Netiquette, a social code that defines “good” online behavior is something to keep in mind during your online course interactions. Writing may be the only means of communication you have with classmates and instructors, so it is especially important to do this effectively. Follow the guidelines below to leave your mark as a knowledgeable, respectful and polite student who is also positioned to succeed professionally.
Be scholarly
- Do: Use proper language, grammar and spelling. Be explanatory and justify your opinions. Credit the ideas of others through citing and linking to scholarly resources.
- Avoid: Misinforming others when you may not know the answer. If you are guessing about something, clearly state that you do not know the answer.
Be respectful
- Do: Respect privacy, diversity and opinions of others. Communicate tactfully and base disagreements on scholarly ideas or research evidence.
- Avoid: Sharing another person's professional or personal information.
Be professional
- Do: Represent yourself well at all times. Be truthful, accurate and run a final spell check. Limit the use of slang and emoticons.
- Avoid: Using profanity or participating in hostile interactions.
Be polite
- Do: Address others by name or appropriate title and be mindful of your tone. Treat people as if you were in a face-to-face situation.
- Avoid: Using sarcasm, being rude or writing in all capital letters. Written words can be easily misinterpreted as they lack nonverbals.
