Taking courses online is a new experience for many. If you are new to online learning, the way students communicate with each other and with teachers/facilitators/journalists may feel awkward and unfamiliar. Here are some things to keep in mind when taking online courses that will help you avoid miscommunication and ensure that your online learning experience with the SOUK E-portal is a positive one.

General Etiquette:

1. Respect others and their opinions. In online learning, students from very different backgrounds come together to learn. It is important to respect their feelings and opinions even when they are quite different from your own. 
2. Watch your language and tone carefully. Sessions will be recorded and this means any inappropriate language will be recorded and kept by SOUK. Take your time with your words, and think about your tone like you would in a physical classroom. 
3. Consider people’s privacy. Always ask for permission before you take screen grabs or forward any content to somebody else. DO NOT publish material from the lessons from SOUK without express permission from SOUK and the teacher/facilitator/journalist. 
4. Be forgiving. If someone writes something that you find offensive, mention it directly to the teacher/facilitator. They are best equipped to address the situation. Remember that the person contributing to the discussion might be new to this form of communication. What you find offensive may have been unintended. 
5. Be concise. When you are contributing to a discussion, be as brief as you can to get your point across. Adding a lot of unnecessary words just makes your message less clear. Try to stick to the point and not go off on irrelevant tangents. 
6. Read first, write later. Don’t add your comments to a discussion before reading the comments that are already there. And if you are responding to a previous comment, always make clear which comment you are responding to. 
7. Think before you hit the send button. Learning to be your own editor is a difficult and important skill. Think carefully about the content of your message before you send or post it. Once you push the button, there is no taking it back. Take care over your grammar and spelling – misspelt words or poorly constructed sentences can make it hard to decipher your meaning accurately. 

When you are in the lesson:

1. Dress appropriately. When you are in a lesson on the SOUK E-portal you are taking part in a virtual classroom. Treat this like you would treat entering a physical classroom, wear appropriate clothing for the session. 
2. DON’T TYPE IN ALL CAPS OR USE EXCESSIVE PUNCTUATION!!!!!!! Most people find this annoying and you may not be communicating your thoughts effectively. 
3. Mute your mic when you are not speaking. When in a lesson there will be multiple people in the session, and you can hear everything. If you are not speaking or responding to a question then please mute your mic so that the person speaking can be heard clearly.