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Testing limits means setting boundaries

Students walk through the Quad
Campus scenes, students, Bronco Welcome, John Kelly photo.

In a recent The Chronicles of Higher Education newsletter article (linked), senior writer Beth McMurtrie wrote about the struggles many instructors face when it comes to students testing limits (linked) around community norms and academic policies, and asked instructors about how they set up their class for success. Some suggestions include:

  • Set clear guidelines as to what students can expect in the class
  • Be transparent about the fact that rules exist that “can be broken” but consequences will follow
  • Work on a class culture of respect for the subject and for each other
  • Communicate to students that education and learning often means to work for success and also to struggle, and offer them support and resources

Read the full newsletter and the article (linked) here.