2008 Woodie Awards
Keeping it 'class'y
Proper class behavior key to academic success
Catherine Klene
Issue date: 8/17/07 Section: News
White said he is open and friendly to his students, "but I don't want to mislead them into thinking we're pals.
"I'm not here to please the student," White said. "I'm here to work with them."
Ellen Lavelle is the director of the Excellence in Learning and Teaching Initiative, which focuses on enhancing communication and cooperation between professors and students at SIUE.
Lavelle said a student should focus on getting the most from their class, not about pleasing the professor.
"Students need to fully engage in learning," Lavelle said.
Lavelle said one main difference between a college level and high school level class is the amount of personal responsibility a student has. Professors are not your parents, she explained.
"Students are grown-ups," Lavelle said. "They really need to take responsibility for themselves."
Just as students have personal responsibilities in the classroom, so do the professors and instructors.
"(Professors) should be tactful, authentic and honest," Lavelle said.
Lavelle said professors should carefully plan assignments and make their expectations known on the first day of class.
"When the professors are clear…the students are more likely to be successful in the class," Lavelle said.
White said when he was a student, he spoke up if he felt his professors were not maintaining their end of the professor/student partnership and encouraged students to do the same.
"I never hesitated to be a squeaky wheel, but that's because I held up my end of the bargain," White said.
Lavelle said while a student should focus on the learning experience, common classroom courtesy is always expected.
Historically, many professors have complained of cell phone concertos serenading the class during a lecture. The best advice for students who seem to have unlimited minutes and too much to say: unless it's an emergency, turn the phone off.
If the call is an emergency, step outside of the classroom as discreetly as possible and keep it short. Also, do not chat loudly right next to the door, especially if it is still open.
Whichever professor a student has, Lavelle encouraged students to remember the value of a college education and the accountability that come with it.
"It's a privilege to come to a university, it's a right and a responsibility," Lavelle said.
"I'm not here to please the student," White said. "I'm here to work with them."
Ellen Lavelle is the director of the Excellence in Learning and Teaching Initiative, which focuses on enhancing communication and cooperation between professors and students at SIUE.
Lavelle said a student should focus on getting the most from their class, not about pleasing the professor.
"Students need to fully engage in learning," Lavelle said.
Lavelle said one main difference between a college level and high school level class is the amount of personal responsibility a student has. Professors are not your parents, she explained.
"Students are grown-ups," Lavelle said. "They really need to take responsibility for themselves."
Just as students have personal responsibilities in the classroom, so do the professors and instructors.
"(Professors) should be tactful, authentic and honest," Lavelle said.
Lavelle said professors should carefully plan assignments and make their expectations known on the first day of class.
"When the professors are clear…the students are more likely to be successful in the class," Lavelle said.
White said when he was a student, he spoke up if he felt his professors were not maintaining their end of the professor/student partnership and encouraged students to do the same.
"I never hesitated to be a squeaky wheel, but that's because I held up my end of the bargain," White said.
Lavelle said while a student should focus on the learning experience, common classroom courtesy is always expected.
Historically, many professors have complained of cell phone concertos serenading the class during a lecture. The best advice for students who seem to have unlimited minutes and too much to say: unless it's an emergency, turn the phone off.
If the call is an emergency, step outside of the classroom as discreetly as possible and keep it short. Also, do not chat loudly right next to the door, especially if it is still open.
Whichever professor a student has, Lavelle encouraged students to remember the value of a college education and the accountability that come with it.
"It's a privilege to come to a university, it's a right and a responsibility," Lavelle said.
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