Online Professionalism, Online Safety, Universal Design for Learning

 

·        Online Professionalism

Professional behaviour is necessary for the long-term success of an online student. The basis of this chapter will be learning the fundamental behaviours in an online environment. Moreover, you’ll learn how to exhibit respect in your online lectures, and maintain academic integrity. Following this chapter, you will be confident, prepared, and excited about your online journey. Professional online behaviour includes using the proper tools (i.e. headphones, microphones, camera) to interact with others. This can also include ensuring that you use the “raise your hand” feature and allowing the professor to call on you before speaking. It is common courtesy when in your online lectures to mute yourself until it is your turn to speak. Communication skills play a vital role in an online environment. The most efficient way of communicating with your professors and Teaching Assistants/Graduate Assistants (TA/GA) is by email. Some tips which can help you build a formal relationship include:

1.       Using an appropriate subject line to summarize your email

2.       Using the proper salutation when addressing your professors

3.       Briefly explain your question/inquiry in the body paragraphs

4.       Include a proper closing statement (Regards, Sincerely, etc.)

One of the biggest concerns in the online environment is academic integrity. Academic integrity is the commitment to honesty while exemplifying moral behaviour in your studies. Universities have a very strict policy regarding plagiarism and failure to obey these policies could result in expulsion from your institution

·        Online Safety

Online safety refers to the act of staying safe online. It is also commonly known as internet safety, e-safety and cyber safety. It encompasses all technological devices which have access to the internet from PCs and laptops to smartphones and tablets. Being safe online means individuals are protecting themselves and others from online harms and risks which may jeopardise their personal information, lead to unsafe communications or even effect their mental health and wellbeing. It goes without saying that the internet can be an unforgiving place. Aside from the more obvious risks such as online bullying, grooming or device addiction, the way children are engaging with the online world means that we have to take stock of their mental health and wellbeing, the type of content they are viewing and what they are posting online. This includes the heightened concern around fake news and what impact social media influencers may be having on our children’s behaviour. It also includes the ongoing debate as to whether online gaming and certain features of online gaming, such as loot boxes and skins, are categorised as gambling and are encouraging gambling habits in children. The number of varying social media applications continues to grow too. Previously, if you educated yourself on the mechanics of Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram, you’d pretty much be covered. However, we’re now in an age where a multitude of ‘apps’ exist, and they’re more complex than ever before. Whilst the above remain popular, how many of us have heard of TikTok, YOLO, FaceApp or LIKEE. All of these are all free to download and available at the touch of a button. Such are the range of risks we now need to be aware of and the different platforms that children can access, it’s not easy to keep up to date

Example:

Child pornography

any pornographic or illicit depiction of a child; viewing, sharing, or owning child pornography

is a felony in the United States

Cyberbullying

a form of bullying that uses internet and other technologies as a means for perpetrating

bullying behaviors

Hacking

when a person or program bypasses or tricks normal security procedures in order to gain

access to a site or service

Malware

malicious software or any software or app that is designed to steal your personal information

or cause your electronic devices to behave improperly

Phishing

an attempt to maliciously exploit sensitive personal information online; a play on the word

"fishing," because it implies the use of bait to trap a victim

Personal Security

In this section we will explore three ways that those with malicious intent may seek to make your personal online experience less secure and less safe through malware, hacking, and phishing. As we explore each, we will provide examples of how the threat might impact lay internet users and also provide guidelines for simple threat reduction or prevention.

·        Universal Design for Learning

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an educational framework based on research in the learning sciences, including cognitive neuroscience, that guides the development of flexible learning environments and learning spaces that can accommodate individual learning differences. Universal Design for learning is a set of principles that allow teachers with a structure to develop instructions to meet the diverse needs of all learners.

The UDL framework, first defined by David H. Rose, Ed.D. of the Harvard Graduate School of Education and the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) in the 1990s,[2] calls for creating curriculum from the outset that provides:

Multiple means of representation to give learners various ways of acquiring information and knowledge,

Multiple means of expression to provide learners alternatives for demonstrating what they know.

Multiple means of engagement to tap into learners' interests, challenge them appropriately, and motivate them to learn.[3][4]

Curriculum, as defined in the UDL literature, has four parts: instructional goals, methods, materials, and assessments.[1] UDL is intended to increase access to learning by reducing physical, cognitive, intellectual, and organizational barriers to learning, as well as other obstacles. UDL principles also lend themselves to implementing inclusionary practices in the classroom