Forum Guidelines

What is the purpose of the Course Forum?

To support your learning and to value-add to this experience, Pragmatic Practice have created complementary course forums for each e-learning program. Each forum has been designed to encourage participants to connect with each other, to reflect on course content, and to learn from the rich experience and knowledge of the group.

The forums also provide the opportunity for you to ask questions and to regularly connect with the course facilitators (Tamara and Nicola).

Who has access to the forum?

Membership in each forum is limited to the people enrolled in the course, forum moderators, and course administrators.

How can I get the most out of the forums?

Firstly, to ensure everyone is on the same page about the purpose and context of these forums, we ask you to please read and participate in accordance with these guidelines. They have been developed to keep the forums safe and respectful for all members.

We encourage you to review the forums often, to read and respond to your colleague’s posts, and to post regularly with your own reflections, questions, and comments.

The value of this forum is directly linked to the effort and energy you put into it.

How and when do I post on the forums?

Throughout the course there are prompts to post and comment in the forum. Each lesson has a designated thread, with a question posed for consideration and reflection. Please participate in each conversation by sharing your own reflections and commenting on others to encourage conversation and learning.

Links to move between the course and the forum are provided to support easier navigation between the two.

What should I think about before posting or commenting on other’s posts?

Please remember to demonstrate respect, kindness, and compassion before finalising any posts. Sometimes it can be easy to forget it is another human being reading your comments, so please do not write anything you wouldn’t say to the person directly.

Here are some other dos and don’ts to keep these forums welcoming and respectful:

Please…

• DO post any questions about the course content or learning experience
• DO keep posts relevant to the course topic
• DO try to keep the forums tidy by posting in the relevant discussion thread
• DO ask for help when needed
• DO comment on your peer’s comments and reflections. If you disagree, please disagree with ideas rather than people, and provide reasoned counterarguments that add value to the conversation.
• DO connect with your colleagues and facilitators to create a welcoming and respectful learning environment.

Please…

• DO NOT use judgemental, abusive, or derogatory language
• DO NOT share personal, confidential, or sensitive information about colleagues or clients
• DO NOT advertise for services, other groups, or learning communities
• DO NOT demonstrate disrespect towards other people’s questions, concerns, or comments
• DO NOT give out your personal details
• DO NOT cross-post the same thing in multiple topics
• DO NOT post no-content replies

Pragmatic Practice will not accept or tolerate any abuse or disrespectful behaviour. This includes personal attacks, name calling, hate speech, negative comments or slurs against race, sexual orientation or gender, or threats to a person’s safety.

How do I flag a problem with someone else’s post?

If you notice any posts which do not sit within these guidelines, please notify the forum moderators by sending us an email here. While moderators have special authority and oversight, the responsibility for this forum is shared with you. If you notice unacceptable behaviour, please let us know.

Please Note: In order to maintain this learning community, forum moderators reserve the right to remove any content and any user account for any reason, at any time. Moderators do not preview new posts in any way before they are published. The moderators and site operators take no responsibility for any content posted by the community.

A note about Profile Images

Pragmatic Practice allows learners to associate a graphic image or avatar with their account. This image is displayed within the forum, in posts underneath the learner’s name. Avatars may not display pornographic, indecent, or otherwise inappropriate imagery. Users may be requested by the administrators or moderators to change this avatar at any time. Any such avatar is subject to the guidelines stated here and may be edited or deleted at any time by the moderation team, and depending on the nature of the post, the poster may be censored or banned.

Post Only Your Own Stuff

Please do not post anything digital that belongs to someone else without their permission. You may not post descriptions of, links to, or methods for stealing someone’s intellectual property (software, video, audio, images), or for breaking any other law.

Terms of Service

Yes, legalese is boring, but we must protect ourselves – and by extension, you, and your data against unfriendly folks. We have a Privacy Policy describing your (and our) behaviour and rights related to content, privacy, and laws. To use this service, you must agree to abide by these.