Online Ethics

Respect class or campus guidelines for online text exchanges with other students. Treat each other courteously and respectfully, address others in an appropriate classroom manner, and follow directions designed to protect each other’s privacy and hard work. Your instructor may provide cautions about sharing personal or confessional information, especially because your CMS, LMS, or campus may retain indefinite access to class materials.

In addition, find out whether your papers might be routinely or randomly submitted to a plagiarism-detection site. Be certain that you understand your campus rules about plagiarism and your instructor’s directions about online group exchanges so that you do not confuse individual and collaborative work. Further, use sources carefully as you do online research:

For more about using sources, see the Quick Research Guide beginning on p. A-20.

Common Interactive Online Options

Online Options Typical Functions Applications Your Class Might Use
Class Blogs Individual or collaborative Web logs or journals for a sequence of public (whole class) or private (small group or instructor) comments on a topic or theme Regular comments to encourage writing, reflecting, exploring, analyzing, and sharing ideas that could evolve into more fully developed written pieces
Class Wiki An encyclopedia of collaborative entries explaining terms relevant to a course topic or issue An existing or evolving set of essential key terms, activities, concepts, issues, or events
Class Ning Private social network for class members (as a whole or in special-interest groups) to share information and exchange ideas List of relevant campus or community events, participant profiles, and a forum or blog to comment on key topics
Text Exchanges Texts submitted for response from others through messages with attached files (to use software to add comments) or a real-time document-sharing Web site (to use its comment system) Overall comments on strengths, weaknesses, and effectiveness; suggestions noted in the file (perhaps color coded by respondent); one-on-one exchanges, such as questions and answers, about a draft
Audio Applications Recorded spoken comments, including responses to drafts, in-person group discussions, presentation or podcast practices, podcasts, course lectures, or interviews Verbal comments to strengthen personal connections, recorded by the instructor or peers for one student or a group; class interviews of content or research experts (authors, librarians, faculty)
Visual Applications Organized and archived photos, videos, Web shots, or other images Visual materials to prompt, inform, illustrate texts, or add to presentation software
Course Resources Public social-network page, department Web page, program resources, library Web site, open-source materials, online writing lab (OWL), Web pages Opportunities for building a supportive online academic group and accessing recommended course resources