Online discussion works best when expectations are explicit. Ask students to respond to ideas rather than people, use professional and inclusive language, make disagreement evidence-based, and protect the privacy of classmates.
Set the standard before discussion begins
- Use a respectful tone and assume good intent while still addressing harmful or inaccurate claims.
- Disagree with an idea by explaining why; do not attack the person who posted it.
- Write for an academic audience. Avoid insults, sarcasm that can be misread, and typing in all capitals.
- Protect personal information shared in class and do not repost classmates’ work outside the course.
- Cite or link to sources when making factual claims that are not common knowledge.
- Follow the instructor’s expectations for deadlines, reply length and number of peer responses.
For faculty
Include discussion expectations in the course orientation and revisit them before the first graded discussion. When a conversation becomes unproductive, address the behavior and restate the learning purpose rather than allowing the thread to drift.