In general, you will be communicating with your students in four ways. The following links provide best practice guidelines for each of these means of communication:
- In class
- During office hours and private meetings
- By email. The CTE's Student Guidelines for Communicating in Online, Professional Contexts are good guidelines for graduate instructors to use as well.
- On your course’s LEARN site, either through email or by creating an "Ask the instructor" discussion board where students can ask questions in an open forum
In both your face-to-face and written communication, it is essential to always be professional. Although you need to be approachable, keep in mind that you also need to be able to deal effectively with conflict and that you are ultimately responsible for grading your students' work. In situations of conflict, stay calm even if the student is not, and if you require advice, contact your course coordinator, or if you are a GI, the TA or GI coordinator. Keep in mind that under some circumstances your communication with a student could be forwarded to a supervisor or administrator.
For information on communicating in difficult situations, see Dealing with challenging teaching situations.