Course Communication, Discord, and Individual Meetings

Purpose

This policy establishes a reliable course-communication system while using Discord as an intentional part of the learning environment.

Discord as an Instructional Environment

Discord is used throughout Professor Wandt’s courses as both the primary course-communication environment and a digital learning environment. It also supports a long-standing community connecting current students, alumni, and professionals across courses and beyond a single semester. Students will join the private Wandt Underground server and the designated course areas before the end of the first week of class and will use them throughout the semester.

This use is pedagogical. Modern professional, investigative, technical, and online communities often operate through persistent, channel-based platforms. Comparable structures appear in cybersecurity, fraud examination, digital investigations, OSINT, intelligence analysis, gaming and technology communities, public-sector work, and illicit online ecosystems. Students are expected to develop the ability to navigate these environments professionally, safely, critically, and effectively.

Course participation therefore includes learning to work with servers, channels, threads, notifications, searchable communication histories, direct and group messages, display identities, moderation practices, and the boundaries among public, semi-public, and private communication.

Wandt Underground Access and Monitoring

Students will:

• join the server and designated course areas before the end of the first week of class using the instructions provided;
• use the required current-student server nickname described below;
• maintain reasonable access to the server during the semester;
• configure notifications so that course announcements and direct communications are seen within a reasonable time;
• monitor the designated course channels and direct messages; and
• promptly report an access problem that materially interferes with participation.

Students should not treat lack of notification settings, an unread channel, or routine failure to monitor Discord as a substitute for checking course communications.

Current-Student Server Nickname

Current students must set their server-specific nickname in Wandt Underground using the following format. A server-specific nickname applies within Wandt Underground and does not require a student to change an account-wide Discord display name.

Current Students of Professor Wandt First Name Last Initial — Course Example: Jane S — PAD 750

Students must keep this nickname current and recognizable throughout the semester. The course identifier must be the course code provided for the student’s class.

Primary Communication Rules

Discord is the primary environment for routine communication with Professor Wandt and course staff. Students should use:

• the appropriate course channel for questions or discussions that may benefit the class;
• a designated assignment, help, technical, or topic channel when one exists;
• a private Discord message for an individualized course question or a matter that should not be discussed with the class; and
• a private Discord message to request an individual virtual Zoom session or an in-office meeting.

University email and Brightspace messaging are not course-communication channels for routine or individualized course matters.

Relationship to Brightspace

Discord and Brightspace have different roles.

Discord is used for day-to-day announcements, course questions, discussion, community participation, current events, supplemental links, instructional interaction, technical help, and ordinary student–instructor communication.

Brightspace remains the official learning management system, the authoritative repository for course learning materials, and the academic system of record. Unless specific instructions state otherwise, Brightspace is used for:

• all course learning materials, including the syllabus, this manual, assignment instructions, rubrics, required readings, lecture materials, slides, videos, and other assigned course resources;
• assignment submission and submission receipts;
• grades and formal feedback;
• examinations and quizzes;
• accommodation-related settings and protected academic records;
• notices that must remain in an institutional system; and
• any other graded or recordkeeping function identified by the course.

All assigned course learning materials will be maintained in Brightspace. Discord may be used to announce, discuss, or link to those materials, but it does not replace the authoritative Brightspace copy.

Students are responsible for monitoring both environments. A time-sensitive operational notice may appear first in Discord. A notice affecting a formal submission, grade, or academic record will also be reflected in Brightspace or another appropriate institutional system.

Required Course Materials, Technology, and Costs

Some courses involve student-paid materials or services. Depending on the course, these may include a textbook, access code, specialized software, AI subscription, or another instructional resource identified in the syllabus or assignment instructions. Students are expected to plan for and obtain required resources when they are identified.

A student who faces a genuine financial hardship that prevents obtaining a required resource after reasonable efforts should contact Professor Wandt privately through Discord as early as possible. This option is intended for genuine need, not convenience or preference. The message should identify the required resource and briefly explain the problem without including bank records, benefit records, tax documents, or other sensitive financial information.

