Abstract:

Five years of data collection revealed that the quality students most crave from classmates is respect. Over and over, respondents to a civility survey revealed that they felt that almost any topic could be fruitfully discussed if only respect were present. That led to development of a week-long curriculum that I use at the beginning of every semester. We begin with an open-ended blog posing questions about academic civility online or in person. Next come readings by authorities from multiple perspectives (theoretical, journalistic, academic, social) as well as coaching in interacting with faculty and administrators, codes of netiquette for relating to other students, especially on discussion boards. The unit concludes with students forming their own code of classroom civility. The tool is a survey asking them to choose the three positive behaviors they most value from others from a list generated by previous classes. The results: students consistently report a safer classroom space where they feel valued and respected by others so they can focus on their learning and on exchanging valuable contributions with others. Suitable for all instructors working with students at any secondary or university level.

Keywords:

Civility, respect, wellbeing, personalized, curriculum, netiquette, classroom atmosphere.