School of the New American Farmstead

Code of Conduct

Office of Professional Studies

The Office of Professional Studies, through its School of the New American Farmstead and EcoGather programs, aims to ensure the safety, security and well-being of our community and its members. To this end, this Code of Conduct reflects  both the appropriate and inappropriate conduct that influence the spaces we endeavor to create. While we are cognizant of the fact that we cannot capture or anticipate every possibility, we encourage course participants to check in with the Office in moments of uncertainty so as to address any concerns or confusion. 

The Code of Conduct represents the Office of Professional Studies’ expectations of program participants and instructors and/or facilitators. By signing up for and enrolling in a course through the Office of Professional Studies, you agree to the following: 

• To help to establish and maintain a safe and compassionate learning environment, during online and in-person courses;

• To treat all program participants, instructors and/or facilitators, administrative staff and their perspectives with respect, and cultural sensitivity;

• To be responsive and participate in courses to the best of your ability;

• To be open to receiving and giving constructive feedback to other program participants, instructors and/or facilitators and administrative staff;

• To share any justifiable concern that you have about another program participant with the course instructor and/or facilitator and administrative staff, and let both parties know immediately if you feel unsafe using the appropriate channel, i.e., emailing [email protected];

• To share any justifiable concern that you have about learning and social platforms with administrative staff using the appropriate channel, i.e., emailing [email protected];

• To share any justifiable concern that you have about your instructor with administrative staff using the appropriate channel, i.e., emailing [email protected].

By signing up for and enrolling in a course through the Office of Professional Studies, program participants agree to avoid the following behaviors or scenarios:

• Intimidation, bias-based behavior, bullying/cyberbullying, harassment, threatening behavior directed toward instructors, fellow program participants or administrative staff;

• Inappropriate disruption of teaching, learning, or idea generation and exchange;

• Disorderly conduct and/or disruptive behavior;

• Sexual misconduct of any kind.

  • “Sexual misconduct” is taken to mean any type of inappropriate sexual behavior  that occurs in the absence of consent or  that uses control or intimidation to cause harm to another person. Such consent is clearly given and is not implied. Types of sexual misconduct includes but is not limited to sexual harassment, sexual violence, nonconsensual sexual intercourse, nonconsensual sexual contact, stalking.

• Refusal to adhere to Professional Studies policies or Sterling College  Student Handbook policies;

• Refusal to comply with instructor’s parameters for course requirements, as stated in a syllabus, course description, or explained in classroom settings;

• Inappropriate use of learning and social platforms, e.g. spam messages, unauthorized advertising, promotional material, video conferencing, etc.

ONLINE ETIQUETTE

Good online communication skills cannot be assumed. It is for this reason that the Office of Professional Studies has compiled the list of best practices for online etiquette outlined below. These guidelines should inform how program participants and instructors communicate with each other on online learning and social platforms.

• Treat each other with respect and kindness;

• Use a person’s preferred name when addressing or referring to them. If unsure, check in with them;

• If using pronouns, ensure that you are using a person’s preferred pronoun;

• Use clear, concise and respectful language;

• Be cautious when using humor or sarcasm, as these may be misinterpreted;

• Take care in sharing your personal information, and do not share the personal information of other program participants, instructors and/or facilitators;

• Make posts or provide comments that are within the scope of the course and structured conversations;

• Be sure to read all of the messages within a thread before responding;

• Be respectful of the opinions of others, even and especially when they diverge from your own ideas;

• Do not use racist, sexist, homophobic, abusive or offensive language when communicating;

• Cite your sources when sharing information that originated elsewhere;

• Take care  not to share any exclusive content outside of closed social platforms, e.g.,  Sociohub;

• Reduce background noise and distractions when participating in live sessions, e.g., muting microphone when not speaking, avoiding backgrounds with sensitive or offensive imagery, etc.;

• Respect agreed-upon best practices for camera usage in online sessions, e.g. having your camera on or off as suggested by your instructor and common courtesy.

For further clarification or to address concerns, please contact the Office of Professional Studies via email at [email protected].