Professor Wandt may be able to identify a course-approved alternative or, in limited circumstances, draw on the generosity of alumni and professionals who have chosen to support students with genuine needs. Any assistance is discretionary, limited, case-specific, and not guaranteed. Students should not assume that a cost will be waived or delay obtaining a required resource while awaiting a response. Identifying or sensitive information will not be shared with a potential supporter without the student’s permission.

Privacy and Sensitive Information

Students should assume that material posted in a course or community channel can be seen by everyone with access to that area. Do not post grades, student identification numbers, disability or medical information, disciplinary information, private credentials, law-enforcement-sensitive material, confidential workplace data, or other sensitive personal information in a public or group channel.

A private Discord message is appropriate for ordinary individualized course communication. When Professor Wandt determines that protected documentation should be handled through an institutional process, he may direct the student to Brightspace, CUNY Accommodate, or another official College system.

Legal Information, Not Legal Advice

Professor Wandt’s courses may examine laws, cases, regulations, legal procedures, and hypothetical fact patterns for educational purposes. These discussions provide general legal information and academic analysis.

Professor Wandt is unable to provide legal advice to students. He cannot apply the law to a student’s personal circumstances, evaluate an individual’s legal rights or obligations, recommend a course of action in an actual or potential legal matter, prepare or review documents for a student’s personal legal use, or represent a student in any legal or administrative proceeding.

No classroom discussion, assignment feedback, Discord communication, individual meeting, or other course interaction establishes an attorney-client relationship or should be understood as confidential or privileged legal communication.

Students should not send Professor Wandt detailed personal facts, legal documents, evidence, or sensitive information for the purpose of obtaining legal advice. A student who needs advice concerning a personal legal matter should promptly consult a qualified attorney or an appropriate legal-services provider. Contacting Professor Wandt does not pause or extend any legal, administrative, or filing deadline.

Professional Conduct and Community Boundaries

Wandt Underground may include students from multiple courses, alumni, researchers, professionals, and invited participants. Students must treat it as a professional academic community and comply with course rules, channel-specific instructions, College policies, and applicable law.

Students may not:

• harass, threaten, dox, discriminate against, or direct unwanted communications toward another person;
• impersonate another person or conceal their identity from Professor Wandt for course-accountability purposes;
• post malware, stolen data, credentials, contraband, unlawfully obtained material, or sensitive private information;
• conduct unauthorized investigations of classmates, faculty, College employees, or private individuals;
• expose private course areas or communications to unauthorized people; or
• use the server to engage in conduct that would otherwise be unlawful, unethical, or prohibited.

Professor Wandt may moderate or remove content and may restrict posting or other platform privileges when conduct violates these rules. Any restriction will be tailored to the circumstances and, while a matter is reviewed, will preserve the access needed to receive required course information and materials.

Availability and Continuity

Temporary service interruptions and documented technical problems will be handled reasonably. Students should preserve screenshots, timestamps, or other evidence of a significant interruption. A temporary service interruption does not establish another routine communication channel or change Discord's role as the course communication environment. Affected communications and deadlines will be addressed through Discord after service is restored.

Arranging Individual Meetings

Meetings with Professor Wandt are arranged individually rather than offered on a standing schedule. A student who would like to meet should send Professor Wandt a private Discord message to arrange either a virtual Zoom session or an in-office meeting. The message should briefly identify the topic, preferred meeting format, and several dates and times when the student is available, but it should not include protected or sensitive details. Professor Wandt will make every reasonable effort to find a time that works well for the student and to make arranging the meeting straightforward.

Emergencies

Course communication platforms are not emergency services. A student facing an immediate safety, medical, mental-health, or security emergency should contact emergency services, public safety, or the appropriate campus resource first and notify Professor Wandt when it is safe to do so.