A clear syllabus statement that students are encouraged to engage with and revisit throughout the class can help prevent distressing or disruptive behavior.
The following example syllabus statements address different behavioral concerns, and each is accompanied with a suggested way to present your expectations and ask students to engage with them.
You are welcome to borrow, mix and match, and utilize these suggestions in any way you see fit.
Western Iowa Tech Community College students are responsible to conduct themselves in a manner that maintains an educational environment conducive to learning. Students at Western Iowa Tech are expected to conduct themselves as good citizens in the College community by respecting the rights and property of others. The Western Iowa Tech Community College Student Code of Conduct and behave accordingly. If you have concerns about the expectations of the Western Iowa Tech Code of Conduct or see anyone in class, including the instructor, struggling to uphold them, you are encouraged to share your concerns with me.
Technique: Break students into seven groups and assign a shared value to each. Before they consult the Student Code of Conduct, ask each group to write down why the Student Code of Conduct is essential. Students should be encouraged to read through the rest of the syllabus to make strong connections to other class policies, upcoming assignments, etc. The small groups should report out their conversation to the larger group, and you can collect their notes from the activity to create a resource about the Code of Conduct that is posted in your course documents.
Even though many of us are very accustomed to communicating via email, text, and discussion forum, there is still a lot that can get lost in translation when communicating online. Additionally, as you’ve likely seen on social media, news sites, etc., the standards of professionalism and kindness that many have for in-person conversations do not always show up in digital conversations. Because the vast majority of communication for this class will occur via email and Canvas discussions, it’s crucial that we remain aware of the challenges of talking online and make every effort to remain professional, courteous, and clear. We will adhere to Netiquette in this class, which is a set of guidelines that help facilitate appropriate and civil online conversation. Please read this introduction toThe Core Rules of Netiquette and contact your instructor if you have questions or believe anyone is not acting in accordance with these core rules.
Technique: Build a forum dedicated to netiquette, require students to read the core rules linked above, and ask for everyone to leave a comment stating something they learned, something they aren’t sure they agreed with, and something they want to be clearer from the reading. This does not need to take a lot of time or be a higher-stakes assignment. Simply grading for participation and noticing any troubling responses is plenty.
Further Resource:
Mintu-Wimsatt, A., Kernek, C., & Lozada, H. R. (2010). Netiquette: Make it part of your syllabus. Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 6(1), 264-267.
In this class, we’ll engage with some material that may feel new or controversial. When someone expresses an idea, whether in writing or class discussion, it’s vital that we respect each other’s ideas and treat each other kindly. Kindness does not mean that we’ll never disagree. Instead, kindness means that when we disagree, we’ll treat each other with respect, openness, and a willingness to learn. In fact, disagreement, challenge, and vulnerability lead to the richest learning, so it’s important that we work together to create conditions where we are able to dig deep into difficult ideas instead of just scratching the surface. To be clear, opinions that threaten violence will not be tolerated in the same way. If you have any concerns about an idea that a peer has shared or feel unsafe in the classroom, please set up a time with me so we can discuss your concerns.
Technique: Work as a group to create a Ground Rules for Discussion list. It’s recommended that you come prepared to the class session with several ground rules that you would like to see on the list. Give students a few minutes to write/reflect individually or with one peer before sharing out their responses to the following question to the whole group: In this class, what expectations do we have for each other when it comes to having difficult conversations, disagreeing, and encountering challenging ideas? To facilitate, write down all of the ideas that students share out, and accept assistance in consolidating all of their expectations into a smaller list of clear, actionable ground rules. Give students the opportunity (ideally after class or privately to ensure comfort) to share any issues they have with the ground rules or anything they think is missing. Post the rules in a visible area and should be referred to often during the class.
In a class of this size, even an action that seems minor on its own can cause a disruption to your own learning and the learning of your peers. Examples of disruptive and disrespectful behaviors include excessive talking (especially talking over others), arriving late to class or leaving early, sleeping during class, and using unauthorized electronic devices. If you need to do something that might be disruptive to others, please inform beforehand and take precautions to minimize distractions to your peers. For example, if you need to leave early or take an urgent phone call during class time, try your best to send me an email to let me know and sit near the door.
Technique: At the end of class on the day the syllabus is reviewed, ask students to leave an “exit ticket” with you addressing one or two of the following prompts:
Identify common patterns in these responses (there will be a lot of clear trends) and prepare a consolidated list of common disruptions, behavioral expectations, and positive learning environment factors. Share your list at the beginning of the following class meeting, so that students know that you utilized their feedback to create class environment norms. If your syllabus is a living document, add those norms to the syllabus and inform students of where their collective list is housed.
