Online Engagement & Netiquette

As an online student at APSU, you will be engaging with faculty and peers often through various means. It is important to recognize that there are certain social and professional expectations in your engagement with others within and outside of the classroom.

This is what is referred to as Netiquette. Netiquette refers to "Etiquette", or proper way to conduct yourself, on the Internet. To help you with your online learning experience at APSU, we have provided a list of recommendations for email and group engagement specifically, as well as some general tips, below.

Netiquette Expectations

We engaging with groups, especially in discussion boards, we recommend the following:

You may have to make an original post before you can view others' posts and responses
Always make a well thought out post or response (not "I agree!" or "Ditto")
Maintain threads by using the "Reply" button rather than starting a new topic unless required by your instructor.
Do not make insulting or inflammatory statements to other members of the discussion group.
Be respectful of others ideas and comments.
Be cooperative with group leaders in completing assigned tasks.
Be positive and constructive in group discussions.
Respond in a thoughtful and timely manner.

When engaging with your Instructor and peers through email we recommend the following:

Always include a subject line
Include your course number and section in your email. Your instructor may teach multiple courses and will have many students, so the more specific you are, the better and easier it will be for your instructor.
Remember, without facial expressions, some comments may be taken the wrong way. Be careful in wording your emails.
Use standard fonts for easy readability. Avoid special formatting such as centering, audio messages, tables, HTML, etc. unless necessary to complete an assignment or communication.
Do not send large attachments without permission.
Respect the privacy of other class members and always be courteous.
Include your name at the bottom of Email messages.
Never assume your email messages are private nor that they can be read by only yourself or the recipient. Never send something that you would mind seeing on the evening news. Be professional and careful what you say about others. Email is easily forwarded.

Generally, there are appropriate and 'not-so-appropriate' ways to communicate on the internet. The following tips will help you safely navigate the web in a safe and professional manner:

Don't say anything you wouldn't say to a person's face or that you wouldn't mind having ANYONE read. Just as when you write a letter, when you send written words through cyberspace --via email or on discussion groups -- you have no control over where they go or who will see them.
Remember you are talking to a person ... not a computer. It's easy to forget that there is a person on the other end of the email or discussion group when you're sitting alone typing at your computer. Be clear with your words. It's easy for someone to misinterpret your meaning. They can't see your expressions or hear the tone of your voice.
Don't expect instant responses.
Capitalize words only to highlight an important point or to distinguish a title or heading. Capitalizing whole words that are not titles is generally termed as SHOUTING!
Never give your username or password to another person.
Focus on one subject per message and always include a pertinent subject title for the message, that way the user can locate the message quickly.
*Asterisks* surrounding a word can be used to make a stronger point.
Cite all quotes, references and sources and respect copyright and license agreements.
Be careful when using sarcasm and humor. Without face to face communications your joke may be viewed as criticism.

Online Engagement Through Discussions

Many of the instructors use discussion groups in their online courses. In fact, your first assignment may be to post something to a discussion board about yourself and why you are taking the class. Don't be shy! Using the Netiquette guidelines of the do's and don't's of discussions, you are more than prepared to participate in the online learning environment.

You may be graded for class participation by your use of the discussion group. Besides, it's a great way to talk with the other students you may seldom, if ever, meet. You may be required to post once or twice a week, so get acquainted with how it works!

A discussion board is also called a bulletin board or forum. One person will start a discussion subject, also called a thread, and others will reply to it. New discussion subjects can be posted at any time. Online discussions can get quite lively!
Unlike 'chatting', which takes place in real time, items can be posted to a discussion board at separate times. The date and time are noted, so you can see when the comment was made creating a record of the discussion.

If this is your first time using D2L, please to see how to begin a thread in a discussion board.