ORG525 – Decision Theory in a Global Marketplace

ORG525 – Decision Theory in a Global Marketplace
Credit Hours:
3
Contact Hours:
This is a 3-credit course, offered in accelerated format. This means that 16 weeks of material is covered in 8 weeks. The exact number of hours per week that you can expect to spend on each course will vary based upon the weekly coursework, as well as your study style and preferences. You should plan to spend 10-25 hours per week in each course reading material, interacting on the discussion boards, writing papers, completing projects, and doing research.
Course Description and Outcomes
Course Description:
In this course, students will analyze the roles of leaders and managers in decision making. In the context of organizational theories of behavior and leadership, students consider how decision and choice theory are applied in global organizational settings. Students also learn to apply practical problem solving and conflict management skills through decision-making tools and leadership approaches.
Course Overview:
In this course learners will consider how decisions are applied in organizational settings. Learners will explore approaches to decision making, as well as the impact of biases, emotions and culture on the decision-making process. Learners will discuss what decision making may look like in the future with greater global input and an increase in technology. Practical problem-solving and decision-making skills will also be practiced throughout the course.
Course Learning Outcomes:
1. Apply decision-making theory, approaches and techniques to global leadership decisions.
2. Design an effective and ethical decision-making process.
3. Evaluate the impact of biases, emotions, and moods on decision making.
4. Assess the role of groups in decision making and the impact of conflict on the decision-making process.
Participation & Attendance
Prompt and consistent attendance in your online courses is essential for your success at CSU-Global Campus. Failure to verify your attendance within the first 7 days of this course may result in your withdrawal. If for some reason you would like to drop a course, please contact your advisor.
Online classes have deadlines, assignments, and participation requirements just like on-campus classes. Budget your time carefully and keep an open line of communication with your instructor. If you are having technical problems, problems with your assignments, or other problems that are impeding your progress, let your instructor know as soon as possible.
SAMPLE
Course Materials
Textbook Information is located in the CSU-Global Booklist on the Student Portal.
Course Schedule
Due Dates
The Academic Week at CSU-Global begins on Monday and ends the following Sunday.
• Discussion Boards: The original post must be completed by Thursday at 11:59 p.m. MT and Peer Responses posted by Sunday 11:59 p.m. MT. Late posts may not be awarded points.
• Opening Exercises: Take the opening exercise before reading each week’s content to see which areas you will need to focus on. You may take these exercises as many times as you need. The opening exercises will not affect your final grade.
• Critical Thinking: Assignments are due Sunday at 11:59 p.m. MT.
Week #
Required Readings
Assignments
1
• Chapter 1 in Judgment in Managerial Decision Making
• Ballantyne, S. (2012, September). Leadership decision-making utilizing a strategic focus to enhance global achievement. Journal of Management and Marketing Research, 11, 1-6.
• Weick, K. E. (1993). The collapse of sensemaking in organizations: The Mann Gulch Disaster. Administrative Science Quarterly, 38(4), 628-652.
• Discussion (25 points)
• Critical Thinking (70 points)
2
• Chapter 4 in Judgment in Managerial Decision Making
• Guttman, H. M. (2012). Making decisions. Leadership Excellence, 29(2), 9.
• Discussion (25 points)
• Critical Thinking (70 points)
3
• Chapters 5 & 12 in Judgment in Managerial Decision Making
• Bjorklund, R. L., & Holt, S. S. (2012). Overcoming barriers to participation in diverse strategic decision-making groups: A leadership perspective. International Journal of Business and Management, 7(6), 49-57.
• Nickerson, J., Yen, C., & Mahoney, J. T. (2012). Exploring the problem-finding and problem-solving approach for designing organizations. Academy of Management Perspectives, 26(1), 52-72.
• Discussion (25 points)
• Critical Thinking (100 points)
4
• Chapter 10 in Judgment in Managerial Decision Making
• Charrier, G. O. (1972). Cog’s ladder: A model of group growth. SAM Advanced Management Journal (00360805), 37(1), 30. (Note: this is a foundational article to the field)
• Discussion (25 points)
• Critical Thinking (70 points)
5
• Chapters 2, 3 & 6 in Judgment in Managerial Decision Making
• Hess, J. D., & Bacigalupo, A. C. (2011). Enhancing decisions and decision-making processes through the application of emotional intelligence skills. Management Decision, 49(5), 710-721. doi: 10.1108/00251741111130805
• Discussion (25 points)
• Critical Thinking (70 points)
6
• Chapter 11 in Judgment in Managerial Decision
• Sinha, A. B. (2011, December). Conflict management: Making life easier. IUP Journal of Soft Skills, 31-42.
