/blended courses demand the same standard
of academic communication as face-to-face courses.
- Use shorthand "emoticons" on the discussion board only in the Course Chat Room,
which
is generally reserved for informal discussions with other students.
- When responding to messages, use "Reply to All" only when you really intend to reply to all.
- Never
use profanity in any area of an online course. Transcripts of online
course communications are savable.
- Avoid
unkindly public criticism of others.
Publicly criticizing others in an inappropriate way
is known as "flaming."
- Avoid
sarcasm and use humor with care. In
the absence of nonverbal cues such as facial expressions
and voice inflections, the context for your comments may be lost, and your
message may be misinterpreted.
- Please refer to your course syllabus for the “Expectations of
Student Conduct” section
which applies to online courses as well as F2F.