QUT students busted over ‘unacceptable’ lecture messages

Students at the Queensland University of Technology could face disciplinary action after they were busted posting “inappropriate” messages during online lectures and tutorials.

Students at one of Queensland’s biggest universities have been busted posting “inappropriate” messages during online lectures and tutorials.

In an email seen by The Courier-Mail, Queensland University of Technology Associate Professor Stuart Tooley warned students they could face serious formal disciplinary action were the practice to continue.

Prof. Tooley said it was “with some disappointment” that he was forced to raise the issue of “inappropriate and unacceptable” use of the chat feed during Zoom sessions, though he did not detail the exact nature of the messages.

“Over the past week or so I have received extracts from Chat feed containing online ‘conversations’ between two or more students that are, at best, not in the spirit of the expected behaviours as set out in QUT Student Code of Conduct, if not bordering on instances of student misconduct,” he said.

QUT students have been warned over inappropriate messages during online lectures and tutorials. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Dan Peled

“My immediate concern relates to one expectation set out in the Code – students are expected to refrain from harassing, bullying, threatening, assaulting, discriminating against or vilifying other members of the University community (either in personal interactions or by using IT resources or communication technologies) on the basis of gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality, religion, age, disability, beliefs or opinions, background, or other attributes.”

He went on to say that while students may believe they were posting messages anonymously, “you are identifiable and future instances of inappropriate behaviour will be called out and viewed as potential student misconduct”.