Online Learning For Dummies

Chapter 15

Understanding Netiquette and Ethical Behavior

IN THIS CHAPTER

Employing netiquette

Practicing ethics

Writing without plagiarizing

Ever hear of the Robert Fulghum book All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten? In it, he states some of the simple rules from childhood, including how you really need to play fair and not take things that aren’t yours. In a nutshell, that’s what this chapter is about! Online learning should be a place where students are fair to one another and honest in their interactions. We look at how this concept plays out digitally and what tools you can use to help you stay true to your word.

Defining and Using Netiquette

Netiquette is computerese for a set of rules or standards that people follow to keep the online environment pleasant and safe. The word combines etiquette with the Internet, and, just like its parent definition of etiquette, netiquette is all about communicating respectfully and politely and avoiding stereotyping.

Most good instructors convey their interpretation of netiquette along with expectations for its use in the early ...