Etiquette? Really?

Workbook Page: Digital Submission

July 23, 2025
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Module: Designing for Education

In this activity you’re going to revise a section of your syllabus. You can choose which section you want to work on: course description, objectives, a specifi c policy, calendar, etc.

Apply what you’ve been thinking and learning about in Design Forward.

Choose Your Section

Below, share the current state of the section you’ll be working on.

Classroom Etiquette
The main request I have is for you to be appreciative, respectful and understanding. Be
respectful of your peers, your professors and yourself. Appreciate everyone in the class for who
they are, not for what you perceive them to lack. Everyone has had different experiences;
therefore, their opinions may differ from yours. Please be open to listening without judgment. If
the classroom is understanding and welcoming, we could be changing someone’s outlook, and
sense of belonging. If someone is talking or presenting, please do not be looking at your phone.
Use encouraging eye contact and be engaged. We will talk more in class about how to cultivate a
supportive learning environment.

Trouble the Section

First, why did you choose it? How does it make you feel? How well has it worked in the past? What have you learned in Design Forward that has prompted you to consider changing it? How would you like it to work for you and your students in the future? What do you think needs to change to make this section better?

I chose this section because I wanted to re-look at what values WE (the class and I) wanted to have in place for our class. It feels like I set these expectations without any insight from the class. I’ve only had this in place since last year, but guessing this was never looked at, like most things in the syllabus. I was inspired by the Melissa Winchell article about writing a syllabus for the audience it’s intended and to have the students’ input. While all the content is good, I think it’s important to get inspiration from the students who will choose to follow these ideas they’ve put in place. I plan to leave the piece about students having different experiences and to be respectful and conscientious of this. I’d like to have more the expectation in the “voices” of my students. I plan to actually have blank bulleted spaces so we can go over it as a class. I also plan to change the title of this section so that it reflects our work on our classroom values.

Revise the Section

Rewrite, revamp, reconsider the section below. Feel free to take this revision in whatever direction makes sense. If you need to completely reconsider the purpose and structure, go ahead. If you need to make smaller adjustments, that’s fine too.

What Does Our Classroom Look Like? This is OUR classroom, not mine, OURS. What do YOU want to experiences in this class? What are the most important reminders to the class, that you would want to see? How do we behave towards one another? What is the overall atmosphere of the class? I want to hear from YOU:

(Insert here)
(Insert here)
(Insert here)
(Insert here)

Everyone has had different experiences; therefore, their opinions may differ from yours. Please be open to listening without judgment. If someone is talking or presenting, please do not be looking at your phone. Use encouraging eye contact and be engaged. We will talk more in class about how to cultivate a supportive learning environment.