GCSC Dental Hygiene and Dental Assisting program faculty, students and alumni.
Social media tools, which facilitate both one-to-many communications and presumably private communications, have grown to become a significant part of how people interact via Internet. Because social media are widely used as promotional tools, personal postings on public media sites can sometimes blur the line between the individual and the institutional voice.
Gulf Coast State College Dental Programs offers guidance for students, staff, and faculty to protect both their personal reputations and the public image of the GCSC Dental Programs. These guidelines are not intended to regulate how individuals conduct themselves in their personal social media actions and interactions.
There are substantial differences between individuals representing themselves on public social media sites, individuals representing the Dental Programs on public social media sites, and individuals using College-hosted social media. It is clear that even a single instance of improper or ill-considered use can do long-term damage to one’s reputation, have potential consequences for a successful dental career, and could jeopardize public trust in the dental profession.
Furthermore, although not intended, never forget as faculty, staff, or an administrator you may always be perceived as a representative of the GCSC Dental Programs. It is therefore in the best interest of the Dental Programs, and all the members of the GSCS community, to provide its employees and students with a roadmap for safe, responsible use of social media.
While this document will provide more specific guidelines to help navigate particular interactions, all these spring from a set of basic principles:
1. Be respectful.
2. Assume anything you post is public, regardless of privacy settings.
3. Assume anything you post is permanent.
INSTRUCTIONAL USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA
A social media site can be used for instructional purposes that foster a sense of community and motivation for students. Instruction, however, should be relegated to the college supported course management system (currently Angel). Private instructional pages that are utilized by invitation only are preferred in order to provide a greater measure of protection for the student. Faculty should not use their own personal social networking pages for instructional use, nor shall faculty link to their personal social networking pages from their private instructional pages.
Student content created and/or posted to fulfill course assignment using social media does not violate students’ privacy rights. Posting materials submitted directly to the faculty member may be a violation of FERPA policy. It is important to exercise extreme attention to student information and err on the side of caution in these situations.
Intellectual Property
Intellectual property rights must be respected when utilizing social media networks for either personal or professional purposes. Some social networking applications stipulate that content posted on their sites becomes their property. When posting materials owned by others, an individual bears the responsibility of compliance with licensing and copyright requirements. When in doubt, one should request permission from the publisher, content creator, or owner of the materials. These same considerations should be applied to institutional materials and your colleagues’ materials.
FERPA/HIPAA
All legal privacy laws and policies regarding student and patient records must be followed without exception.
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) ensures the privacy of “Educational records” of students. At no time should information that is considered part of the student’s educational record be submitted, posted, or referenced through a social media network.
The following information should NEVER be communicated via a social networking tool:
Grades or test scores
Social security or school ID number
Disability status
Marital status
GPA
E-mail address
Academic standing
Birth date
Disciplinary actions
Attendance record/habits
Telephone number
Financial aid status
Time/day/location/course names of student’s current classes
PIN number
Financial obligations owed
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA; Pub.l. 104-191, 110 Stat. 1936, enacted August 21, 1996) that is intended to provide the portability of health records, must be adhered to at all times. This contains a Privacy Rule which establishes a provision for the use and disclosure of Protected Health Information (PHI). Under no circumstances should patient privacy be violated though the use of social media.
GULF COAST STATE COLLEGE
DENTAL PROGRAMS
Responsible Use of Social Media - Guidelines
Gulf Coast State College Dental Programs students, staff and faculty are personally responsible for any content they post on Social Media platforms.
Be aware of liability
You are legally responsible for what you post. Take care not to infringe on copyright, defame or libel others, or otherwise violate the law when posting.
Appropriate use of College logos and branding
College logos and branding should only be used on pages maintained by GCSC.
Respect copyright
The GCSC Dental Programs supports and respects the intellectual property rights of copyright holders. Content posted on the internet must conform to copyright law. Contact the GCSC Library for help posting copyright-compliant content.
Be respectful of others.
Keep a cool head when discussing and debating online.
Be passionate on matters about which you are passionate, but always be constructive, exercise discretion, and be respectful to those with whom you disagree.
