Subject:  Classroom Etiquette
From:  William J. Rapaport
Date:  22 Sep 2010, 10:23

A word (or two, or a few hundred) about classroom "etiquette",
that is, how to behave in a class,
whether it's small or especially if it's large--like CSE 501.

These comments apply to our class,

	BUT THEY ALSO APPLY TO ANY OTHER CLASS OR PUBLIC LECTURE
	THAT YOU ATTEND, HERE OR ELSEWHERE!

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A.  Late Arrivals and Early Departures:
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1.  Late Arrivals:
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I know that some of you arrive late.  

Sometimes you can't help it
	(your previous class gets out late
	 or is on the other end of campus,
	 or you get stuck in traffic, etc.).

But I do expect you to arrive on time, and I will begin class on time.

	If you must arrive late, please enter as quietly as you can,
	so that you do not disturb your fellow students or the lecturer.

	Attendance in CSE 501 is required.  

		Therefore, from now on, I will collect the attendance
		sheet as soon as it is signed by everyone present.

		If you arrive after I have collected it,
		you may sign it as being late,
		and that will count as a half-absence.

2.  Early Departures:
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I also know that sometimes you must leave early.
Perhaps you have an unexpected obligation elsewhere
	(surely, you can't have a regular obligation elsewhere,
	because you are registered to take this course!),
or perhaps you aren't feeling well and need to leave.

	If you must leave early, please exit as quietly as you can.

3.  Don't Slam the Door
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In particular, if you arrive late or leave early, please make sure that
the door does not slam shut (that is, make a loud noise when closing).

	Close it by hand, gently and quietly.

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B.  Paying Attention in Class:
========================================================================

1.  No talking:
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When the lecturer is talking,
he or she should be the only person talking.

When a student is talking
	(for example, asking or answering a question),
he or she should be the only person talking.

You should not be having private conversations with your neighbor.
If you absolutely must talk to your neighbor
	(perhaps to ask them to be quiet!),
please do so in a quiet whisper.

2.  No reading:
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Please do not read any documents
	--hardcopy (such as newspapers, magazines, or books)
	  or softcopy (that is, online)--
unless you are specifically asked to by the lecturer.

It is impolite,
and indicates that you are not paying attention
to what you are supposed to be paying attention to.  

Especially, please do not hold a large newspaper up in front of your face
	(which--believe it or not--is something that has happened so
	 often in some classes that I feel it necessary to say
	 something about it here!).

3.  No laptops:
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In general, you should not be using laptops, cellphones, or other
electronic devices during lectures
unless you are specifically asked to by the lecturer.

Besides the reasons given in point B2 above,
use of laptops or smartphones
	--even for such legitimate reasons as taking notes--
makes it very tempting to do other things,
such as read your email, send email, surf the Web,
check the latest on Facebook, play games, etc.

You should not be doing any of these in lecture.

In any case, I do not recommend taking notes on your laptop.  

	First, it can be very noisy, especially for your neighbor.
	Second, if you are trying to take notes in a class
	           that relies on special symbols (math, etc.),
		taking notes on a laptop is not the most efficient method.

For further discussion of this, please link to:
http://www.cse.buffalo.edu/~rapaport/howtostudy.html#computer