Classroom Etiquette for Veterinary Professional Education
The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine professional curriculum is prepared and delivered by subject matter experts to a select group of adult professional students. The faculty and students share responsibility for maintaining a professional classroom environment. Faculty responsibilities include beginning and ending class on time, presenting lectures that are relevant and current, responding to pertinent questions, and leading and moderating discussions related to the content of the lecture. Student responsibilities include arriving on time, attention to the lecture, raising pertinent questions, and maintaining a quiet and disciplined environment to maximize the learning experience for all students.
Specifically, students demonstrate their professional demeanor and respect for the educational process by permitting the lecturer to present the material, and classmates to concentrate on the lecture material. To maintain a professional classroom environment to maximize the learning experience, professional students will be:
- Respectful
- For faculty presenting the material
- For fellow classmates that are trying to listen to and understand the material
- Quiet
- Extraneous talking is disruptive and distracting and will not be permitted
- Electronic devices will be silenced; cell phones will not ring or be answered during lecture, and laptop computer use will be confined to taking notes and other lecture-related activities at the direction of the instructor
- Punctual
- Faculty will start on time.
- Students entering and exiting the classroom after the class starts disrupt the presenter and fellow students, so students must arrive before class, and be ready (quiet, in their seats with notes out) to begin at the scheduled time
- If a student occasionally arrives after the class has started, they should enter as quietly as possible and should sit in the back of the classroom to avoid interrupting the lecturer or disrupting students' focus on the lecturer material
- Faculty will finish at the scheduled time
Recommendations for Optimal Classroom Learning
Faculty members recognize that methods of learning are very unique to a given individual. Active listening, note-taking and asking appropriate questions during classroom activities maximize the learning experience. Because electronic communication (texting, e-mailing, twitter, facebook, etc.) during classes interferes with the learning of nearby students, and may be disruptive to the classroom as a whole, students will refrain from these practices and focus on the classroom content.
Faculty and students have the responsibility to maintain a positive learning environment for all students. Faculty members have the right to politely reprimand and/or excuse anyone disrupting the classroom experience in order to maintain an optimal learning environment for the remainder of the students. A student(s) and/or his/her/their class representative(s) are encouraged to first register any concerns or complaints to the individual faculty member and/or the team leader to resolve the issue at the local level and in a timely manner. If this does not lead to appropriate resolution, then the student(s) and/or the class representative(s) may contact the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs to discuss and resolve any issue relevant to maintenance of a professional classroom environment.
The students expect the faculty to establish and maintain a classroom environment conducive to effective learning, including modeling appropriate professional behavior and holding others themselves and students accountable. The faculty appreciates and expects the students' understanding, commitment, cooperation, and contributions to maintaining an appropriate and enriching teaching and learning environment.
