When I was faced with student-to-teacher harassment as a graduate assistant teacher, I realized, perhaps too late, that the university at which I taught had no plan for dealing with problematic student behavior towards teachers. While student conduct was governed by a student code of conduct, this document did not include student/teacher interactions. For the sake of students and teachers alike, departments and universities must design discipline plans that outline steps to be taken toward the resolution of these conflicts.

This sample Disruptive Behavior Policy is a general policy that covers both traditional and computer-mediated instruction. For courses that are taught exclusively on-line, policies can be tailored to address issues such as flaming and netiquette. Whenever possible, these policies should detail with specific problematic behavior, but it is impossible for us to have the foresight to cover all possible conflicts. Thus, general plans for action give teachers concrete strategies to work though any problems they may encounter.