The following guidelines supplement the William Angliss Institute Student Code of Conduct and apply specifically to the online learning environment. In addition to complying with the Student Code of Conduct, students learning online are expected to:
Be kind: Being welcoming to new community members is everyone’s responsibility. Show empathy; use welcoming and inclusive language. Critique is encouraged; being mean is not.
Be polite: Treat your fellow learners with respect. Insulting, condescending or abusive words will not be tolerated. Do not harass other learners. Polite debate is welcome as long as you are discussing the ideas, not attacking the person. If you have a question as to whether your language is too strong or emotional, don’t send your message.
Be respectful: Be sensitive to the expectations of a diverse audience from different cultures and backgrounds. Be thoughtful and open-minded when discussing controversial topics since others will likely have differing perspectives. Do not use words or share content or images that are offensive or inflammatory.
Be supportive and constructive: Any feedback should be offered to help the recipient rather than making them feel bad. Feedback is an important part of the learning process.
Be on-topic: Posts and comments should contribute to the discussion. Start new discussions rather than derailing existing ones.
Communicate in English only: Communicating with lots of people becomes very difficult if everyone comments in a different language.
Post appropriate content: Do not post pornographic or obscene content. Do not post copyrighted content and don’t use other’s content or images without their permission. Do not advertise or promote outside organisations. Do not spam the forums with repetitive content.
Be clear, brief and smart: Use a descriptive subject header or title so recipients can easily identify the focus of your post. Keep your posts to pertinent information only. Check your spelling and grammar before posting your message.
Respect privacy: Respect the privacy of others. Do not distribute private, confidential, or proprietary correspondence or information without permission. Never give sensitive personal information online such as your user ID or password. Do not record or distribute any part of online classes or meetings.
Be legal: Do not participate in, condone or encourage unlawful or potentially harmful activity. This includes any form of cyberbullying.
Report upward: Please inform your educator if you see a violation of the guidelines. Handling it yourself is more likely to start an argument, and makes it harder for the educator to track repeat offenders. Alternatively, you may make an anonymous report to the Wellbeing Officer at wacs@angliss.edu.au.
Respect the educator: Do not persistently argue publicly or privately with educators or other learners. If you are unable to resolve your differences you may resort to the WAI Student Academic and non-Academic Grievance Complaints Policy and Procedure.
Be professional: Dress for Zoom meetings as you would if you were attending class in person and where possible, be seated upright at a desk.
Failure to comply with this Online Code of Conduct may result in disciplinary measures being taken in line with the William Angliss Institute Student Misconduct Policy and Procedure.