Even before the COVID-19 crisis, integrating inclusive language into the campus culture at Life West was a high priority for senior leadership. It must continue to be treated as such, in every communication, during this unprecedented time at the college. As we shift quickly to distance learning and working to ensure everyone’s safety, we must also create order that makes our online classrooms a successful learning environment for everyone.
This situation can lead to a set of dynamics, processes and structures that engender marginality and persistent inequality for diverse communities not limited to religion, sex, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, disability, sexual orientation, and skin tone. Managing this crisis for the weeks and months ahead in a way that fosters communicating inclusively to ensure we reach our most vulnerable, underrepresented and marginalized members of the campus community is beneficial to all of us.
We offer guidance here for communicating intentionally and inclusively, as we successfully shift many of our operations off-campus.
Netiquette Guidelines
The term “Netiquette” (network etiquette) is a set of rules for behaving properly online. Being in an online learning environment means that we must focus our thoughts and attention on our written communication prior to posting. When we communicate electronically, we want to increase understanding and avoid confusion about our online tone of voice and intended message.
We might offend people without meaning to, and possibly misunderstand what the other is saying and take offense when it’s not intended.
This also includes the opportunity to communicate utilizing videos, virtual meetings, and live streaming platforms. Therefore, we must also focus our attention on our body language, gestures, visual and auditory cues during our interactions. Remember we are participating in online dialogue.
The common rules of “Netiquette” are:
- Be concise and to the point
- Do not type in all upper-case letters – the reader can perceive this language as “yelling” or “shouting” at them
- Do not leave the subject line blank – the reader can mistake this message for SPAM and delete the message without reading it
- No profanity allowed
- Communicate using a respectful and professional tone
- Uphold the standards of Academic Honesty set by the College
Thank you for your extraordinary service to others in these unprecedented times at Life West. Working within these guidelines can prevent underrepresented groups from being further marginalized. Our collective efforts to give, do, love and serve are seen and deeply appreciated.
For more information, please contact Dr. Annette Walker, Diversity and Inclusion Officer.