The following document is handed out to my classes each semester as part of my course packet. It was created with the help of a group of students that I taught in a special section of CSC101. This document defines the rights of students: It specifies what students have the right to expect of the teacher in the classroom, and from the university.

The Rights of Students

The most important people at a university are the students. They are the reason for the university's existence, and should be the focus of the university's efforts. The goal of any university should be to provide its students with the best education possible--to provide students with the best return for their tuition investment.

Research is essential to a university education. Students receive the best, most current education in an active and enthusiastic research environment. Whenever research is given a higher priority than education however, the university has lost sight of its purpose and its goal.

Students have rights granted to them because they have paid tuition to receive an education. Some of these rights are identified below:

• Students have the right to be treated as adult human beings. Students are not some sort of underclass--they are the reason for the university's existence.
• Students have the right to be taught in an understandable manner. The purpose of the teacher in a classroom is to help students to understand the course material, not to cause confusion.
• Students have the right to ask questions, and to clarify their understanding without being harassed or embarrassed by the teacher. Students have the right to maintain a dialog with their teacher, because this dialog is education. Class size should never grow so large that this dialog is prevented.
• Students have the right to receive their education from high quality teachers who are experts in their field. Students have the right to evaluate their teachers, and evaluation results should have an effect. Poorly rated teachers should be retrained or removed from the classroom.
• Students have the right to expect certain services and courtesies from the teacher. For example:

• The teacher should provide the class with a course syllabus on the first day of class. The teacher should follow the syllabus.
• The teacher should have posted office hours, and should be present during those hours.
• The teacher should grade tests and homeworks within one week.
• The teacher should be present in the classroom during tests to answer questions.
• The teacher should be prepared for class.
• The teacher should teach the course described in the course catalog.
• The teacher should begin and end the class on time.

• Students have the right to expect that all university rules and policies will be enforced, and that violations will be dealt with immediately.
• Students have the right to be graded fairly, and to be graded consistently with other students in their section. Students should be told how they will be graded in the course syllabus. On each assignment or test, students have the right to know the criteria used for grading.
• Students have the right to appeal any grade which they feel is unfair or inconsistent to an impartial authority, without the threat of harassment or embarrassment.
• Students have the right to be tested fairly. Students have the right to know what material will be covered on a test. Material on any test should be representative of material covered in the class. Students have the right to know the correct answers and grading scale used to mark the test. Students have the right to know the average and distribution on a test.

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