• Discussion (25 points)
• Critical Thinking (70 points)
7
• Chapter 8 in Judgment in Managerial Decision Making
• Curtis, M. B., Conover, T. L., & Chui, L. C. (2012). A cross-cultural study of the influence of country of origin, justice, power distance, and gender on ethical decision making. Journal of International Accounting Research, 11(1), 5-34.
• Discussion (25 points)
8
• Hogan, A. (2012). Lessons from the past for leaders of the future: What a Civil War general can teach you about leadership. PM. Public Management,
• Discussion (25 points)
• Portfolio (350 points) SAMPLE
94(10), 14-19.
Assignment Details This course includes the following assignments/projects:
Module 1
Critical Thinking Assignment (70 points)
Choose one of the following two assignments to complete this week. Do not do both assignments. Identify your assignment choice in the title of your submission. When you are ready to submit, click the Module 1 Critical Thinking header on the Assignments page to upload the document.
Assignment Choice #1: Outsourcing a Division Assume you are a manager in a large international manufacturing organization. You have been asked to consider outsourcing a division of the organization to another country.
• Describe the steps you would take in evaluating the decision made in this situation.
• Explore whether or not you would use prescriptive or descriptive decision making.
• Explain your reasoning for the type of decision making you selected.
• Evaluate the critical-thinking skills you believe would be necessary to make this decision.
Keep in mind that your ability to describe the steps you would take in the decision-making process is more important than the actual decision you make.
Paper Requirements
• Your paper should be 4-5 pages long, not counting the title and reference pages, which you must include.
• Format your paper per CSU-Global Guide to Writing and APA Requirements.
• Use at least two scholarly sources to support your claims. (You may not use the required and recommended readings in this course.) The CSU-Global Library is a good place to find sources.
Assignment Choice #2: Mann Gulch Disaster
Burns (1979) describes how “The decision making leader responds to unexpected events by analysis of the relevant facts and reassessment of ends and means” (p. 408). In the Mann Gulch disaster, firefighters reacted to the fire emergency (Weick, 1993).
• Evaluate how the firefighters applied the concepts of decision making in their emergency response.
• Explore whether or not they used prescriptive or descriptive decision making.
• Describe the steps you would take in evaluating decisions made in this situation.
The focus here is your ability to describe the steps you would take in the decision-making process more than the actual decision you make.
Paper Requirements
• Your paper should be 4-5 pages long, not counting the title and reference pages, which you must include.
• Format your paper per CSU-Global Guide to Writing and APA Requirements.
• Use at least two scholarly sources to support your claims. (You may not use the required and recommended readings in this course.) The CSU-Global Library is a good place to find sources.
SAMPLE
Module 2
Critical Thinking Assignment (70 points)
Choose one of the following two assignments to complete this week. Do not do both assignments. Identify your assignment choice in the title of your submission. When you are ready to submit, click the Module 2 Critical Thinking header on the Assignments page to upload the document.
Assignment Choice #1: Using Tools for Decision Making
Think about a decision you need to make and write a paper addressing the following:
• Apply two of the techniques or tools presented in this module to identify possible solutions to your decision.
o If you use a process, use the names of the steps as you describe the process.
o If you use a tool, include the diagram/map.
• Compare the results of the two techniques you chose.
• Assess which tool you feel would be most effective in making a decision.
• Predict which tool you are most likely to use in making future decisions.
Paper Requirements
• Your paper should be 4-5 pages long, not counting the title and reference pages, which you must include.
• Format your paper per CSU-Global Guide to Writing and APA Requirements.
• Use at least two scholarly sources to support your claims. (You may not use the required and recommended readings in this course.) The CSU-Global Library is a good place to find sources.
Assignment Choice #2: Using Tools to Solve a Problem
Research a business problem that has occurred either at your organization or in the news.
• Provide a short summary of the problem.
• Identify possible solutions using at least one technique or tool.
o If you use a process, use the names of the steps as you describe the process.
o If you use a tool, include the diagram/map.
• Describe the decision-making process at the organization.
• Compare your results to the decisions made in the actual scenario.
• Analyze which decision-making method and solution you think was more appropriate for the business problem.
