Communications Policy

in Policies
Policy

We will have in-person class meetings (in Room 1221 Computer Sciences); we will use Canvas for announcements, discussions, and hand-ins; and we will use this course web to distribute information (we will announce new information on Canvas).

Summary:

  • Class meetings are in 1221 Computer Sciences.
  • Announcements will be made via Canvas.
  • Emergency announcements will be made via email, but we will try to keep this to a minimum.
  • Discussion Assignments (including assigned discussions) via Canvas Discussions.
  • Communication with Course Staff via Canvas messaging or Email (but follow good etiquette).
  • Broadcast information via the course web (announced on Canvas)
  • Course restricted information via Canvas pages and Files.
  • Please be respectful of others in online communications.
  • Students are responsible for the material on the Course Web and Canvas (and the places they link).

Communications in CS765

I have chosen to use a variety of different tools for communication in the class. I did this since no one tool is perfect for all of the different kinds of communications we need to do. For each type of communication, there is a tool to use it in, and the tools are connected.

Everything is organized by the type of communication.

Announcements via Canvas. The course staff will make announcements using the Canvas announcement system. If something is important, we will announce it on Canvas. You may want to configure Canvas to notify you when there are announcements. Setting Canvas to send you a daily digest of announcements is recommended. (see Tips on Using Canvas).

Use Forms When Possible. Use the Missed Class Form to say when you will miss class.

Communicate with the course staff via Email or Canvas messages. But please follow the following guidelines:

  1. Always send email from your university (@wisc.edu) account
  2. Make sure the subject line specifies that it is for CS765
  3. Do not send separate messages to both the TA and Professor. It is best to copy both of us (so that we know that the other has seen it). If you send a message to one of us, we may assume that you sent a similar message to the other.
  4. Be patient… we may not respond to things right away.
  5. You cannot turn in assignments via email.
  6. Avoid attachments in email.

Assigned Discussions via Canvas Discussions. For any discussion we require you to participate in (e.g., the weekly Online Discussions and Seek and Finds) we will use Canvas Discussions. Almost always you will be part of a group (warning: groups are one of the more frustrating aspects of Canvas - see the Canvas page), and you will need to make your own posting (in response to a prompt) before seeing others’ postings and being able to respond.

Course Information on the Course Web. If I want to give you information (like this page), it will be on the course web. If new information is made available, it will be announced on Canvas (so you don’t need to keep checking the course web for new stuff).

Restricted Information via Canvas Files and Pages. If something is restricted (limited to use by the class), it will be placed on Canvas, not on the open web. Please do not share restricted materials outside of class.

Assignments will be turned in via Canvas. Almost everything will be turned in via Canvas. Some design exercises might be turned in with a Google Form. Do not try to email assignments.

Do not respond to Canvas Grade Comments: We will never see it. We will use comments as a way to communicate with you (you should get an alert when there is a message posted). If you want to respond, send email or use Canvas messaging.

Office Hours will be held either in person or via Zoom. See the instructions on the instructor’s web page. If you need to schedule something, send email. The TA will not hold regular office hours.

Course staff may communicate with you via email. If you get email from us, please respond via email.

Some Rationale

Understanding why we are using all these different tools will help you know how to use them all together in class.

We are using Canvas Announcements because they give you (as the student) options on how you want to be notified. They also have the advantage of being logged, so you can go back and refer to them. You may want to configure Canvas to notify you when there are announcements. See Tips on Using Canvas

We are using the Course Web because it gives a better authoring experience for me to write things, and more flexibility in how I organize information. It also is public, so people not in the class can see what happens in the class. For information that is private, I will use Canvas Pages. Canvas pages are not a good option for class information because they are harder to author and have limited organizational opportunities. The course web has the downside that it is non-interactive (so we will only use it for 1-way communications), and there is no easy way to notify people when things are changed (I will manually announce it on Canvas).

We will use Canvas Discussions for graded (prompted) class discussions. Canvas discussions provide important features for this: grouping (you will almost never have a discussion with the whole class), post before seeing others, reasonable threading, “new post filtering”, connection to logging and grading, likes, … They are good for a focused discussion on a single topic (the response to a prompt). They are less good for open discussions (where students want to raise new topics).

We have decided not to use Piazza this semester for this class. This is an experiment. It required “one more place to check”.

We will try allowing email for messages between students and staff. This is an experiment too. In the past, we’ve avoided it.

Some Things Not to Do

  1. Do not reply in Canvas grading comments! Canvas grading comments are a way for us to give you feedback. If you post a reply to your feedback, we may not see it.

  2. Do not send the Professor or TA an Email if you miss class. Use the form.

  3. Do not reply to Canvas announcements or grade comments.

  4. Do not try to turn in assignments by email.

Etiquite Online and Online Conduct

Online discussion can be challenging. Because you don’t get the real-time feedback from others, you may say something inappropriate, mean, hurtful, aggressive, or offensive without realizing it - or only realizing it too late (after the posting has circulated and damage is done). On the receiving side, because we miss the non-verbal cues, it is easy to misinterpret a message in a negative way. And when we try to resolve bad occurrences, delays in dialog can allow negative feelings to grow before they can be diffused.

Because it is new, the “rules” for acceptable conduct online (both in terms of being sufficiently civil in discussion and being proper academic conduct) is not well formed. Use good judgment. If there is something questionable, feel free to ask.

In the past, we have found that students in online discussions for this class have been respectful and professional. But I think this takes conscious effort from everyone.

Some guidelines:

  1. Be polite and respectful of others. It’s OK to disagree, but do so in a constructive way. Be mindful of the how the reader will interpret your message.
  2. Stay within the topic and scope of discussions.
  3. If you feel that someone is being inappropriate, or says something that hurts you, feel free to bring it up with the course staff.
  4. Use reasonable writing. What works in spoken conversation can feel weird in writing.
  5. Beware of sarcasm and humor - it often doesn’t work online, and you cannot get immediate feedback to know that it is being interpreted correctly.
  6. Be honest. Don’t cheat. You can go back to edit things, but don’t use it as a way to avoid deadlines. (e.g., making an initial posting before the deadline and fixing it afterwards).
  7. Don’t plagiarize. Give proper attribution for things you borrow.

See also the University Netiquite Guidelines

The course staff has the right to remove content it feels is inappropriate at its discretion.