“Netiquette” Guidelines for Online Learning

Netiquette is a shortened form of “internet etiquette” which is a way of defining professionalism through electronic communications. As applied to education, it refers to the rules for appropriate behavior when communicating with your instructor or classmates. Your instructor may have more specific netiquette policies listed in the syllabus but here are some suggestions:

• Give all students the opportunity to join in the discussion.
• Avoid using excessive exclamation points (!!!)
• Treat others with respect, be sure that your message can not be interpreted as rude or disrespectful in any way.
• Remember, there is no tone of voice online, so be careful how you word things.
• Do not use offensive language. Present ideas appropriately.
• Be cautious in using Internet language. For example, DO NOT CAPITALIZE ALL LETTERS, it can be construed as shouting.
• Popular emoticons can be helpful to convey your tone but do not overdo or overuse them.
• Avoid using slang as this could possibly lead to misinterpretation.
• Acronyms such as LOL (laughing out loud) or BTW (by the way) are not appropriate in an educational environment.
• Using humor is acceptable but be careful that it is not misinterpreted. For example, are you being humorous or sarcastic?
• When in doubt, always check with your instructor for clarification.