Maintaining Students Integrity

by Cory Willhite - Wednesday, January 18, 2017, 6:42 PM

In Effective Strategies for Facilitating Critical Thinking the author mentions the difference between
respecting a students integrity and making sure the questions you ask are challenging enough. If a
student contacts you believing you have undermined their integrity, what would you do, and why?

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Student Response
by Student 1 - Thursday, January 19, 2017, 7:51 AM

Cory-

Great question and I have often thought about some of this. I think this would probably depend on the
student and how your interaction has went with them up until that point in the term/year. For some
students it is just a reiterating of what they did wrong so it is a quick discussion about what was expected
and what they could do better next time.

Sometimes there are students that will complain no matter what we do. With those students you have to
carefully word a response that just makes your grading/assessment clear. With those students they will
never be happy no matter what you say.

My thought is don't get defensive because then it will seem like you did something wrong. I actually had a
parent like this earlier this year so I went to my principal and he helped me craft a response.

Student

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Emphasis on Clarity
by Cory Willhite - Friday, January 20, 2017, 6:35 PM

Student 1,

Thank you for the thoughtful response. I have also dealt with students and parents that come in with a
chip on their shoulder. In a similar situation, I did have to explain to both the parent and the child every
step of the assessment. What I thought was clarity was not. There are some people who are angered by
their own sense of loss within the murk of learning, and there are those that are angered due to a sense
of entitlement. In both situations, explanation and clarity are important. In either situation, it is not the
student, parent or instructor in the center, but it is the act of learning that is in the center.

Thank you for an interesting and thought provoking insight.

Cory
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Good Question!
By Student 2 - Thursday, January 19, 2017, 11:19 PM

Cory,

This is a great and very thought-provoking question. I find this issue to be complicated. Most of my
experience in being challenged by students has been in the form of grade challenges--arguing that their
grade is to low, complaining about a grade or wanting me to change their grade. All of these challenges
are variations on the same complaint about grades.

I can't imagine a situation in which a student would believe that I undermined their integrity, although I
could easily imagine a student making this argument to try to raise their grade. However some students
just don't connect with a particular instructor and it is possible to have a relationship with a student in
which a series of misunderstandings occur. I have seen this type of dynamic develop with a small group
of students in one of my courses and sometimes with an individual student early in the semester, but I can
usually make an effort to rectify these miscommunications and improve our ability to communicate as the
semester progresses.

I think I demonstrate a high degree of integrity in terms of grading, in particular, since I use rubrics which
other instructors in my field do not always use, and I explain the basis for their grades very clearly. I also
attempt to be very respectful of students and sincerely want them to engage in class discussion and with
me as an instructor, coming to office hours and keeping in touch by email, phone, etc.

I think that, if an instructor actively demonstrate respect for their students, praises (and definitely does not
dismiss) their comments during class discussion and seeks to be supportive and nurturing--not to an
extreme but overall in developing a positive atmosphere in their classroom or online discussion, this
dynamic will prevent most challenges from students along these lines. However there are always
exceptions and it is important to seek support from administrators at one's institution if a major challenge
occurs along these lines, as Student One demonstrates very well.

Student 2

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Integrity built through Rapport

by Cory Willhite - Friday, January 20, 2017, 6:52 PM

Student,

Thank you for your input. It is very thought provoking. I agree with both you and Student One that the
administration should be notified in certain situations, but I also believe that you have hit upon an
interesting idea here. Through the strengthening of bonds between teacher and student, the discussion
can be taken to a deeper level as long everyone knows that it is topic in the center and not the individual.
I teach a British Literature course in the high school setting. The students know going into the course that
it is high level thinking. We discuss themes in literature and how they apply to our lives. When I got here,
the course enrolled around ten students. My first year was eleven. Over the past couple of years I have
built rapport with a good number of students, and now the class is at 30 students. In the discussions we
can get very open, but the students always feel comfortable taking the idea as deep as we do. It is
through the rapport that students feel comfortable sharing. In order to maintain integrity we have to
connect with our students first. They have to feel that we want them to grow, and that what we do is all for
the benefit of their growth.

Thank You

Cory

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Re: Maintaining Students Integrity

By Instructor - Thursday, January 19, 2017, 11:26 PM

Hello Cory,

This is an interesting topic. In regards to your question about integrity, I would reach out to the student
and I would ask him or her to share how my actions have undermined his or her integrity. I will also offer
him or her an apology and I will invite his or her to continue to share his or her thoughts with me.

It is important for the students to be able to learn in a non-threating environment.

All my best!

Respectfully,

Instructor

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Connecting Online and Face to Face

by Cory Willhite - Friday, January 20, 2017, 6:28 PM

Instructor,

Thank You for your response. The idea of connecting with a hurt member of the group should not change
wither that is online or face to face. What you mention here is the same that we would try in a face to face
situation.

This does get me thinking though, are the chances for someone to be offended greater online as they are
in person? In a face to face setting there is always a chance to misunderstood, and we saw in the last
module that the same could be said for an online setting.

Thank You

Cory,

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Re: Maintaining Students Integrity
by Student 3 - Saturday, January 21, 2017, 10:55 AM

You summed it up well Instructor!

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Re: Maintaining Students Integrity

by Student 3 - Saturday, January 21, 2017, 10:54 AM

I work with adult students who are themselves older and experienced and often they challenge me in
ways that allows me to understand where their perspective is coming from.

However, if a student contacts me regarding to content integrity, I would listen and definitely include their
perspective in my calculus as I create the next content for the classes to come. And the reason I do this is
that because I am there to help them learn new things and my goal is to help them anyway I can to
facilitate their learning. So it is not personal for me if a student challenges my thinking or feels I have
undermined their integrity (whatever this maybe).

You bring a question Cory, we educators often forget to separate being a teacher and being a person.
Being a teacher your students will challenge you, but you must not make this challenge a personal one. I
have seen teachers do this, and it is shameful.

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