Issue date: 8/17/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Steve Berry Inappropriate classroom behavior, including cell phone use, can lead to problems.

Never bite the hand that grades you.

The adage - revised slightly for the college student - holds true. But how can a student stay on the "good side" of a professor and what behaviors are guaranteed to blow steam from their ears?

Elementary education senior Ashley Ades said she and her friends did not always take some of her general education classes seriously during her freshman year.

"We weren't the best students," Ades said. "We joked around with (the professor) a lot, and he got sick of it."

Looking back, Ades said she probably should have focused more on the coursework instead of the next one-liner.

"Take things seriously," Ades advised. "Stay involved. Don't be afraid to sit in the front of the class."

Senior engineering student Chris Anderson had one solid piece of advice he was sure would keep any professor happy: "Show up."

Anderson also encouraged students to find solutions to their own problems before running to the professor to wheedle a few extra points.

"Professors like to see you do something for yourself before they do something for you," Anderson said.

Computer science professor Bill White said for many students, attending class is not as big a problem as coming prepared.

"If you go to class completely cold…everything goes right over your head," White said.

White stressed the importance of completing assignments and homework on time and actually reading the assigned texts.

"When I tell (my students) they have three weeks to do (an assignment)… all too often, many think they have nothing to do for 20 days," White said. This procrastination can lead to unnecessary stress and lower grades.

White said he believes the professor/student relationship is a partnership, not a friendship. Students should not try to make the professors happy, White said, but they should hold up their end of the educational bargain by being prepared and focusing on the lecture or assignment.

"Students should ask questions," White said. "Of course, if they're not prepared, they'll probably be dumb questions."

Continued...

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