Prepared by the Office of General Counsel and Student Life
Whenever possible (i.e., early and often), outline and discuss what is acceptable and what is not.
Include a notice on the syllabus. For example:
Students are required to read and act in accordance with university and Arizona Board of Regents policies, including:
The Academic Integrity Policy including: The Academic Integrity Policy: http://www.asu.edu/studentlife/judicial/academic_integrity.htm
The Student Code of Conduct: Arizona Board of Regents Policies 5-301 through 5-308: http://students.asu.edu/srr/code
The Computer, Internet and Electronic Communications Policy: http://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/acd/acd125.html
Describe all expectations in behavioral terms. Don’t forget to address electronic conduct, especially if your class relies on chat rooms or other electronic forms of communication.
Try to address an individual problem after class or during a separate appointment. Develop a script to facilitate this: “I see that you are raising some issues that go beyond the scope of the class discussion. I would like to continue this discussion with you [after class / during office hours] but we need to limit the class discussion to [topic].”
If a problem continues, consider ways to restructure the learning experience to work around the problem. For example, you may choose to avoid unstructured class discussions. It may be better to go with your second choice of format than to spend unproductive time on a discipline issue that will distract from what you are trying to teach.
