For Faculty

Resources for Faculty

Student Conduct and Community Standards at EMU

Promoting Academic Integrity: A Guide for Faculty

Promoting Academic Integrity: Statistics and General Principles

Promoting Civility in the Classroom

Promoting Professionalism in Student Employees

Promoting Responsible Behavior at Off-Campus Programs

FERPA at a Glance

CLASSROOM DISRUPTION

PREMISES:

Faculty members are responsible for management of the classroom environment.
Classroom disruption should be seen as a violation of the University's Student Conduct Code.
Both students and faculty members have some measure of academic freedom.
Rudeness, incivility, and disruption are often distinguishable, even though they may intersect.

COMMON DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIORS:

Grandstanding
Sleeping in class
Prolonged chattering
Excessive lateness
Poor personal hygiene
Overt inattentiveness
Eating, drinking and gum chewing
Pagers, beepers and cellular phones
Unexcused exits from class
Verbal/physical threats
Disputing the instructor's authority and expertise

STRATEGIES:

Clarify standards for the conduct of your class.
Serve as a role model for the conduct you expect from the students.
If you believe inappropriate behavior is occurring, consider a general word of caution to the class, rather than warning a particular student.
If the behavior is irritating, but not disruptive, try speaking with the student after class.
If you must confront a student during class about a behavior, try to do so in a firm but friendly matter. Indicate you'd like to discuss it further after class. Avoid public arguments and harsh language.
If the student persists in disrupting the class, direct him/her to either stop the behavior or leave the classroom for the rest of that class period. Inform the student you will call DPS, if necessary.
For serious disruptive behavior, where the above steps have failed to work, adjourn the class and call the campus police. Do not use force or threaten EXCEPT for immediate self-defense. Have a list of witnesses ready to pass along to the police.
For disruptions that do not reach the extreme level discussed in Item 7, contact the Student Conduct and Community Standards office for a consultation.

FACULTY LIABILITY CHECKLIST

These questions represent twelve major areas of potential liability to faculty. It is a good idea to learn more and/or improve upon your current practices in area in which you answer 'no' to a question.

Are you familiar with the college's requirements for receiving a degree, as set forth in all pertinent documents?
Do you treat alleged plagiarism and cheating as a serious disciplinary matter and take action on it?
Are you clear about when due process regarding academic and student conduct issues is required at your institution, and what that process is?
Do you know the penalties students may suffer for violations of academic and behavior standards?
Do you know what review procedures are available regarding adverse decisions about violations of academic or behavioral standards?
Do you make special efforts to stay current in your field of expertise?
Do you have an up-to-date syllabus for each of the courses you are teaching that includes an outline of the course, requirements for attendance, required reading, grading criteria, and office hours?
Are you careful about conducting your classes in a nondiscriminatory manner?
Are you careful about avoiding contact with students that could be interpreted as sexual harassment?
Do you exercise reasonable care regarding the safety of your students in class, labs and shops?
Are you familiar with your college's policies and procedures regarding trips away from campus?
If students become disruptive in your class, do you know what to do?