Classroom Rules

Classroom Rules

The following rules are intended to make the classroom experience as effective as possible in its intended purpose of giving students their best possible first in-person exposure to the course material. It is expected that students will make efforts to ensure that they abide by these rules at all times to contribute their share toward this common goal.

Duke Community Standard: Of course it is expected and required that students will follow all aspects of the Duke Community Standard in all class meetings. Please be sure to study the Standard thoroughly to ensure you are clear on all aspects of this expectation.
Attendance: Attendance (on time!) is required at all class meetings and is part of the formula for course grades, as detailed on the class website / Class Grades.

I will try to get as many students as possible checked as present before each class meeting begins, to maximize the time available for lecture. To this goal, it is very helpful for students to arrive several minutes before the scheduled start time; arriving very shortly before the scheduled start time delays the start of the lecture and thus reduces the utility to students of the class meeting.
Punctuality: The expectation is that students should be on time (seated, counted as present for attendance, and ready to listen when the lecture begins at the scheduled start time) for all class meetings. Ideally students should arrive to class at least several minutes early, as this is helpful toward the counting of attendance without using valuable class time, and of course for giving the student time to settle in and get ready with notes, laptop, and such. Note that in order to be certain that you will arrive as such reliably, it is necessary to schedule for arriving even earlier than that, to account for the ever-present variations in travel times, unexpected delays,...

If you come in late on a rare occasion, just come in and seat yourself as quickly and quietly as you can. You will not be counted as present for that class meeting; you are strongly advised to consider the possible need for reworking your travel schedule in such a way as to eliminate or at least minimize such failures of punctuality.

If you come in late more than rarely, this is a problem in multiple ways:
- It distracts student attention when students should be focusing as much as possible on the lecture. In this course, material in a given lecture tends to build vertically (later ideas rely critically on earlier ideas), so the effects of early distractions compound/snowball over the duration of the lecture.
- It disrupts the instructor's train of thought, which will slow down the presentation. In some cases such a disruption can even result in a forming thought to be missed; and the instructor's thoughts about this possibility will slow down the presentation even more. It also disrupts the instructors speaking rhythm, which further distracts student attention.
- Causing the above problems more than rarely indicates an insufficient respect for the importance of the very limited amount of contact time available in this course in relation to the great amount of material that students must learn. This is disrespectful to all of the other students in the class, and also to the instructor.
If you find yourself being late to class more than rarely, it is important that you recognize the above problems you are causing. It is important that you recognize that these problems are significant. It is also important that you recognize that this is an issue that you can fix -- for example, you can:
- set an alarm on your phone to remind yourself when you should leave from your previous activity;
- change your intended arrival time to (say) 5 minutes earlier so that routine delays don't result in your being late;
- consciously prioritize being on time so that you don't make the mistake of letting less important earlier things cause you to be late;
- reorganize your schedule so that you are not as tight on time just before class;...
Given the above, a student arriving late more than rarely is not an acceptable norm. In such a case, the instructor at some point will address the issue directly with the student. Possible consequences include disallowing entrance to the classroom after the scheduled start time (note that instructors have the right to exclude disruptive students from the classroom).
Talking in class: Before the lecture begins, I encourage talking in the classroom -- it helps to build a comfortable atmosphere, it can create and strengthen relationships with potential study partners,... And I enjoy chatting before class time as well, so please feel encouraged to strike up a conversation with me about almost anything, including Duke sports, movies, TV, hobbies (yours or mine), weekend/holiday activities, whatever my daughter is up to these days,... Related, before the lecture begins (in most cases, when circumstances permit) I like to play music through the classroom speakers, and I always enjoy discussions about music too.

However, once the lecture begins, it is very important that talking cease immediately, as at that point the focus should be entirely on the lecture. Your voice carries much more than you might realize, and it is perfectly obvious to all in the room (especially the instructor) who is doing the talking. We might not be able to discern the specific words you are saying, but merely hearing voices causes the mind to try to interpret those sounds and thus results in a significant distraction.

Talking during the lecture is a problem in all of the same ways enumerated above in relation to coming in late -- and is arguably worse because it is less momentary. It is highly disruptive to the otherwise efficient functioning of the classroom, and as such it is disrespectful to everyone else in the room, including the instructor.

I'll note that my own nature is such that the above effects are particularly strong for me personally. In fact, when I hear other voices, I experience a strong compulsion to stop talking myself. Resisting this strong compulsion (necessary to continue the lecture, of course) requires me to expend significant mental effort and focus that should be on the ideas I'm talking about, and this results in significant detrimental effects to the lecture. (We all have our own weaknesses; this happens to be one of mine. :) I appreciate all students for their understanding and cooperation toward best dealing with this in the classroom.)

If someone is talking to you once the lecture begins, I suggest that you tell them you can pick up the conversation after class is over, and just turn away -- they will get the idea. Note that if you continue paying attention to the person talking to you, then you are encouraging them to talk and thus you also are partly to blame for the problems their talking is causing.

If you have a math question during the lecture, and you don't think it rises to the level of asking the instructor (see the class website / Asking Questions), in most cases the right move is NOT to ask another student. Much better is just to make a note (wherever/however you are taking notes on the material), and plan to come back to think about that detail later when prompted by that note. (In rare cases, if you feel you can resolve the question very quickly (no back-and-forth) by asking your neighbor, then that's fine. Just be sure to whisper, and keep in mind that even short whispers will be a bit distracting. Keep in mind also of course that your neighbor will presumably be trying to pay attention to the lecture too.)

In the case of students who talk during lecture more than rarely, the instructor at some point will address the issue directly with the student, including possible consequences (note that instructors have the right to exclude disruptive students from the classroom).
Electronic distractions: Do not watch videos, browse social media,... on your laptop or tablet during the lecture. The people sitting behind and beside you in the lecture room will be distracted by the images while they are trying to pay attention to the lecture, and some students will very reasonably be annoyed by this. Please be respectful to your fellow students and do not introduce this distraction into the lecture room. (Of course also -- your own paying attention to these sorts of things during class defeats the purpose of your coming to class in the first place.)

If you see that another student is using a laptop or tablet during class for purposes unrelated to class, and if you find this distracting, please let me know and I will be happy to address the situation. Alternatively, feel free instead to let me know later, perhaps by email, and I can address the problem without disclosing your identity.

Of course it is fine to use your laptop during class for a class related purpose, such as taking notes, or looking at old exam questions related to the lecture, or something like that. It is also acceptable to use your laptop for some other purpose as long as it is not distracting to the other students in the class (checking email, for example). That said, if you are going to do this, you may want to re-evaluate your time management choices and try to arrange things so that you can actually get full benefit from the lecture itself.