Classroom Guidelines

These guidelines are fairly general, and so apply to most in-person instruction courses, mutatis mutandis. They mostly do NOT apply to remote instruction courses, of course.

  1. Be kind to your fellow students and the instructor.
  2. You should try to arrive on time. If you arrive late, enter as quietly and discreetly as possible. Don't let the door bang. Don't walk right past the instructor to your favorite spot.
  3. If you leave early, leave as quietly as possible. Don't let the door bang. If you intend to leave during the group activity (see below), leave before the lecture resumes.
  4. Generally, students should be quiet while the instructor is lecturing or when anyone is asking a question or being answered. A death-like silence is NOT required. But there should NOT be noise (e.g., murmuring) that disturbs the class. There is lots of time for chatting during the group activity (see below).
  5. Device Use:
    1. Devices---laptops, smartphones, cells phones etc.---can be used for in class-related activities ONLY: watching your own screen rather than the big screen, look-ups, taking notes, etc. Other use is verboten for darn good reasons---see Students are Better Off without a Laptop in the Classroom.
    2. Do NOT do other things with your devices. Doing other things can distract other people. Be polite.
    3. NO texting in class.
    4. For exams, only calculators are permitted---those which only access themselves. NO other devices (e.g., laptops, smartphones, cells phones) can be used and such devices should be out of sight, yours and mine. If you must use such a device during test, come down right in front of me and use it while I envigilate its use.

  6. If a section for the in-person instruction course has few people, we all crowd at the front. It's more friendly and gives people friends for the group activity (see below). We don't want to be far apart like in theatre of the absurd where our physical separation symbolizes our existential loneliness. We are the friendly section.

    EXCEPT during pandemics when we sit as far apart as possible and avoid each other like the plague.

  7. You can have visitors to the class if there are enough seats. They should behave as students do.
  8. By Faculty Policies (scroll down ∼ 70 %), the instructor has the authority over who can be present in a classroom. You can be asked to leave if you are disruptive, etc.
  9. Local file: local link: classroom_guidelines.html.
    File: Course file: classroom_guidelines.html.