Student Rights and Responsibilities
I’ve been taken with the idea of a strong positive relationship between rights and responsibilities for some time now. Recently, in a class on test construction, my interest was further piqued by discussing the rights and responsibilities of test takers. This has lead me to incorporate the idea into my discussion syllabus for this semester. Here’s what I have so far:
You have the right to
1. Receive coherent and helpful feedback on assignments.
2. See your TA in office hours and to receive timely responses to email.
3. Have your hard work be rewarded.
4. Get out of the course what you put into it.
You have the responsibility to
1. Ask questions when you do not understand something.
2. Attend discussion section or inform your TA and group members when you cannot make it.
3. Try your best on each and every assignment and test.
4. Be honest about how much effort you put into the coursework.
I’m not sold on these as the final rights and responsibilities, and I may end up scrapping the whole idea. But the concept of students having both rights and responsibilities could be an interesting way to encourage students to be involved in the class. By emphasizing that students can expect certain things of the course, and have certain things expected of them, it may help students realize that their efforts in the class really do have an impact on their final grade.
One of the most frustrating things about any course is students who express a strong desire for a top grade but don’t do the work required to receive that grade. These students don’t seem to understand that their efforts are a strong predictor of their final grade. They may put in less work than required, pass up opportunities to gain additional points, or generally presume they will have no trouble earning the grade they want. Assigning grades at the end of the semester is made even more stressful when you know these students are likely to complain if they get a grade less than what they wanted.
By being upfront and honest about what is expected of students, maybe some grousing can be avoided. Is the student being honest about how much effort he put in? If not, then that student is failing in one of his key responsibilities. In general, students appreciate honesty and transparency. Rights and responsibilities may be a key way to increase this.
It could also lead to more trouble, especially if students misinterpret the framing. For example, if all students presume they will get an A if they meet their responsibilities, then 75% of students will end up really disappointed. Or if students see the rights and responsibilities as a sign that the course will be radically different from courses they’ve had in the past, then they may be disappointed when final grades still come down to percentage of points earned. In these cases, the instructors are likely to look back on those rights and responsibilities as causing a lot more trouble then they are worth.
I may or may not leave the section in, but overall, the idea has merit. Students, whether they know it or not, do have rights and responsibilities. It may be better to lay it out from the instructor’s point of view, rather than leave it up to students’ own interpretations. In the end, if it makes for better student-instructor interaction, then I’m all for it, whether it causes more grief or not.
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