• Justify your response using research to back up your analysis.
Paper Requirements
• Your paper should be 4-5 pages long, not counting the title and reference pages, which you must include.
• Format your paper per CSU-Global Guide to Writing and APA Requirements.
• Use at least two scholarly sources to support your claims. (You may not use the required and recommended readings in this course.) The CSU-Global Library is a good place to find sources.
Module 3
Critical Thinking Assignment (100 points)
Choose one of the following two assignments to complete this week. Do not do both assignments. Identify your assignment choice in the title of your submission. When you are ready to submit, click the Module 3 Critical Thinking header on the Assignments page to upload the document.
SAMPLE
Assignment Choice #1: Using Problem Solving to Address Challenges Leaders of organizations are charged with solving problems every day. Think back to an organizational challenge or decision in your organization (or in an organization you wish to research). This could be a decision that you (or the organization’s leader you are researching) had to make or a decision made by another leader in the organization.
• Provide a brief history/background of the organizational challenge.
• Explain how the problem was resolved, using the steps from the problem-solving process presented in this module. If certain steps were skipped, explain which ones and why.
• Consider how you/the organization might have approached the problem differently. Again, use the steps from the problem-solving process.
• Hypothesize whether the approach might have had a different outcome.
Paper Requirements
• Your paper should be 4-5 pages long, not counting the title and reference pages, which you must include.
• Format your paper per CSU-Global Guide to Writing and APA Requirements.
• Use at least two scholarly sources to support your claims. (You may not use the required and recommended readings in this course.) The CSU-Global Library is a good place to find sources.
Assignment Choice #2: Reflections on Problem Solving
Leaders of organizations are charged with solving problems every day. Identify an organization that recently failed at the process of addressing a major organizational challenge and/or making a major decision. If possible, identify an international organization.
• Provide a brief history/background of the organization.
• Explain how the problem was resolved, using the steps from the problem-solving process presented in this module. If certain steps were skipped, explain which ones and why.
• Consider how you or the leader/organization might have approached the problem differently. Again, use the steps from the problem-solving process.
• Hypothesize whether your approach might have had a different outcome.
Paper Requirements
• Your paper should be 4-5 pages long, not counting the title and reference pages, which you must include.
• Format your paper per CSU-Global Guide to Writing and APA Requirements.
• Use at least two scholarly sources to support your claims. (You may not use the required and recommended readings in this course.) The CSU-Global Library is a good place to find sources.
Module 4
Critical Thinking Assignment (70 points)
Choose one of the following two assignments to complete this week. Do not do both assignments. Identify your assignment choice in the title of your submission. When you are ready to submit, click the Module 4 Critical Thinking header on the Assignments page to upload the document.
Assignment Choice #1: Stages of a Team Reflect on a team that you have worked with either personally or professionally. In your paper, address the following based on your experience of working in a group. SAMPLE
• Describe how the group went through the five stages of team life or the five steps of Cog’s Ladder. If the group did not arrive at the later stages/steps, explain why.
• Provide an example for each stage/step.
• Contrast positive and negative group behaviors in the different stages/steps.
Paper Requirements
• Your paper should be 4-5 pages long, not counting the title and reference pages, which you must include.
• Format your paper per CSU-Global Guide to Writing and APA Requirements.
• Use at least two scholarly sources to support your claims. (You may not use the required and recommended readings in this course.) The CSU-Global Library is a good place to find sources.
Assignment Choice #2: Stages of an International Team (70 points)
Both the stages of a team’s life and Cog’s Ladder were developed in the United States. Consider how these steps/stages might look different in another country and culture.
• Identify a country and culture and provide a brief description. Note that it will be helpful to have a deep understanding of the culture.
• Identify an organization in that particular culture.
• Describe how the five stages of team life or the five steps of Cog’s Ladder might look in the context of this other culture.
• Add/delete stages/steps as you see fit.
• Provide reasoning for your modifications.
Paper Requirements
• Your paper should be 4-5 pages long, not counting the title and reference pages, which you must include.
• Format your paper per CSU-Global Guide to Writing and APA Requirements.
• Use at least two scholarly sources to support your claims. (You may not use the required and recommended readings in this course.) The CSU-Global Library is a good place to find sources.
Module 5
Critical Thinking Assignment (70 points)
Choose one of the following two assignments to complete this week. Do not do both assignments. Identify your assignment choice in the title of your submission. When you are ready to submit, click the Module 5 Critical Thinking header on the Assignments page to upload the document.
