Next Level Netiquette...How does Netiquette impact the college classroom?

With the advent of technology in education, colleges and universities have had to consider netiquette policies to address inappropriate online behavior in order to maintain the academic integrity of their institutions.  More and more students are completing online and blended learning undergraduate and graduate coursework, which requires that colleges spell out their expectations for online decorum in clear ways.

College students taking online courses or regular courses with elements of technology must be fully aware of their school's policies on netiquette in order to avoid violating said policies and potentially compromising their grades, scholarships, academic standing.

Some key points to remember when participating in online courses or when using technology in regular courses are as follows:

1. Previous Netiquette Rules Apply

Netiquette for all students continues to apply when a student enter undergraduate and graduate levels of education.  The stakes are much higher in post-secondary education, which means that students should adhere to "common sense" netiquette rules in order to avoid impropriety.  These rules include not yelling with ALL CAPS, thinking about how a message or email will sound to the person receiving the message, avoiding humor that may be misinterpreted, etc.

2. Be Cautious in online chats

Many college courses utilize chats among students in order to facilitate dialogue and collaboration.  These chats can easily become a breeding ground for unnecessary personal conversations, which is contrary to their original academic purpose.  Students should avoid using online course chats as social media outlet.  Professional decorum should be maintained at all times during these group chats.

3. Always use proper grammar and spelling

Students tend to get lax in their grammar and spelling the more comfortable they become with their colleagues and professors.  This tendency can be detrimental to their success in their courses as it demonstrates a lack of professionalism upon which many professors frown.  Professors will not attempt the interpret emails or discussion posts with misspellings and poor grammar.  Their response will simply be to give the student a poor grade.

These are just a few netiquette guidelines for college students to consider.  For more netiquette rules, please see the links below...

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