Include Students In Policy-Setting
In the space below, brainstorm the MOST restrictive, oppressive course policies you can imagine. You can choose to frame these around a course you teach, or you can just come up with a list that could apply to any courses. Be as heavy-handed and authoritarian as you like; it’s okay if the rules you write make you uncomfortable.
Oppressive Course Policies
- No absences allowed: attendance MATTERS!
- No late work accepted, no excuses.
- Must speak 3 times in every class period.
- No laptops or phones in class under ANY circumstances.
- Must purchase the textbook: no outdated used copies, no borrowing others’ books.
- Must take notes in your 3-ring binder and set them up according to the rules I outline.
- No Wikipedia for any assignments.
Oppressive Course Policies Reflection
These are mostly a “joke” to me now, but most of these policies were in operation to some degree in many of my courses at some point in my career, and I don’t think ANY of them are foreign to students these days. Many faculty– and likely many students– would not consider these “oppressive.” I think it’s worth really thinking about that word, because I *do* find them oppressive for students. I think they quite literally press students down, curb their agency, reduce their power, and limit their humanity– all of which impedes learning.
Referring back to the rules you wrote, now write the OPPOSITE of each of them in the space below. Reframe each rule by imagining what it would be if you tried to completely counteract its purpose.
Rewritten Course Policies
- There is no attendance policy in this class. Make your own decisions about when/if you attend.
- There are no fixed deadlines for work in this class.
- There are no class participation requirements.
- Laptops and phones are permitted in class at all times.
- Here is the book we are using: any way you can access it is ok on my end!
- Take notes if that is helpful to you, in any way you wish.
- Use any internet sources you wish to research the content in this course.
Rewritten Course Policies Reflection
So yes, I would be comfortable with most of these policies exactly as written here, but if I were creating a syllabus, it’s likely that I would NOT include them like this without getting feedback from students. I know MANY students prefer flexible deadlines–but deadlines nonetheless. And NO attendance policy is something that many students have told me can make it harder for them to succeed in class. So I think a lot of this stuff needs some middle-ground areas, but best to leave that negotiation to students who know best what structures and freedoms help them learn.
Reflect upon the experience of writing both sets. How did writing these rules make you feel? How were the two experiences different? In your own courses, are your policies more like one set or the other? Put yourself in the shoes of a student again, and re-read the rules. How do they feel now?
