The students in the Fall 2007 Introduction to the Communication Major Workshop generated the following list of rights that they believe they have as students.

As a student, I have the right to expect my teachers to:

• Show up for class on time
• End class on time
• Start and end class on time. Late or early is cool too. i.e. please don’t make me late for my next class, than my only options are to either look rude and walk out while you are instructing or walk in late to my next class, at which time I am looked at again as if I am rude for not being capable of making it to my next class on time regardless of the fact that we only have 10 minutes between classes to climb the mountain which is out campus!
• Be punctual a high majority of the time (99%)
• Come to class prepared
• Arrive to class with prepared discussions
• Tell me their name
• Remember my name
• Respect my beliefs and culture
• Respect student’s opinions and beliefs
• Treat students as unique individuals
• Treat me as an equal
• Treat students with respect
• Take me seriously
• Take my questions seriously
• Treat the students with respect for their desire to learn, as peers rather than inexperienced children
• Treat me how they would like to be treated
• Take time to answer my questions
• Treat me with common courtesy, honesty and integrity
• Treat students equally
• Not favor some students unfairly
• Give everyone in the class a level playing field
• Offer equal opportunities to all students
• Not let their personal feelings for a student or that student’s views effect the way in which they grade and/or interact with that student
• Come to me if there is a problem with me or my work
• Celebrate Diversity!
• To allow for differences of opinion and/or interpretations without the need to make one right and one wrong
• To acknowledge myself and/or other students who raise their hands. Even if that acknowledgement is: In a minute or not right now. But if you do, do the in-a-minute...please actually come back to me. Other instructors say in a minute and never return!
• Use a fair grading system accordingly based on subject, class number and difficulty, possibly according to personal student ability
• Respect my opinion
• Respect my privacy
• Grade me equally
• Grade fairly
• Have the same expectations of all students regardless of race, religion, color, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or national origin
• Have a way for me to check my grades
• Create a positive environment
• Not try to intimidate students
• Allow me to feel comfortable asking questions
• Explain the method and format in which the class will be held (grading method, class exercise methods, teaching methods)
• Explain expectations of students (academic expectations, behavioral expectations)
• Fully explain the subject matter
• Give me directions that are clear and concise
• Present information clearly and organized
• Present assignments in an organized fashion
• Not use their classrooms to spread disinformation, blatant lies, propaganda, and/or as a means to indoctrinate the masses.
• Teach accurate information to the best of his/her ability –to not make up information when it is unknown, to not give inaccurate or out-of-date information,
• Not push personal doctrine on students, unless it is subject-related or helps to understand a situation
• Want success from all the students in class
• Include the class in discussions about the subjects we are learning
• Have outside office hours and times to meet with students
• Answer their emails when students have questions
• Offer study guides for exams
• Want me to pass their class
• Notify me when class is cancelled
• State clearly on the syllabus the points or value of different assignments i.e., attendance/participation, quizzes, in-class activities, papers, midterms, finals, etc.
• Provide a schedule of readings, quizzes, in-class activities, midterms, and finals. Be clear that the schedule is subject to change because life does happen but attempt to stay as on schedule as possible
• Take the time to make sure their directions are clear
• Hand out a syllabus on the first day of class and go over any item that may not be clear or seem ambiguous
• Have assignments due on the day that they are due
• Have exam scores back at least a week after the exam
• Make notes on assignments that need improvement
• Choose a textbook that fits the class subject
• Not answer their phone in class
• Mediate in class arguments
• Remove disruptive students
• To control their classrooms; i.e. Letting students know that if they are or need to participate in side conversations to take it outside so as to not disrupt student’s who want to be focused and engaged in the class.
• Discourage and take action against disruptive or disrespectful behavior in class i.e., texting, calling, chatting during class time
• Set ground rules for class conduct and stick to those rules. Do not allow some students to get away with things and others not
• Provide office hours for after class discussion of problems, questions, clarification, etc., and be there at those times
• Be available outside of class
• Be flexible with office hours/able to meet outside of class
• Teach me something
• Not waste my time. Avoid personal stories that have little or nothing to do with the class subject. To stay focused on the reason we are in class, which is to learn something we did not know before
• Act professionally which should be a higher standard then students
• Provide feedback and be clear about ways to improve, communicate, write better, be more analytical, etc.
• Be open for feedback, questions about policies, and able to explain their position of teaching style
• Explain when I seek clarification regarding an assignment or an issue what exactly it is that they are going for
• Let any student know that if they have special requirements or needs, there are resources available to them, how to access them, and be available to assist them if needed
• The right to petition for redress of grievances
• Keep in mind I have a busy life as well
• Be sensitive to different influences (life situation including work, sports, and family/social) affecting students and reserve judgment (grading) until all work has been submitted.
• Give a realistic amount of work. If you don’t intend for students to read a whole book, or read a whole chapter. Please don’t assign the whole thing. All that does is over-burden perpetual overachievers and gives “slackers” more vicarious free time.
• Understand that I have other classes
• To acknowledge that they are not the end-all-be-all of any subject or matter
• Engage in teaching free of political persuasion
• Not attempt to conform student’s world view to their own, but to give a means for students to shape their own based on sound and credible knowledge.
• Be open-minded
• Recognize the importance and value of the “marketplace of ideas!” Acknowledge that proper policy and truth require a diverse array of contributions, ideas and opinions and are essential components of a “supposed” liberal democracy.
• Teach in multiple ways for different learning styles
• Offer individual help to students that may need it
• Be open to questions
• Be open-minded to questions and comments
• To not respond to a students’ questions or inquiries until they have had the opportunity to fully ask their question or express their sentiment, whether within or outside of class i.e. not to answer questions or respond to sentiments before they have been fully expressed
• Acknowledge the generational Gap! Even “younger” instructors were raised in another time and another place. The world is not in any way the same. That is not a “students are o so unique” thing, it’s reality. The world is not the same. The information that is available to us. Many instructors were not even rasied with the web which has fundamentally changed the speed at which information is disseminated. Also the society and government in which we grew up with is nowhere near the one that our instructors did, that fundamentally changes things in significant ways.