Assignment Choice #1: Leadership Style
The following self-assessments allow you to learn more about yourself. These instruments feature behavioral questionnaires that address a variety of personal attributes such as personality, emotional intelligence, communication abilities, motivation, and decision making. The overall expectation is that these instruments will provide you with value-added results that will later allow you to hone your skills as a solid decision maker and leader.
Emotional Intelligence:
• Psychtests
• Maetrix
Decision-Making Style:
• Self-assessment 7.8: What is your preferred decision making style?
• How good is your decision-making? SAMPLE
Leadership Assessment:
• Leadership skills assessment questionnaire
• The leadership motivation assessment: How motivated are you to lead?
• Take at least one emotional intelligence test, one decision-making assessment, and one leadership assessment from the links in this assignment.
• Discuss the outcomes of the assessments by specifically addressing what the experience of taking the tests tells you about:
o Individual personality.
o How personality fits into organizations generally or the organization that you currently belong to.
o Decision-making style.
o How personality, EQ, and decision-making style impact organizational contributions and leadership.
• Answer the following questions:
o How can one be effective in ones role in an organization or elsewhere? Cite and discuss a specific role as an example.
o What common biases might impact decision making?
o What can one do to be a more effective decision maker?
Paper Requirements
• Your paper should be 4-5 pages long, not counting the title and reference pages, which you must include.
• Format your paper per CSU-Global Guide to Writing and APA Requirements.
• Use at least two scholarly sources to support your claims. (You may not use the required and recommended readings in this course.) The CSU-Global Library is a good place to find sources.
Assignment Choice #2: Impact of Emotions on Decision Making (70 points)
This module focuses on the impact that emotions and moods have on decision making. Additionally, the module highlights biases in decision making, as well as emotional influences on decision making. Your goal for this assignment is to develop a plan to increase motivation, satisfaction, and performance in the workplace through the use of foundational principles associated with EQ.
• Provide a brief summary of the attributes associated with EQ.
• Describe how you would embody each of those attributes.
• Develop a plan for employing the plan to increase motivation, satisfaction, and performance in the workplace.
• Share specifics on the potential advantages and disadvantages of your plan.
Paper Requirements
• Your paper should be 4-5 pages long, not counting the title and reference pages, which you must include.
• Format your paper per CSU-Global Guide to Writing and APA Requirements.
• Use at least two scholarly sources to support your claims. (You may not use the required and recommended readings in this course.) The CSU-Global Library is a good place to find sources.
Module 6
Critical Thinking Assignment (70 points)
Choose one of the following two assignments to complete this week. Do not do both assignments. Identify your assignment choice in the title of your submission. When you are ready to submit, click the Module 6 Critical Thinking header on the Assignments page to upload the document.
SAMPLE
Assignment Choice #1: Resolving Work Conflict
For this assignment, you will identify a workplace conflict that you are now experiencing.
1. Provide a brief description of the conflict. (Note that you should strive to be as unbiased as possible in this description; consider yourself a video camera recording the situation.)
2. Consider the impact that cultural norms may have on the conflict.
3. Discuss the impact that conflict has on leadership’s decision making.
4. Describe specific techniques most useful in reducing or overcoming that specific problem behavior. (Note that you should use specific terms and concepts presented in the module.)
5. Postulate the potential negative and positive impacts that your techniques may have on resolving the conflict.
Paper Requirements
• Your paper should be 4-5 pages long, not counting the title and reference pages, which you must include.
• Format your paper per CSU-Global Guide to Writing and APA Requirements.
• Use at least two scholarly sources to support your claims. (You may not use the required and recommended readings in this course.) The CSU-Global Library is a good place to find sources.
Assignment Choice #2: Reflections on Resolving Work Conflict
For this assignment, you will identify a workplace conflict that you have researched.
1. Describe the organization and share its URL.
2. Briefly describe the conflict and make sure to use at least two different sources, such as a newspaper article, a scholarly article, or a trade (business) publication, for example. Do you detect differences in the accounts of the conflict?
3. Identify the conflict resolution or negotiation processes that were used
4. Highlight the advantages and disadvantages of the approach.
5. Describe why you believe the approach was successful or unsuccessful.
6. What was the end result of the conflict? Analyzing the conflict, what might have been handled differently and by whom?
Paper Requirements
• Your paper should be 4-5 pages long, not counting the title and reference pages, which you must include.
