Classroom Etiquette & Manners

Private conversations with your neighbor and cell phones ringing in class are two of the biggest pet peeves of professors. Most professors don't mind if you whisper a question to your neighbor to confirm something discussed in class but more than that is distracting. Your classmates deserve your respect and support.

One cannot control their arrival time if their car breaks down or if the previous class goes into overtime. Normally, however, students should plan on arriving on time. Entering the classroom after the professor's presentation has started can be distracting both to the professor as well as to other students.

Students who arrive late should consult other students about any announcements made at the beginning of class. Quizzes missed by late arrival, in most cases, cannot be "made up."

If you are going to miss class it is a good idea to contact your instructor before the class if possible and if not to follow up as soon as possible.

Students should not normally leave or re-enter the classroom during the class period. Doing this can be distracting, and can give the impression that you do not respect the educational process taking place.

The professor has the right to finish his or her thought at the end of the class period. Please do not start putting books away, closing up notebooks, and zipping up book bags five minutes before the official end of class.

There is a separate list of rules for professors. On that list is a rule that says "Do not routinely keep students more than a minute or two after the official end of the period."

If you have missed or skipped class you will want to retrieve any missed information. Before going to your professor with these questions, try asking another student or referring to your syllabus for the answers. There are certain ways you should not retrieve this information.

Avoid asking these questions, which are classic annoyances for professors:

• "I missed class. Did we do anything important?"
• After chatting with your friend for five minutes: "Could you repeat that?"
• As your only question about an upcoming assignment: "How long does the paper have to be?"
• In the middle of a fascinating discussion on a new concept: "Will this be on the test?"
• At the end of the semester after missing numerous assignments: "Is there extra credit in this class?"

If you feel like you are missing something, enlist the help of other students you trust in class who can give you any needed information or handouts given in the class(es) you missed.