How to Ensure a Respectful Classroom Atmosphere
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Learning requires respect for ideas and for others. Here are some basic guidelines.
- Arrive to class on time, preferably a few minutes before it begins.
- Wait until class is over to leave. Don't walk out midway through class or begin assembling your materials to leave before the professor stops talking. If you must leave during class, sit in the back and in the aisle seat.
- Realize that even in a large lecture room, you are visible to the professor as well as to other students. It is distracting and disrespectful to read the newspaper or talk or write notes to your neighbor.
- Don't eat during class.
- Turn off your cell phones, pagers, or MP3 players.
- Listen to students' comments with the same degree of attention as you would like them to listen to yours.
- Do not record the lecture or sell lecture notes without permission of the professor.
Learning requires work.
Here are some tips to get the most out of a class.
- Read the assigned materials before coming to class and attend every lecture. You have a much better chance of understanding and enjoying the lecture if you have done the work in advance. Also, you will feel more confident about asking questions about the lecture if you have read the texts.
- Taking notes during class keeps you attentive and helps you study effectively for exams and papers. If you do not know how to take good notes, ask your professor or TA or visit Campus Learning Assistance Services (CLAS).
- Be patient with the process of learning. There is no simple way to digest complex ideas.
- Stretch yourself. Your classes at UCSB will challenge you to broaden your perspectives and to develop your critical thinking.
Learning requires interaction.
Here are some ways to enhance your experience.
- Attend your professor's or TA's office hours frequently to discuss course material, assignments, exams and other course-related concerns. If you are unable to attend office hours, make an appointment and be sure to attend it.
- If your professor encourages the use of email for class communication, allow an adequate time for a response.
- Participate actively in class discussions. Disagreements are welcome, but hostile remarks are not conducive to a free exchange of ideas.
- Discuss the class material outside of class. The more you think and talk about the material, the more you make it your own.
Being in a classroom is being in a professional situation. Having this attitude is the first step toward a successful career at, and beyond, UCSB.
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