Body
In this article:
- Introduction: Why Digital Civility Matters
- Creating Boundaries for Thoughtful and Accountable Online Interaction
- Syllabus Policies for Digital Civility
I. Introduction: Why Digital Civility Matters
As a liberal arts college, our mission is to foster a vibrant intellectual community built on critical inquiry, robust debate, and mutual respect. As we increasingly use digital platforms to extend our classrooms, we must be intentional about cultivating these same values in our online spaces.
"Digital civility" is more than just being polite online. It is the practice of creating a learning environment where students feel secure enough to engage with challenging ideas, express nascent thoughts, and risk being wrong without fear of personal attacks, public shaming, or harassment.
Misuse of digital tools, such as taking screenshots of class discussions to share on social media (a form of doxing), can have a chilling effect on academic freedom and poison the trust essential for a learning community.
This guide offers faculty concrete strategies, recommended technologies, and sample syllabus policies to proactively build constructive, respectful, and intellectually robust online environments.
II. Creating Boundaries for Thoughtful and Accountable Online Interaction
The goal is not to eliminate disagreement, but to structure it productively to foster civil discourse through the use of privacy-conscious tools. Several learning technologies have features designed to facilitate this.
A. Social Annotation | Discussion Platforms
Perusall's anonymous posting feature is a standout. If you aren't familiar with the platform, it is a social annotation tool that integrates with Nexus via assignments. Perusall allows students and their instructors to collaboratively read and markup documents, articles, websites, etc. online.
B. Audience Response & Polling Systems
This tool is ideal for real-time feedback and gauging the room's opinion, especially on controversial topics.
- How it Works: This platform allow instructors to create polls, word clouds, or open-ended Q&A sessions where student responses are submitted anonymously from their phones or laptops. The free versions allows you to have three polls per Slido. If you need more than that, contact Denise Snyder to discuss an IEF Teaching with Technology grant to cover the cost of a monthly or year-long subscription.
- Pedagogical Benefit: This allows for instant, honest feedback. You can ask a potentially polarizing question (e.g., "What is your initial emotional reaction to this text?") and get candid responses without any single student having to publicly own a potentially unpopular opinion. It makes the collective "temperature" of the room visible without exposing individuals.
C. Structured Argument & Debate Platforms
A platform specifically designed to host structured, visual debates through thesis-driven arguments with pro and con claims
- How it Works: Kialo discussions can be set to Anonymous Mode. In this mode, each student is assigned a random and unique alias (e.g., "Orange Elephant," "Blue Giraffe") for that specific discussion. This allows their arguments to be judged on their own merit. Instructors, as discussion Owners or Admins, can always see the real names behind the aliases, ensuring accountability. Importantly, a discussion can be made anonymous, but this cannot be reversed.
- Pedagogical Benefit: Kialo's structure already focuses debate on the logical connections between claims. Adding anonymity doubles down on this by removing social dynamics and peer pressure. A student might be more willing to post a strong "con" argument against a popular "pro" claim if their name isn't attached to it, leading to more robust and comprehensive debates. It protects students from being personally targeted for the arguments they are exploring.
D. Moderated Video Discussion
- How it Works: Panopto can be used as a video discussion platform. Its key safety feature is that students can choose to have their comment only visible to moderators (i.e., teachers).
- Pedagogical Benefit: This gives the student complete control over the content shared with the class. It allows students to still participate privately with you to share their thinking and get private feedback.
III. Syllabus Policies for Digital Civility
A clear policy in your syllabus sets expectations from day one. It signals that you take the quality and safety of the learning environment seriously. Here are a few examples, from simple to comprehensive.
Example A: Brief Statement
Classroom Community & Digital Respect
This course is a space for rigorous and respectful debate. This commitment extends to all our digital interactions, including discussions on Perusall and Nexus. We will critique ideas, not people. To protect our shared learning environment, you may not record, photograph, or share any part of our class sessions or online discussions outside of our class without my express written permission. Please note that if you are using a notetaking or other app, such as Genio, as part of an officially approved learning accommodation for this course, the agreement you sign requires that you do not share that material with anyone else.
Example B: The Comprehensive Policy
Our Digital Learning Community: Principles for Engagement
Philosophy: Learning requires vulnerability. In this course, we will explore complex and sometimes challenging materials. Our success depends on our collective ability to create a space for productive discomfort and generative dialogue where we can all engage honestly, test new ideas, and learn from one another without fear of personal attack or public ridicule. The following principles apply to all our online interactions.
Core Expectations:
- Engage with Ideas, Not Identities: Focus your responses on the substance of an argument, not on the person who posted it.
- Cite Evidence: Ground your claims in evidence from our course materials.
- Assume Good Faith: Approach your peers' comments with charity, assuming they are here to learn, just as you are. If a comment is unclear or troubling, ask for clarification before judgment.
- Acknowledge and Appreciate: Acknowledge the labor and insight in others’ posts. Phrases like "Building on what [student] said..." or "That's an interesting point, and it made me think about..." foster a collaborative environment.
Privacy and Safety
- A Firm Rule: To ensure our class remains a trusted space for exploration, any form of recording, capturing, or sharing of our class activities is strictly forbidden. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Taking screenshots or photos of online discussion forums (Perusall, Nexus, etc.).
- Recording video or audio of synchronous class sessions.
- Sharing any class materials or discussions with individuals not enrolled in the course.
Please note that if you are using a notetaking or other app, such as Genio, as part of an officially approved learning accommodation for this course, the agreement you sign requires that you do not share that material with anyone else.
Anonymity on Perusall:
- We will use Perusall's anonymous posting feature. This is designed to help you focus on the ideas being discussed and to feel more comfortable sharing tentative thoughts. Remember that your posts are never anonymous to me as the instructor, and you remain accountable for meeting the course's standards of respectful and substantive engagement.
Consequences:
- Failure to adhere to these guidelines may constitute a violation of the college's Student Code of Conduct and could be handled through the appropriate disciplinary channels.
Example C: The Co-Created Community Agreement
This approach involves creating the policy with your students during the first week. It fosters greater buy-in.
Syllabus Prompt:
Our Class Community Agreement: In our first week, we will work together to create a set of shared norms for our discussions, both in person and online. We will begin by collectively answering these questions:
- What does a productive and respectful intellectual disagreement look like?
- What do we need from each other to feel safe enough to share our true thoughts and questions about the course material?
- What should be our collective policy on the privacy of our shared discussions and work?
Our finalized agreement will become our official policy for the term.
By being proactive and intentional, we can harness the power of learning technologies to create digital spaces that reflect the best of our liberal arts tradition: critical, communal, and deeply respectful.
If you are having difficulty or you have unanswered questions, please contact the Help Desk through the ITS Service Catalog or call (518) 388-6400.