Netiquette Guidelines

The Department of Mathematical Sciences at Appalachian State University recognizes Effective Communication as one of Program Learning Outcomes which represent the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed by students who graduate from our institution. Communicating effectively in an online environment requires students to uphold rules of netiquette. The following guidelines should be followed in all aspects of this this course:

Maintain a professional tone

When communicating online, the facial expressions, tone of voice, and gestures which accompany face to face interactions are often lost, leaving the tone of a message up to interpretation. Sarcasm, slang, and jokes can be misinterpreted in an online environment. Remember your audience and create messages which are direct and contain relevant details; emails should include a subject, greeting (Dear so and so), and concise message.

Follow the rules of grammar and usage

While social media has allowed informal writing to become more common, professional communication still follows formal grammar and usage rules. Emails, discussion posts, and the like should be spell-checked and proper capitalization and punctuation should be used. Avoid writing in all-caps as it is considered shouting and rude to online users.

Show respect and courtesy in your online interactions

Displaying politeness and common courtesy is always appropriate. Conflicting opinions are inevitable, but disagree with ideas, not people, to provide a supportive learning environment for all. Reinforce a viewpoint with facts and examples rather than criticisms and personal attacks.

Make your contributions matter

You may be required to post a certain number of times in your online classes. Discussion posts which state agreement in one or two words (
"I agree" or "Good post") create more reading for everyone without contributing much to an overall discussion. Offer details and examples which support your viewpoint when creating posts. Likewise, make sure your posts are relevant to the topic. Most classes include a discussion forum for topics not directly related to course content.

Reproduced with permission from Dr. Arrington’s BIO 1204 online course