More Back-to-School Advice
19 August 2011 at 9:36 am Peter G. Klein 2 comments
| Peter Klein |
In the spirit of yesterday’s advice post for MBAs, here is some vital information for professors to share with their undergraduates, courtesy of the University of Missouri’s College of Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources. The hook: “Have you received an e-mail from a student that made you wonder whether English was still taught in high school? Has a student asked you whether he or she was ‘missing anything important’ by not attending class? How about the cell phone? Have fingers been on the move during class — perhaps not in recording lecture notes?”
- E-mail Etiquette – Help students develop a habit of using professional e-mail communication by following these recommended guidelines. http://cafnr.missouri.edu/career-services/pro-dev/email-etiquette-guidelines.pdf.
- Missing Class – If students decide they must miss a class or laboratory session due to an extra-curricular or co-curricular activity they should follow these guidelines. http://cafnr.missouri.edu/career-services/pro-dev/missing-classes.pdf.
- Classroom Etiquette – To ensure a positive learning environment, students should adhere to these classroom expectations. http://cafnr.missouri.edu/career-services/pro-dev/classroom-etiquette.pdf.
Please add your own links, suggestions, etc. in the comments!
Organizations and Markets 
1. Rafe’s roundup, August 21 at Catallaxy Files | 20 August 2011 at 6:59 pm
[…] Klein’s “back to school” advice for MBA students, email etiquette, how to miss classes […]
2.
Michael Marotta | 21 August 2011 at 8:43 pm
Since the Middle Ages, professors have been booed. Newton lectured to an empty room – terms of the contract: lecture is mandatory; attendance is not. One of my EMU profs – Bill Welsh; geography – prohibited any and all electronic devices while he was lecturing. He is not alone:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article7057511.ece
“David Meyer, a psychology professor at the University of Michigan, is so intent on commanding his students’ full attention that he also forbids them from taking notes — even with a pen.”
Another article:
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article4362950.ece
“David Meyer is professor of psychology at the University of Michigan. In 1995 his son was killed by a distracted driver who ran a red light. Meyer’s speciality was attention: how we focus on one thing rather than another. Attention is the golden key to the mystery of human consciousness; it might one day tell us how we make the world in our heads. Attention comes naturally to us; attending to what matters is how we survive and define ourselves.”
Philosopher David Kelley (now at the Atlas Society) identified the ability to concentrate – to choose to think; and to choose what to think about – as the definition of volition.