• Format your paper per CSU-Global Guide to Writing and APA Requirements.
• Use at least two scholarly sources to support your claims. (You may not use the required and recommended readings in this course.) The CSU-Global Library is a good place to find sources.
Module 8
Portfolio Project (350 points)
You have a choice between two Portfolio Projects. Do not do both projects. Identify your Portfolio Project choice in the title of your document. When you are ready to submit, click the Module 8 Portfolio Project assignment header on the Assignments page to upload your Portfolio Project. The milestone in week 5 applies to both assignments.
Portfolio Project Assignment Choice #1: Analyzing Leadership Decisions
Your final Portfolio Project is a thoughtful analysis of an ineffective or poor leadership decision. You may use a well-known leadership decision such as the 2011 decision to split Netflix, which resulted in serious financial losses for the organization. Your project must include the following:
SAMPLE
• Research a leadership decision that was ineffective or did not lead to desired results.
• Include the problem that may have precipitated the decision as well as the process the leaders involved in the decision-making process appeared to follow. Use terms from this course.
• Critique the process they implemented, using what you learned from this course.
• Recommend a different approach that could have been taken, using theories and methodologies from this course.
• Present a strong case for how your recommendations could have altered the decision that was made and could have led to a more effective result for the organization.
• Use theory from this course to support your evaluation, critique, and recommendations.
Requirements
• This assignment may be delivered in the form most suitable to your response. You might write a paper or create a slide presentation, Web page, or video. You could also try out a new tool such as Prezi, VoiceThread, etc.
• Format options:
o If you choose a written format, your paper should be 10-12 pages in length;
o If you choose a slide presentation, it should be 20-24 slides with notes and narration to support the content on your slides. Your presentation must include your script notes containing 80-100 words per slide.
o If you choose an alternative format, it should contain the same depth, breadth, substance, and quality as above. A website must contain at least 3-4 pages and exhibit good design and navigation principles as well as provide content depth. Provide the URL to your website in a Word document along with a brief one-paragraph description of the site that would be used, for example, to attract visitors coming across the site via a Google search. How would you entice people to visit your site in several sentences?
o A video must be 5-6 minutes in length and reflect good production principles. It must be hosted on YouTube or another online video-hosting site. You will not be able to directly upload your video to the Week 8 Assignments page, and because of that, you will need to copy the link to your video and paste it into a Word document, along with a brief note to your instructor regarding any special instructions necessary for viewing the video. Also include a brief description of the video, one that might be used, for example, to introduce the video on YouTube and entice viewers to the site.
o An audiocast such as a podcast must be 20-30 minutes in length and execute good production principles. You can visit this link for assistance in how to make an audiocast: http://toolbox.multimedia.lu.se/audiocasts.aspx.
Follow the same instructions given above for a video to upload your audiocast to your instructor (i.e., include the link to your audiocast in a Word document with any instructions). Include a brief description of the audiocast, one that might entice listeners to your production.
• Regardless of the delivery format, you must incorporate at least four scholarly sources into your presentation. You may not use the textbook for the course, but you may use other recommended or required readings in the course. The CSU-Global Library is a good place to find these sources.
• All assignments should adhere to CSU-Global Guide to Writing and APA Requirements. The CSU-Global Library also has helpful information on making presentations.
Portfolio Project Assignment Choice #2: Personal Decision-Making Strategy
For your Portfolio Project, you will encapsulate what you have learned about leadership and about yourself in this course. Before you begin, reflect on all the assignments in this course.
Imagine yourself assuming a leadership role within your current organization, or in the Mann Gulch Disaster (explored in Module 1). Develop a decision-making plan to share with current leaders in the SAMPLE
organization or event. Your plan should demonstrate how you could serve as an effective leader within the organization or event. Your plan must include the following components:
• Describe the leadership role, including its responsibilities.
• Provide a breakdown of the decision-making process(es) required. Include at least one diagram to illustrate this.
• Assess additional factors that might affect this leadership role, such as policies, external agencies/organizations, employee motivation, communication strategies, team-building needs, relationship-building needs, and individual differences (emotions, attitudes, values) and training.
• Outline your decision-making approach.
• Hypothesize the implications your plan may have on future organizational problems/challenges/opportunities.
• Use theories from this course to support your plan.
Keep in mind that this decision-making plan should reflect you as an individual and as a leader; it should also synthesize leadership and decision-making knowledge acquired in this course.
