APU Careers & Learning

When Emoticons Should Not Be Discussion Points

The shorthand for relaying a smile, sad face, or eye-rolling through emoticons is commonplace among those that text and chatter online. Abbreviating common words is normal, but the occasional wink in a chat session sends a very personal message. In the online classroom students are taught to maintain a certain sense of decorum when posting new threads and responding to other students. What about when you want to make a joke in a discussion post for class? Inject a little more serious thought into whether you need sarcasm and a smiley face, or if you should stick to using just your words.

Every class is different, and the peers in your class can range from serious to class goofball. Before inserting sarcasm make sure to read through the syllabus to get a feel for your instructor, and then move onto their profile in the online classroom. Some instructors may actually indicate when to use emoticons, and when to leave sarcasm out altogether. If you’re not skilled in the art of playful sarcasm then it is best to leave the witty remarks for Facebook.

If you wish to share your cyber box of emoticons with like-minded classmates then save it for chat or your school Facebook pages.

By J. Mason
Online Learning Tips Editor

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