Adobe Education

Adobe Web Tech Table of Contents:

Lessons revised for CS2

Lessons revised for CS

Original lessons

Student working on a computer

Unit 1: Introduction to the Internet

Lesson 1.4: Acceptable Use Policies

!	Lesson Goal: Learn about your school's Internet use policy (so you can stay out of trouble!).

Almost every school or school district, whether it is K-12 or college level, has adopted a policy regarding use of the Internet on campus. These policies are generally called acceptable use policies (AUPs). This lesson briefly introduces you to the concept of AUPs and gives you a chance to get familiar with your own school's AUP.

What's an AUP?

Many learning institutions, whether at the grade school, middle school, high school, or even college level, have created acceptable use policies (AUPs) which govern the on-campus use of the Internet by staff and students. These policies can be quite comprehensive, covering wide-ranging issues such as:

Philosophy regarding Internet use
User rights
User responsibilities
User privacy
Acceptable use
Unacceptable use
Security
Consequences of violating the policy

It's not hard to imagine how several of these categories might conflict with each other. For example:

What happens when a school wishes to promote students' rights to free inquiry, but also wishes to limit students' access to obscene or violent materials?
What happens when students want access to everything on the Internet, but their parents expect the school to exercise many controls on their kids' Internet access?

It's
time!

1.4.1: Individual or Group Assignment

Obtain a copy of your school's AUP. Answer the following questions:

How is it organized, e.g., what categories or subheadings does it employ?
How clearly is it laid out, i.e., do you know exactly what you can and cannot do?
How does it balance freedom of inquiry with the avoidance of offensive material?
What are the consequences for violating your school's AUP?

Comparing AUPs

You've learned that schools cover several issues in their acceptable use policies. You've also examined your own school's AUP in order to determine what it covers, the consequences for violating its terms, etc. Now it is time to review a few other schools' AUPs and compare them to your own. Find another school's AUP using an Internet search or choose one from the following list:

AUP Model, Indiana Department of Education (http://doe.state.in.us/olr/aup/aupmod.html)
West Virginia Department of Education (http://wvde.state.wv.us/policies/p2460.html)

It's
time!

1.4.2: Individual or Group Assignment

Compare your school's AUP with that of another school. Specifically, compare them in terms of:

Length
Organization, e.g., categories or subheadings
Clarity, i.e., is it clear exactly what students can and cannot do?
Consequences for violating the AUP

Also, answer the following questions:

In what ways is the other school's AUP stricter than your school's AUP?
In what ways is the other school's AUP less restrictive than your school's AUP?