Respect confidentiality
Any number of laws and policies (such as HIPAA and FERPA) may affect the confidentiality of information.
Be aware of and conform to these laws, as well as broader institutional policies regarding confidentially of information and good ethical judgment, when posting to social media sites.
No stalking, flaming, or bullying
Abusive language, behavior, and content is not appropriate in any context.
Do not insult, attack, threaten, or otherwise harass others. Remember that how a message is intended is less important than how it is perceived.
If another individual indicates they find behavior threatening, cease this behavior immediately.
Respect privacy.
Do not discuss situations involving named or identifiable individuals without their consent.
Do not post images, audio, or video of individuals without their consent.
Think before posting.
Privacy settings are not absolute. Anything put online can easily be shared and re-shared, and archiving systems preserve even content that has been deleted. As a result, content posted privately now may appear in search results for many years to come. Post only content you are comfortable sharing with the general public, including current and future employers.
Do no harm
Postings, both in content and in substance, must not harm either the college network or the social networks themselves. Do not overload these networks with content that is repetitive, promotional, or will otherwise devalue the service for the rest of the community.
Identify Management
When a site or page provides space for the community to interact, usually through comments or other feedback systems, it is important to keep these spaces free of spam and abusive content. Postings in these spaces should be edited to ensure there are no liability issues (i.e. removing links to content that violates copyright or breaks confidentiality rules), but should not be edited because their content is disagreeable.
Be transparent
GCSC Dental Programs students and employees should feel free to identify themselves as such when posting to social media sites. The association of a college email address with a social media account does not imply College endorsement of content. An individual must make it clear when they are expressing the opinions of the institution. Add a disclaimer if comments may appear to be coming from the College. Employees should be in coordination with their supervisor prior to initiating a social media account on behalf of their origination (department/college).
Be a valued member of the community
When participating in an online community, content of postings should benefit the community as a whole. Consider the nature of the community and the expectations of its members when contributing. Do not use membership purely as a means of promoting yourself or your organization.
Do not use the name of the GCSC Dental Programs to endorse products, causes, political parties, or candidates.
Representing the GSCS Dental Programs
When acting as a GCSC Dental Programs representative on social media networks, conduct yourself in a professional manner and follow the general guidelines outlined in this document. Use data and information that is accurate and not misleading. This is a responsibility that should not be taken lightly.
To maintain appropriate professional boundaries, one should consider separating personal and professional content online. Should there be student-faculty-patient interaction via social media platforms, appropriate boundaries and professional ethical guidelines should be maintained as they would in any other context. Should colleagues (student, faculty and/or staff) see posted content that appears unprofessional, they are responsible for bringing it to the attention of their colleague, so that he or she may take appropriate action regarding identity management.
Violations, Concerns, and Dispute Resolution
Student, staff, or faculty actions which violate responsible use of social media as outlined by the GCSC Dental Programs are subject to complaints, program counseling, and/or grievance processes. Failure to follow Dental Programs policies and the terms of service of social media platforms could expose you to personal legal liability and/or legal action from third parties.
References
University of Detroit Mercy. (2012). University of Detroit Mercy Social Media Policy.
Used with permission obtained from Pam Zarkwoski, JD, MPH - ADEA Director’s Conference June 2012.
AMA Policy: Professionalism in the Use of Social Media. Retrieved 8/6/2012, from http://www.asa-assn.org/ama/pub/meeting/professionalism-social-media_print.html
Weinberg, T. (2008). The ultimate social media etiquette handbook. Retrieved 9/11/2012, from http://www.technipedia.com/2008/social-media-etiquette-handbook/
The Dental Assisting and Dental Hygiene Programs at Gulf Coast State College are fully accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation with the American Dental Association.
The Commission on Dental Accreditation serves the public by establishing, maintaining and applying standards that ensure the quality and continuous improvement of dental and dental related education and reflect the evolving practice of dentistry. The scope of the Commission on Dental Accreditation encompasses dental, advance dental and allied dental education programs.
