Why CRANE has a Code of Conduct
In order to create a psychologically safe learning environment for people from all backgrounds, we require both our educators and students to abide by our Code of Conduct. We take these guidelines seriously and require students to sign an agreement stating they will follow it before starting the course. We institute a training based on the Code of Conduct for educators (instructors and TAs) before they are allowed to interact with our students. Violations of the Code of Conduct should be reported to CRANE leadership.
Code of Conduct
1. Banish the hierarchy!
Since our students have all had different paths to where they currently are in their education, we want to discourage folks from comparing their career stages. To ensure this, students and TAs do not identify themselves by their current career level. This means we don't need other students to know what year you are in school or what degrees you have/don't have. Nobody is above anybody else!
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2. Mistakes are good and encouraged
Learning is a process of failing upward, and that means that you are going to make lots of mistakes! We encourage students to experiment and try new things until they break their code- then go back and try to figure out what happened. Curiosity is what keeps us learning, and we want to encourage our students to be curious and creative without fear or shame. So please make lots of mistakes!
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3. No question is “obvious” or “trivial”
We have all had that educator who ha​s skipped explaining something because it is "obvious" or "trivial" to them- and we felt embarrassed because we didn't find it obvious at all. That language stays out of our class because we do not believe that condescending students helps them learn. So keep those words to a minimum, because what some people find easy others may not!
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4. Communicate with compassion and respect
Remember that every person in this course comes from a unique background. So to encourage smooth collaboration, we should all be as respectful and caring toward our educators and other students as possible. Try to view others with good intentions and give everyone a chance.
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5. Acknowledge harm and make change in behavior to ensure a respectful learning environment: “Oops and Ouch”
Sometimes a participant might say something that is hurtful for another participant. We encourage the hurt person to speak up about what was hurtful ("ouch") and for the person who said the hurtful thing to acknowledge the mistake ("oops"), even if it was completely unintentional, and apologize.
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6. Provide encouragement and support to each other. Learning is hard and we need a community to make progress
Students will be working collaboratively throughout our program, so please feel free to make friends and establish a community! The more people hold each other up and cheer each other on, the more fun the experience becomes for all. We want all of you to succeed.
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7. Critically examine your own biases and be respectful of differing viewpoints and lived experiences
Everyone involved is coming in with a different set of life experiences and thus a different set of biases. Try to examine your own potential discomforts and prejudices before coming into our space, and be as open as possible to interacting with people who are very different from you.
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