Specify appropriate and inappropriate forms of collaboration to help students identify opportunities to collaborate.


  • Specify for students what collaborative behavior would be appropriate and inappropriate. Specific examples can be helpful for students to understand your expectations. For example:
    • some faculty permit, and even require, students work together to complete a homework assignment. While other faculty members require that students complete an assignment on their own.
    • in computer science, faculty specify whether or not students can help each other debug code.
    • some faculty require students to peer review each others’ paper drafts, highlighting the importance of giving credit where credit is due if they use another student’s idea.


  • Appropriate and inappropriate forms of collaboration can vary widely between disciplines. Ensure that students understand what types of collaborative activity they can engage in. This can also be an opportunity to encourage students to collaborate outside of class.