Requirements
• This assignment may be delivered in the form most suitable to your response. You might write a paper or create a slide presentation, Web page, or video. You could also try out a new tool such as Prezi, VoiceThread, etc.
• Format options:
o If you choose a written format, your paper should be 10-12 pages in length;
o If you choose a slide presentation, it should be 20-24 slides with notes and narration to support the content on your slides. Your presentation must include your script notes containing 80-100 words per slide.
o If you choose an alternative format, it should contain the same depth, breadth, substance, and quality as above. A website must contain at least 3-4 pages and exhibit good design and navigation principles as well as provide content depth. Provide the URL to your website in a Word document along with a brief one-paragraph description of the site that would be used, for example, to attract visitors coming across the site via a Google search. How would you entice people to visit your site in several sentences?
o A video must be 5-6 minutes in length and reflect good production principles. It must be hosted on YouTube or another online video-hosting site. You will not be able to directly upload your video to the Week 8 Assignments page, and because of that, you will need to copy the link to your video and paste it into a Word document, along with a brief note to your instructor regarding any special instructions necessary for viewing the video. Also include a brief description of the video, one that might be used, for example, to introduce the video on YouTube and entice viewers to the site.
o An audiocast such as a podcast must be 20-30 minutes in length and execute good production principles. You can visit this link for assistance in how to make an audiocast: http://toolbox.multimedia.lu.se/audiocasts.aspx.
Follow the same instructions given above for a video to upload your audiocast to your instructor (i.e., include the link to your audiocast in a Word document with any instructions). Include a brief description of the audiocast, one that might entice listeners to your production.
• Regardless of the delivery format, you must incorporate at least four scholarly sources. You may not use the textbook for the course, but you may use other recommended or required readings in the course. The CSU-Global Library is a good place to find these sources.
• All assignments should adhere to CSU-Global Guide to Writing and APA Requirements. The CSU-Global Library also has helpful information on making presentations.
SAMPLE
Course Policies
Course Grading
20% Discussion Participation
45% Critical Thinking Activities
35% Final Portfolio Paper
Grading Scale and Policies
A
95.0 – 100
A-
90.0 – 94.9
B+
86.7 – 89.9
B
83.3 – 86.6
B-
80.0 – 83.2
C+
75.0 – 79.9
C
70.0 – 74.9
D
60.0 – 69.9
F
59.9 or below
In-Classroom Policies
For information on late work and Incomplete grade policies, please refer to our In-Classroom Student Policies and Guidelines or the Academic Catalog for comprehensive documentation of CSU-Global institutional policies.
Academic Integrity
Students must assume responsibility for maintaining honesty in all work submitted for credit and in any other work designated by the instructor of the course. Academic dishonesty includes cheating, fabrication, facilitating academic dishonesty, plagiarism, reusing /re-purposing your own work (see CSU-Global Guide to Writing and APA Requirements for percentage of repurposed work that can be used in an assignment), unauthorized possession of academic materials, and unauthorized collaboration. The CSU-Global Library provides information on how students can avoid plagiarism by understanding what it is and how to use the Library and Internet resources.
Citing Sources with APA Style
All students are expected to follow the CSU-Global Guide to Writing and APA Requirements when citing in APA (based on the APA Style Manual, 6th edition) for all assignments. For details on CSU-Global APA style, please review the APA resources within the CSU-Global Library under the “APA Guide & Resources” link. A link to this document should also be provided within most assignment descriptions on your course’s Assignments page.
Disability Services
CSU–Global is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for all persons with disabilities. Any student with a documented disability requesting academic accommodations should contact the Disability Resource Coordinator at 720-279-0650 and/or email ada@CSUGlobal.edu for additional information to coordinate reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities.
Netiquette
Respect the diversity of opinions among the instructor and classmates and engage with them in a courteous, respectful, and professional manner. All posts and classroom communication must be conducted in accordance with the student code of conduct. Think before you push the Send button. Did you say just what you meant? How will the person on the other end read the words?
Maintain an environment free of harassment, stalking, threats, abuse, insults or humiliation toward the instructor and classmates. This includes, but is not limited to, demeaning written or oral comments of an ethnic, SAMPLE
religious, age, disability, sexist (or sexual orientation), or racist nature; and the unwanted sexual advances or intimidations by email, or on discussion boards and other postings within or connected to the online classroom.
If you have concerns about something that has been said, please let your instructor know. SAMPLE