Make the standards and polices clear on day 1
On day of the course, the polices and expectation are clear from day 1, which helps the students understand the polices.
If Polices and deadlines are not clearly set at the beginning of the couse you can never set them later. You live with what you create on day one.
Hi Wayne,
This is a great example of how to set the standards for the course and how to make the students aware of what those standards are. Their signature says that they have been exposed to the polices and requirements of the course so they can't claim that they don't know what you want.
Gary
I agree 100%. In past classes I did not have a policy for making standards and polices clear. During the time frame I spent a large portion of class time tring to enforce the standards. Now I present my polices and standards with consquences for not following the guidelines to the class first thing and go over them verbally. They sign and I make copies, returning one to the student and filing the other with the students roster. This has nearly eliminated problems with standards and polices thus allowing me to focus on the couse more.
Hi Paul,
Great way of showing the students the expectations, requirements, and policies of the course. That way there will be no misunderstandings and if a question comes up, just as you said you can refer them to the sheet they signed.
Gary
I do something very simmular. I give each student a copy of the "Class expaectations" We go over each item. I then have thenm sign and date it. If and when an issue comes up, I show them thier signature on the form. I ask them why they did not conform. It is a way of getting them to own the situation. Its the same principle as when a Police officer asks you how fast you were going.
Hi Robert,
This to me is the only way a class can function. We, instructors have to have deadlines and with a clear policy on late assignments we set the standard. By making such policy clear we reduce the problems related to misunderstandings and excuses. These deadlines also help the students with discipline development because they will need that to be successful later on in their careers.
Gary
Agreed. The situation that most often arises in my technical college classroom is late projects. I include my specific classroom policy for late/make up work and the school's official attendance policy on the class syllabus. During the first class session, I specifically direct students to this information during the syllabus review; if a situation/problem arises later on, I can return to the policies in print.
Hi Mark,
This is very important because it helps to reduce stress in students. They know the expectations, requirements and polices from the beginning and see how they fit into the course.
Gary
