18 Establishing expectations with your students
Early in the semester, share with your students when and how they can contact you. This can make it easier for students to approach you and help you establish expectations with your students. These questions can guide you in setting and communicating boundaries in and out of the classroom:
- How can your students contact you? How often do you respond to email? When can students expect a response (e.g., within 24 hours, only on weekdays)? How will you make yourself equally available to all students and not create situations where perceived favoritism may occur?
- Can students connect with you on social media (e.g., professional networks like LinkedIn or platforms like Twitter), or is it inappropriate?
- How can students ask you for an extension?
- How will you draw boundaries around your interactions with students?
Because instructors and TAs evaluate students, inherent power differences exist in the instructor-student relationship.
Iowa has a strict policy against sexual harassment, which subverts the school’s teaching and learning mission and undermines productive, professional relationships among students, faculty members, teaching assistants, and staff members. Before the beginning of the semester, review the university’s complete policy on sexual harassment and the policy on consensual relationships involving students.
Another aspect of establishing expectations with your students is providing them with trigger warnings before sharing sensitive materials. To learn more about content warnings, please engage with this teaching scenario provided by UIowa undergraduate students.
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