Info for Faculty

Faculty and Staff Resources

UNCW students are expected to be courteous and respectful toward both their instructors and fellow classmates. Creating community standards can be a great tool to use in the classroom to help create this type of environment. They can help students understand your expectations for the course and the expectations they have for one another. We recommend communicating standards during your first class of the semester. Check out this easy guide for facilitating standards in your classroom!

Facilitating Community Standards for Your Classroom
Takes about 20 minutes

During Class

5 min Ask: What does it mean to be a UNCW Seahawk?
Seek several comment from students.

Say: UNCW Seahawks have community standards as a whole community. These standards are outlined by the university in the forms of the Code of Student Life and The Cornerstone Pledge. However, you have to choose to live up to those expectations.

Say: "You are a Seahawk wherever you go" which means that you are representing the ideals of UNCW and The Cornerstone Pledge in your living environment, classroom, on and off campus. This was shared with you at Orientation.

15 Min Say: What we want to focus on is our community standards for our classroom? These are our expectations for the semester.

Suggest these areas to consider:

• Classroom comportment
• Student to Student Interaction
• Faculty to Student interaction
• Outside presenters

Facilitate a discussion on what students' standards/expectations are based on the above areas to consider. Note student comments on the board.

Share faculty member's additional expectations with the class

Ask: How will we hold each other accountable to these standards?

Say: We will revisit the community standards throughout the semester and they will be visible during class time.

After class

• We highly encourage you to post your community standards in your classroom when you are done with them. You may want to tape them to the wall/board each class period or find another way to display them during your class time.
• We expect that you will revisit them over the course of the semester to make sure that you are doing what you said you were going to do here in the classroom. Use these standards to address situations that may occur throughout the semester (i.e. Facebook usage in class, rude behavior towards outside presenters or students coming late to class).

The great thing about community standards is that you create them which means they can be changed if necessary by your community.

Request a Facilitator

We would be happy to come into your classroom and lead the facilitation of community standards. Please contact Dr. Chip Phillips, Assistant Dean of Students at phillipsf@uncw.edu to set up a meeting.