Your conduct in online environments

You cannot behave differently online than how you’d be expected to behave in person. Just as you can't bully, harass, sexually harass, discriminate against, stalk, groom, vilify or abuse someone in a face-to-face environment, you can-t do these things online either.

When you interact with others online as a VU student, as well as generally behaving respectfully and appropriately at all times, there are some specific things you must avoid.

You must not share content, use language or make comments that:

• are inappropriately sexual in nature (this includes the sharing of nude or partially nude images, either of yourself or someone else, or engaging in sexting in a University online environment)
• are discriminatory or offensive (e.g. using slurs, or insulting or belittling words, to refer to people with particular characteristics, such as ethnic origin, gender, sexuality or disability)
• make threats or attempt to pressure someone else through fear or intimidation, for any reason whatsoever
• depict or refer to illegal or violent acts (unless this is in the context of relevant learning, and any image shared has been approved by teaching staff)
• are illegal to share (e.g. images depicting the sexual abuse of children).

It's important to remember than anything you post online could be visible to friends, family, colleagues, VU, and future employers.

Your old and/or deleted posts can still be found on the internet, and may affect you in the future.

Potential employers increasingly look at online activity in making hiring decisions. Poor behaviour online can limit your chances of getting the work you want, especially in a field where public confidence and reputation are important.

All online platforms have rules for users. You are expected to comply with those rules, whether it's a VU-run platform or not, whenever you're engaging in online learning or VU related activities as a VU student.

It's also important to be mindful at all times of particular areas of the law that online conduct can be impacted by, especially:

• Privacy: You must not breach other people’s privacy through sharing personal or sensitive information without their consent, whether in a VU learning environment, social media, or any other online context. This includes information about other students, VU staff, and anyone you come into contact with via a work integrated learning placement (e.g. patients for healthcare students; primary or secondary school students and staff for education students).
• Libel and defamation: “Naming and shaming” or accusing someone online can in some circumstances be considered defamatory/libellous, and action can be taken against you.

The eSafety Commissioner investigates offensive and illegal online content and work towards rapid removal. The website outlines the process for reporting online abuse.

The eSafety Commissioner has a training program designed for university support staff in areas such as student services, safety and wellbeing and human resources and covers latest online safety risks to young adults and proactive online safety strategies and highlights best practice responses to online safety incidents in a university context.

A toolkit is also available and provides targeted advice to assist university policy makers and non-academic staff, academics and other teaching staff and students deal with online abuse and its impacts.

• ThinkUKnow - Helpful site full of tips on how to stay in control on the web.
• That's Not Cool - An interactive site from the US that's all about where you draw your digital line.
• Youth Central - Advice about understanding the consequences of online actions, knowing what to do if things go wrong, and understanding online security can make your time online safer and more enjoyable.