Scientists and Subjects Expectations

About the project (historical and cultural context, benefits to seminar members and to others) Seminar description (description, objectives and outcomes, time commitment, registration and fee, seminar facilitator) Expectations (expectations, ground rules, guidelines) Enrollment status The online forum (overview, trying the forum) Registration form

Expectations

Experience shows the importance of keeping the seminar moving. Seminar members should set aside two periods of about two to four hours each week, once early in the week (e.g., Sunday-Wednesday) and once late in the week (Wednesday-Saturday) to work on the seminar. (More details on time commitment).

Although online seminars have many advantages, they are not for everyone. The success of this seminar is wholly dependent on the active and appropriate participation of all seminar members. In this case, participation consists entirely of online communication. Please do not register for the seminar unless you are confident that you can meet the following expectations:

• Seminar members are expected to be able to understand and follow written directions; to read, understand, and respond to sometimes dense articles on ethics; to have enough time to write adequate responses; to be comfortable communicating in this medium; and consistently to meet deadlines.
• Seminar members are expected to contribute to the seminar in accordance with the seminar ground rules and guidelines below.
• Seminar members are expected to be adept at using the World Wide Web and e-mail, and to use the online forum with very limited technical support.
• Seminar members are expected to have access to the World Wide Web and e-mail throughout the ten-week seminar period.

Seminar members who do not meet these expectations will be removed from the seminar.

Ground rules

• I will contribute actively and appropriately to the online seminar.
• I will complete all reading and writing assignments by the specified deadline.
• I will post an average of at least two substantive messages to the online forum per week during the seminar period (February 25-May 4, 2008).
• I will maintain the confidentiality of the seminar. In particular, I understand that all information used and exchanged via the online forum is confidential, will not be used outside this seminar for any public purpose, and is for the sole use of the participants' personal education.
• I have read and will conform my posts to the seminar guidelines.
• I will have access to the World Wide Web and e-mail during the entire seminar period.
• I understand that if I fail adhere to the expectations and ground rules here articulated, I will be removed from the seminar and my registration fee will not be refunded.

Stylistic guidelines

The following stylistic guidelines are strongly urged for your consideration. Seminar members whose failure to adhere to these guidelines proves obstructive to the success of the seminar may be removed.

1. Write, then read -- When writing a response to one of the required readings, please write your own assignment before reading posts by other seminar members. This makes it more likely that a broad range of opinions and concerns will be expressed.

2. Quote -- Posts are easier to understand if they quote the readings or posts to which they respond. Even if your post is a direct response to someone else's post, instead of writing, "I disagree with you because....", please write "I disagree with your point that '[quotation here]' because...."

3. Use a descriptive title -- It is often tempting to give your post a title (subject) like "Assignment 2b" or "My two cents." This does not advance the cause of meaningful dialog. Please try to provide a title that gives some indication of the main point you want to make. It is often helpful to write your title after you have written your entry. Also, when you make a response to another seminar member's post, please change the title if (and only if) your post materially changes the topic.

4. Avoid inappropriate informality -- Remember that in online communication, writing style takes the place of body language and tone of voice. This makes it important to use a relatively formal style when posting to the seminar. Do not leave out punctuation or capitalization; do not use Internet abbreviations (btw, imho, lol, etc.). These common stylistic practices can convey a tone of flippancy, sarcasm, or disrespect, which, especially when discussing a potentially sensitive topic like ethics, can lead too easily to misunderstandings and bad feelings. (Composing your entry on a word processor that checks spelling and grammar and then pasting the results into the online forum can help.)

5. Strive for precision -- Be as precise as you are able. Try not to write "clinical trials" when you really mean "randomized, placebo controlled clinical trials." This can be difficult (because you have to be aware of what you are actually trying to say!) and it can make posts longer, but sometimes it is the only way to avoid misunderstandings.

6. Take a cooperative attitude -- When reading and responding to other people's posts, especially the ones you don't understand or that you disagree with, please take a cooperative, rather than combative or confrontational, stance. Remember that in this seminar, it is more important to understand each other than to win an argument. If you don't understand what I wrote, try to remember that it might be due to your interpretation or my writing or (most likely) both. Then write your response accordingly, in a respectful manner meant more to clarify the issue than to score points. We can still disagree, and neither of us has to win.

7. Write in short paragraphs -- Academic writing often features page-long paragraphs, which is fine in a print journal, but distracting and difficult to read on a computer screen.

8. Keep in sync -- For the smooth functioning of the seminar, we should all be working more-or-less in sync. Therefore, please do not post written assignments more than a week before the due date. If you wish to write an assignment ahead of time, please write your assignment on a word processor, save it where you can find it, and post it to the online forum a day or two before the deadline.

9. Go off-list -- If you find yourself in a detailed, ongoing conversation with just one or two other participants, please consider taking the conversation off-list.

Suggestions for improving or expanding these guidelines and considerations would be received gratefully.

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Last updated: 21 February 2008
URL: http://poynter.indiana.edu/sas/sasos.php
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