Below are some good practice suggestions to help you communicate effectively when posting in TEN, whilst also encouraging contributions from your fellow members.

Tone of voice and language

The overall tone of TEN is casual and conversational rather than formally academic; however, as our community is made up of educators, discussions should come from a professional and knowledgeable source. Language should be easily understandable and when writing, try to avoid long clauses and overly complex wording. Whilst the official language of TEN is English, bear in mind that this may not be the first language of some of our fellow members.

Sharing relevant experiences from your region or sector is a great starting point for conversations on our products or awareness of wider educational issues. If possible add links to articles or scholarly research that may reinforce or further enhance your views.

When adding any content, be sure to provide context to explain why it may be relevant and of interest to fellow members. This may be a couple of sentences or in some cases a lengthier explanation may be necessary. Remember that TEN attracts educators from all around the globe, and, if possible, add context to demonstrate why your message may resonate with a wider audience outside of your immediate geographical area.

Titles 

Keep titles short and snappy if possible. For example ‘New resources for the start of term’ ‘New research on assessment design’ etc. Maybe use a question to entice readers to read on: ‘What is academic integrity?’,‘What does the Similarity Score mean?’ If a longer title is necessary, add a subtitle and punctuate with a colon. For example, ‘Contract Cheating: What educators need to know’ Avoid putting URLs in the title, these should be embedded in the main text of the post (see below).

Length of posts 

Try to keep posts relatively short, up to a maximum of 3/4 paragraphs and be aware of any text which may appear below the fold, i.e. positioned in the bottom section of the page, to avoid too much scrolling. Use bullets or numbered lists to break up longer blocks of text which may appear intimidating to the reader. Also, using emojis or gifs can make any post more visually appealing, but use sparingly. Don’t be afraid to use bold text to make key points stand out.

Links

When adding links in the text these should always be embedded. And try to use them sparingly as they can disrupt the flow of a post if a reader has to constantly keep clicking on external links. If you have several links you wish to share with fellow members, maybe add them as a list at the end of the post.

Questions 

Try to round off posts with questions for engagement, for example ‘What do others think about sharing the similarity report with students?’ or perhaps a generic question such as ‘Do forum members have any good practices they can share in this area?’

We wish you every success in your use of the Turnitin Educator Network. 

The Turnitin Educator Network Team