Ground Rules for Online Discussions

This is the only part of an online course that should be imposed in a top-down manner. It is intended not to oppress students. Rather, its function is to create a space that is 'safe' for all class members to express their views and opinions in ways that will produce a positive outcome for all.  

Therefore, in order to make online discussions useful, fun, rewarding, intellectual, academic, and civil, I suggest the following ground rules subject to negotiation:

We will always communicate in a spirit of constructive and friendly dialogue.

We will communicate in a direct manner and deal only with the issues raised.

We will always treat what others have written with respect even when we disagree with what they have written.

We will always take care to be supportive of the rights of others to hold points of view that conflict with our own.

We will always make the context of what we say visible, if there is a chance that others may misinterpret them. For example, if we are joking or having some fun we will write something to indicate it, e.g., (Just kidding)

We will avoid the use of irony, sarcasm, disrespect, hinting or any language that is designed to make our point of view unclear.

We will take any message that we receive as being well meant by the sender, if necessary seeking clarification before responding.

If we see flaming, we will try to intercede and defuse the situation.

We will maintain the privacy of other class members by keeping confidential all parts of the discussion, with the exception of our own words.

Much of what I have written here, you may think of as fairly straightforward but you may want to consider this quote from a book called 'Learning Networks' (Harasim, et al, 1995, p. 184-5)

Most instructors encourage controversy and critical thinking, but students may feel insulted if their contributions are criticized. Students should be encouraged to say something positive about a presentation before presenting a critique. Moreover, if appropriate, critiques should suggest ways to improve. Other areas where there might be intense emotional reactions of participants include jokes or irony that is not understood as humorous in intent, because facial expression and tone of voice are missing, or anger when someone feels that there has been a remark that is insulting. Students may become very angry, and respond with a scathing counterattack. This may build up to an exchange of insults, called "flaming," if it is not managed and defused by the moderator and other participants.

Generally socio-emotional outbursts can be prevented or managed by making clear the rules of good netiquette - the etiquette of network communication and social interaction - and modeling considerate and polite behaviour. Some systems have formalized such rules of acceptable online behaviour, and participants can lose their access privileges if these rules are contravened. By actively enforcing netiquette the moderator fosters community among students.

Obviously, no participant in an online class can be denied access to the discussions because they comprise the main part of the course. However, students and faculty we are bound by the university's regulations and all have signed them when they were first given computer access. Therefore, sharing the information from this course with others outside the class is the same as knowingly allowing someone else to use one's university card.