E-mail Protocols

1. Be sure and check your e-mail at least once per week (but more often is better).
   

2. Don't send e-mail for general questions about the course until after you have posted the question on the Main Discussion group (or relevant discussion group) and waited at least 24 hours for a response.
   

3. When you e-mail the instructor, be sure to put a relevant description in the subject line. Failure to do so will likely result in me deleting your message unread, thinking it is spam or contains a virus.
   

4. Be courteous and considerate. It is important to be honest and to express yourself freely but being considerate of others online is just as important as it is in the classroom.
   

5. Make every effort to be clear. Online communication lacks the nonverbal cues that fill in much of the meaning in face-to-face communication.
   

6. Do the following in every e-mail message you send during this course:
   • Sign your e-mail messages
   • Do not use all caps. This makes the message very hard to read and is considered "shouting."
   • Check spelling, grammar, and punctuation (you may want to compose in a word processor, then cut and paste the message into the forum or e-mail).
   • Break up large blocks of text into paragraphs and use a space between paragraphs.
   • Never assume that your e-mail can be read by no one except yourself; others may be able to read or access your mail. Never send or keep anything that you would not mind seeing on the evening news.

On-line Discussion Protocols

1. Discussions will be targeted. That is, they will be topic and assignment specific. Please ensure that you are posting your comments to the correct discussion group/topic.
   

2. Be courteous and considerate. It is important to be honest and to express yourself freely but being considerate of others online is just as important as in the classroom.
   

3. Make every effort to be clear. Online communication lacks the nonverbal cues that fill in much of the meaning in face-to-face communication.
   

4. Send a message to the instructor or to another student by using e-mail rather than the On-line Discussion.
   

5. Use the appropriate Discussion group/topic. don't post everything on the "Main" Discussion group.
   

6. Use the following conventions when composing a Discusion posting:
   • Be careful about "Subject" headings; use something that is descriptive, refer to a particular assignment or discussion topic when applicable.
   • Use the "reply" button rather than the "compose" button if you are replying to someone else's post.
   • Avoid "I agree" type posts, they take up space on the discussion board and will not be counted for credit.
   • Do not use all caps. This makes the message very hard to read and is considered "shouting."
   • Check spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
   • Try to avoid posting large blocks of text but when you must, break them into paragraphs and use a space between paragraphs.