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Online Guidelines

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities’ mission is to actively promote the academic and personal development of each student, to concentrate on the general welfare of all students and maintain constant availability. Furthermore, to focus on the unique needs of students, and to formulate policies and implement disciplinary procedures in accordance with the University's Code of Student Conduct.  

As the University moves to remote course delivery, the Student Rights and Responsibilities office urges students to become aware of the guidelines and protocols set in place by the university and/or instructors. You can access the Student Handbook and the Code of Student Conduct. Please feel free to contact our office with any questions or concerns at SRR@lousiana.edu

Please carefully review the following guidelines which will help facilitate your work in online courses. 

Refer to Your Course Syllabus

The guidelines below may differ from course to course. Each course Syllabus should specify policies on expectations for assignments, conduct and etiquette.

  • Academic integrity will be evaluated based on the Academic Honesty policy in the Code of Conduct. 
  • Don’t turn in late assignments. Most instructors do NOT accept late assignments. 
  • Keep up with your reading. Students who keep up with their reading are more likely to perform better in online classes.
  • Do NOT miss quizzes/exams. Most instructors may NOT allow makeup quizzes.
  • Work effectively and promptly with others when required. Failure to do so can significantly affect your grade. 

Email

Email will be an integral part of online courses. Make sure you:

  • Check your email at least once daily.

  • Be patient. Don’t expect an immediate response when you send a message. Generally, two days is considered a reasonable to receive a reply.

  • Include “Subject” headings. Use something that is descriptive and refers to a particular assignment or topic.

  • Be courteous and considerate. Being honest and expressing yourself freely is important but being considerate of others is equally important. 

  • Make every effort to be clear. Online communication lacks the nonverbal cues that clarify meaning in face-to-face communication.

  • Do NOT use all caps. This makes the message hard to read and is considered “shouting”.

  • Check spelling, grammar and punctuation. It may be good to compose in a word file, then cut and paste the message into the discussion or email.

  • Break up large blocks of text into paragraphs and use a space between paragraphs.

  • Sign your email message with your full name.

  • Never assume that your email can be read by anyone except yourself. Never send or keep anything that you would not want to see on the evening news. 

Discussion Topics

Many of the protocols that apply to email also apply to the use of Discussions. The following tips may help when posting:

  • Deadlines will be specified for each assignment. It is a good practice to check Discussion boards multiple times during the week.

  • If you want to send a personal message to the instructor or to another student, write an email rather than a Discussion post.

  • Be patient. Don’t expect an immediate response when you make a Discussion post.

  • Everyone should participate in online discussions, when required. Discussion posts may impact your grade.

  • Respect everyone’s ideas, feelings and experiences.

  • Explore disagreements and support assertions with data and evidence.

  • Pay close attention to your assignments and post appropriately. Disrespectful and rude comments may have consequences.

Have a Backup Plan

Create a backup plan for unexpected issues such as a crashed hard drive or loss of internet.