The social presence of the course involves all participants, and courses should provide a way for everyone to feel included in the learning experience. Learners may need support in academic, affective, or other areas outside of the course; These standards encourage instructors to provide ways to support learners.

Standard C5: Norms and values

Description

Information is provided to guide participants to establish norms or core values for respectful engagement in the course included but not limited to: discussions and group work. Usually guidance for respectful discourse can be found in General Discussion and CORP guidelines.

Examples

Name and pronoun policy from campus resources page

Discussion etiquette information from Meet and Greet discussion

Standard C6: Institutional standards

Description

Support or resources are provided to enable participants to meet institutional standards usually within the Course Resources page or Syllabus. Examples of institutional standards include academic policies on original work. Support resources include library, writing center, and other disability services as needed.

Example

List of campus services for instructor to update with institutional links

Standard C7: Direct feedback

Description

Participants can provide direct feedback regarding instruction or course content through discussion, survey, email, or additional contact resource. Usually the General Discussion is the primary means of submitting feedback to all course members.

Example

Help ticket email address provided

Standard C8: Non-written contributions

Description

Information is provided to participants regarding how (or prompting) to contribute to the course in non-written mediums via audio, image, or video using the course LMS.

Example

Meet and Greet Discussion prompt