Establishing Norms of Behavior in Physics Courses

The practice of establishing explicit norms of behavior is becoming more common in college and university physics courses. Norms can support the active participation of students who might otherwise not participate, and serve as a foundation for an equitable, inclusive learning environment. In the Department of Physics and Astronomy at WWU, faculty and staff have been implementing a variety of approaches to engaging students in collaborative development of class norms. This work has been spurred in part by a recent, college-wide, NSF-supported project to advance student centered teaching practices (“Change at the Core”). This poster will describe norms, outline the potential benefits of explicitly establishing norms, and share some approaches to establishing norms in physics courses.