Writing Across the Curriculum - Strategies for Use of Electronic Discourse in Instructional Contexts

Using Rubrics Using Peer Appraisal Using Conferencing Home	Strategies for Use of Electronic Discourse in Instructional Contexts
	1. Clearly define for students each of the electronic contexts of your course. How do they differ in terms of your expectations?
	e-mail messages class discussion listservs chat rooms teacher-student conferencing e-mailed assignments
	2. Tell students what you will and will not tolerate in each of those contexts. If you don't explain the differences, your practices could appear inconsistent or contradictory. Example: you send back e-mailed assignments or messages where meaning is obscured by form problems. Example: you elect not to comment on punctuation, grammar, or spelling problems displayed in an online class discussion.
	3. Explain to students the importance of written communication in terms of their credibility as communicators and thinkers. Technology has inadvertently thrown an unprecedented focus on written communication. The ability to write is a skill critical to most work environments and essential to all academic endeavors. Help students appreciate the public nature of academic discourse and develop good habits as writers that will serve them a lifetime.
	4. Tell students exactly what you value in electronic discourse: brevity, clarity, accuracy, necessity, etc. Model these values in your messages to them.
	5. Communicate overtly how their choices will affect their grade(s).
	6. Distribute online and in class, if possible, your own set of guidelines for electronic discourse in your course.

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