What Can Instructors Do to Prevent Student Behavioral Disruptions?
Instructors are the first line of defense when it comes to preventing and/or curtailing disruptive student behavior. An instructor may adopt these preemptive steps to minimize the likelihood of such behavior:
- Including behavioral norms and expectations in the course syllabus/presentation.
- Discussing what constitutes disruptive classroom behavior at the first meeting of the class with periodic reminders as necessary.
- Establishing and maintaining an environment in which opposing views may be expressed in a civil and respectful manner.
- Exhibiting the type of behavior expected from the students.