Digital Citizenship in MOOCs

Online communities are similar to the communities we live and work in. Online communities have socially acceptable practices that encourage respect and collaboration, referred to as digital citizenship.  Socially responsible citizens in online communities promote a positive learning environment for all.  Guidelines for digital citizenship incorporate the basic rules of polite, appropriate, responsible conduct in online communities. The OPEN Program’s digital citizenship guidelines incorporate the basic rules of polite, appropriate, responsible conduct and are designed to ensure that our course communities are creative, engaging, and respectful spaces for learners.  

As a participant in this program, you are required to read these guidelines thoroughly and reference them when posting discussion responses, responding to peers’ posts, engaging with your facilitators or OPEN Program staff using Canvas messaging or email, and in any other situation where you are responding to or providing feedback on another person’s experience or opinions.  The goal of online discussion forums is for you to share and learn from one another. What you share in discussion forums should contribute to a learning environment that helps all participants become more effective as English language speaking professionals. By participating in course discussions, you agree to uphold these guidelines. If a post or response violates these guidelines, we will remove the post. If a participant makes multiple posts that violate guidelines, he or she may be removed from the course.

Please carefully read the General Guidelines for Creating a Respectful Learning Environment and the Specific Guidelines for Responding to Discussion Prompts and Your Peers below. Use these during your course and post a question in the Content Support Discussion if you have questions or concerns.

General Guidelines for Creating a Respectful Learning Environment

Respect and learn from different experiences and perspectives: Another participant’s perspective may be very different from your own, but everyone is here to learn. It is important to respect different experiences and acknowledge that others may be seeing things from a different perspective. Please don’t try to “correct” another person’s lived experience since OPEN courses are not a place to discuss politics or policies related to war, conflict, disaster, etc.

Be considerate, even if you disagree: If you feel that you cannot continue a discussion without arguing or making accusations, stop engaging in the discussion. Remember that all discussion assignments in MOOCs are optional, and they do not impact your grade. If you think a statement might be rude or offensive but are not sure, do not share it.

Be aware of your tone: Tone refers to how you say what you say. Because it is difficult to interpret tone in online communication, it is best to adopt a neutral tone. Avoid a joking tone. Jokes may not be understood by all your classmates and may offend them.

Be kind: Be as polite in an online discussion forum as you would be if you were talking face-to-face.

Specific Guidelines for Responding to Discussion Prompts and Your Peers

Read first: Read all comments and previous questions that have been posted. Your question may have already been answered.

Stay focused: Stay on topic, and don’t post irrelevant thoughts, discussions, or photos. These can be disruptive to your classmates. If you are unsure, reconsider your post.

Participate! Don’t be a lurker, or someone who reads what other people write, but doesn’t contribute their own thoughts. Your thoughts are important; share them with your peers.

Don’t cross-post (posting the same comment in multiple forums) or copy someone else’s comments. Your work should be yours alone and should be original to you.

Quote your classmates and bring context to your thoughts: If you refer to what another classmate said, quote your classmate. You can say, “When [NAME] said, ‘QUOTE’, it reminded me of….” This will help others understand your point and keep them from having to look for the original statement while helping you practice academic skills.

Use professional language: Do not use abbreviations, slang, or cursing and do not type in ALL CAPS. Use italics or bold for emphasis and avoid overusing exclamation points which may come across as anger. Proofread your work before you share it, and do not correct the phrasing, spelling, or grammar of your classmates unless they specifically ask you to do so.

Write only about your own personal experience and relate your posts directly to the discussion prompt. Before posting, ask yourself “Is what I am sharing related directly to the prompt, and will it contribute to a positive learning environment?” Speak from your personal experience, be specific, and give examples.

Provide thoughtful, relevant, and engaging input: Some helpful ways to respond include expressing empathy, asking follow-up questions related to the discussion, and sharing your own experiences.

Avoid expressing your opinion about someone else’s experience: Try responding with what you have learned or how you relate to their situation. Don’t simply say “Yes, I agree” or “No, I disagree.” Try to help others understand your thoughts and be inspired to contribute their own.
Avoid broad statements about politics or who may be “wrong” or “right.” A comment such as “my work as a teacher is difficult because the other side keeps attacking us” does not focus on personal experience. To contribute to a learning environment, this individual could instead share the impact of the situation, such as “teaching is difficult because the school building and classrooms have been destroyed. I hope to learn techniques for how I can teach in a way that is trauma-sensitive for children.”

Some of the above information was adapted from "Tips for using Discussion Forums in MOOCs" by MoocLab, accessed Sep 8, 2017.