A student who is seen as a bad actor on social media will get a higher grade in the academic course they are studying, a University of Victoria academic has found.

In a study, students who shared positive and negative academic posts received higher grades in the course they were enrolled in, according to the findings of a new report from the Australian Institute of Education (AIE).

“It is a way of making sure the student is on their toes, it is a feedback system, it’s not necessarily a bad thing,” Aie said.

“But there is something to be said for caution.”

The AIE said students could be penalised for posting positive or negative posts to social media, or engaging in inappropriate behaviour.

The organisation also said that a student could be found to have plagiarised work by their peers if a post has been shared more than two times by a single person.

“It would be a good idea to consider a social media warning on the person that posted it,” Arie said.

‘I am scared’ Aie’s study has prompted a debate on the ethics of sharing social media information in the classroom.

The Aie report, titled “Students on social networks: how we share and judge”, said students need to be wary of what they share online.

“They need to keep in mind that the social networks that they use are not a safe space for them to express themselves,” Aiem said.

“[They] need to make sure that they’re not sharing information that they think is potentially harmful or offensive.”

‘The more they are sharing the more they can feel uncomfortable’ The report found that students on social platforms can be sensitive to their peers’ views, especially if they are “over-sharing”, or sharing more than they would with a peer.

Aie told ABC Radio Melbourne that some students may be too quick to share offensive content, such as jokes and offensive language, without understanding the context of the content.

“If you’re sharing a joke or an offensive image that’s not relevant, that’s a very big problem,” Aiesaid.

“You need to ensure that you’re using appropriate context.”

She said social media can also be used by students to vent about their feelings, including negative experiences, “so that they can learn from those experiences”.

“I think that’s important to consider,” Ariesaid.

The report comes after reports of students sharing offensive and racist content on social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, or having their personal information leaked to the public.

“We need to ask ourselves: what is the best way to communicate these kinds of feelings?”

Aie also said there were concerns about the ability of teachers to monitor students’ online behaviour.

“There are certain concerns that we’ve had from a teacher perspective,” she said.