What steps can a teacher take to avoid student complaints?
Many conflicts between teachers and students can be avoided when teachers institute classroom policies that are neither ambiguous nor intractable. Grade disputes, for example, are less likely to occur when assignments are constructed in clear, specific ways, and when the grading process and policy is fully articulated in the syllabus. Typically attendance policies and rules about late papers or late arrivals are the major sources of conflict, especially when they are too rigidly defined and do not allow for some degree of appropriate negotiation between the teacher and the student. Coordinators, Assistant Directors and the Director of Undergraduate Studies are all resources for teachers as they design policies for successful interaction with students.
Many conflicts between teachers and students can be avoided when teachers institute classroom policies that are neither ambiguous nor intractable. Grade disputes, for example, are less likely to occur when assignments are constructed in clear, specific ways, and when the grading process and policy is fully articulated in the syllabus. Typically attendance policies and rules about late papers or late arrivals are the major sources of conflict, especially when they are too rigidly defined and do not allow for some degree of appropriate negotiation between the teacher and the student. The Teacher Training Coordinator, Assistant Directors and the Director of Undergraduate Studies are all resources for teachers as they design policies for successful interaction with students.
