Awareness and Practice of Digital Etiquette in Online Academic Interactions Among Health Science Students in Telangana

Background: The rise of online learning in higher education underscores the importance of digital etiquette (‘netiquette’) for effective academic interactions. This study assessed netiquette awareness, practice, and attitudes among health science students in Telangana, India. Objective: To evaluate netiquette awareness, practice, and attitudes among 480 health science students, explore demographic differences (age, gender, course), and identify gaps between awareness and practice. Methods: A cross-sectional survey utilized a 25-item Likert-scale questionnaire (1 = Strongly Disagree to 5 = Strongly Agree) covering Awareness (Q1–Q10), Practice (Q11–Q20), and Attitudes (Q21–Q25). Percentages were calculated for each response option, with mean section scores compared across demographics using ANOVA, t-tests, and chi-square tests. Pearson’s correlation and regression analyzed the relationship between attitudes and practice. Cronbach’s alpha assessed reliability. Results: Awareness averaged 85%, with strengths in muting microphones (Q4, 85%) but lower awareness of institutional guidelines (Q10, 55%). Practice was moderate (80%), excelling in avoiding inappropriate content (Q19, 86%) but weaker in multitasking avoidance (Q14, 60%). Attitudes were strongly positive (90%), valuing digital professionalism (Q25, 90%). Nursing students and females showed higher practice (82% and 4.06, respectively). Attitudes predicted practice (r = 0.65, β = 0.60). Cronbach’s alpha ranged from 0.82–0.88. Conclusion: High awareness and positive attitudes contrast with moderate practice, necessitating formal training and institutional policies to enhance digital professionalism. Keywords: Netiquette, digital etiquette, health science students, online learning, Telangana.