MEMORANDUM FROM YALE LAW SCHOOL
To: | Faculty |
From: | Ian Ayres, Deputy Dean |
Subject: | Our Educational Environment |
Date: | January 15, 2021 |
Cc: | Students, Faculty Administrative Assistants |
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The continuing challenges of the pandemic are heightened because of the shortened Spring semester calendar that foregoes Spring break. Please consider including one or two respite class meetings as part of your teaching. The idea of a respite class is a class meeting with less or no outside preparation. A respite class, for example, could be used as a mid-semester review session, or an outside speaker could speak about their practice or an article or case on which they have worked. Keep in mind the emotional and logistical burden our students are experiencing at this time. Many are caretaking for family members and have other significant responsibilities. To reduce stress for our students, you might also consider being more flexible as to when writing and other assignments are due. And as mentioned below, posting syllabi and reading assignments early will allow students to get a head start on their work.
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Because all professors are likely to have at least some remote students, you should announce at the beginning of the semester your policies regarding attendance of class, student videos, and student use of the Zoom chat function. My sense is that a majority of the faculty will be requiring synchronous attendance of Zoom classes, that students have their videos on and that student’s only use the chat function to alert the professor to technological problems with the Zoom – unless the professor explicitly exempts particular students from a particular policy. But student reps have reasonably asked that we let our classes know that students can briefly turn off their video or microphones if, for example, they need to use the restroom.
We also ask that you again find a faculty member who would be willing to step in to teach your course should you fall ill.
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Please recognize that your course syllabus is an essential method of communicating norms and expectations to your students. The Working Group compiled a set of syllabus recommendations that you should follow, including the importance of being transparent about the basis of grading, whether classroom notes will be open for use during a course exam, rules regarding attendance and participation, any applicable deadlines for papers or other requirements, and how to schedule an office hours meeting with you. In addition, you can help to foster a classroom in which students from diverse backgrounds and students with a range of views are treated as full participants by incorporating a diversity and inclusion statement in your syllabus.
I encourage you to post on Canvas your syllabi, lists of required course materials, and your first course assignments as early as possible. Doing that gives students ample opportunity to seek the best purchase options for their course materials and also to prepare for the first class meetings. Please consider making the readings for the first-two weeks of your course available on-line (including scanned pages of casebooks) to make it easier for students to procure copies at competitive prices. During the pandemic this is especially important for students in some remote locations with fewer opportunities to purchase materials. On your syllabus please indicate whether earlier editions of a casebook can be used.
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Remember that a syllabus must be actively published once it is uploaded to the course site in Canvas to make it available to students. For instructions on how to publish a syllabus on Canvas, click here. Also, as you know, the Registrar’s Office appreciates receiving a copy of your syllabus via email to Heather Abbott (heather.abbott@yale.edu) to assist the Office in responding to student queries regarding examinations and other course requirements.
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If your course is a writing seminar, please consider maintaining an up-to-date statement about your polices and standards for Substantial Papers or Supervised Analytic Writing papers on the Student Scholarship site.
Finally, please include the following statement on your syllabus: “Students with documented disabilities should register (https://yale-accommodate.symplicity.com/public_accommodation/) with Student Accessibility Services (SAS) to request reasonable disability-related accommodation. Supporting documentation will be required. If approved, SAS will work with the YLS Registrar’s Office to implement accommodations. More information for G&P students can be found online.”
Classroom Excellence
Strive for excellence in your management of the classroom experience. Encourage inclusive and balanced class participation by avoiding dynamics in which only a select few come to dominate classroom discussion. Many students favor a system in which all are required to participate in class. You can facilitate full participation not only by using a cold-call system but also by using panels that give students some notice about how frequently and when they will be on call. Using a randomized call sheet can help assure that all students have an equal chance of being called upon. Relying purely on volunteers can result in having only a few students engaged in conversation with the instructor. That limits the voices heard and the views expressed, which disadvantages all in the class. Even with a panel or cold-call system, however, instructors need to remain attentive to classroom dynamics.
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Be attentive to the level of intellectual engagement, respect, and reciprocity that is being shown in your classroom. The Working Group offered concrete advice for ensuring that your classroom is one in which ideas are freely and vigorously exchanged by all.
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Consider also the Working Group’s recommendations for creating an inclusive classroom environment for transgender and gender nonconforming students. Most obviously, you should learn students’ correct names and pronouns. You should also adopt a gender-neutral approach when calling on students in class or writing to them; use students’ first names or first and last names instead of using the honorifics Mr. and Ms. If you are keen to stick with formal address in calling on students, consider a gender-neutral approach such as “Judge Alstott” or “Attorney NeJaime.”
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Finally, you should consult the Working Group’s recommendations regarding classroom accommodation and modifications, including the testimonials offered by members of ThinkDifferent and the model policies on laptop usage compiled by the Working Group. Even though the Working Group did not make an official recommendation regarding laptop policies and recognized that many teaching faculty have utilized laptop bans to reduce distraction and increase engagement, some faculty are now rethinking their policies in light of what they have learned from ThinkDifferent. Accessibility of course materials also deserves special mention – if you are relying on legacy materials, please work with the administration to improve their accessibility to all students.
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To assure that all students have available the full range of such opportunities and that our deep pool of research-assistant talent is well deployed, all student research opportunities should be advertised to all our students except first-termers, and faculty should give all applicants careful consideration., Research assistant positions may be posted through an online hiring platform that faculty and their administrative assistant are strongly encouraged to utilize.
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