Though academic life is often a time of intellectual growth, inspiring mentorship, and personal development, it can also be a time when you face conflicts with professors. These conflicts can arise from various issues, such as grade disputes, misunderstandings, communication issues, etc. Conflicts are natural and almost inevitable, but the way you resolve them is what builds you as a person and also forms your college experience. The following guide will help you understand resolution strategies and the roots of conflicts with professors during your college years.
Understanding Academic Conflicts
Academic conflicts can manifest in several ways:
- Grade disputes. This is one of the most common sources of conflict. Students often may feel they deserve a higher grade than what they received and can hold grudges against their professors, which leads to academic conflicts.
- Misunderstanding regarding assignment details, deadlines, and course expectations can also be a source of academic conflict with professors.
- Personality clashes. Some of the conflicts arise due to differences in personalities or teaching styles.
- Academic integrity: Some conflict can arise from accusations of academic dishonesty, such as plagiarism or cheating, which often leads to severe consequences.
Strategies for Resolving Academic Conflicts
Here are a few things that you should pay attention to when the conflict arises and you have to take steps to resolve it.
- Open communication. Lack of clear communication is the root cause of many conflicts that can be avoided. That’s why this is the first step to resolving any conflict, especially when it comes to professors in college or other learning institutions. Both parties should be encouraged to express their concerns and perspectives in a respectful manner. Communicate with your professor and work together towards a resolution.
- Seek clarification. Conflict often arises from misunderstanding, and in this case, clarification on specific points can help clear up confusion. For example, if you are unsure about why you received a particular grade, you should ask your professor first for detailed feedback and listen to their explanation.
- Document the issues. Always keep a record of the issues and interactions with your professors, as it can be helpful, especially if the conflict escalates to the management level.
- Focus on solutions. When discussing the conflict, it’s important to focus on finding solutions rather than assigning blame. You and the second party – your professor – should work together on finding the resolution.
- Involve a third-party. If direct communication does not resolve the conflict, it might be useful to involve a third-party, a mediator, a neutral person. This can be a faculty member or any other person from your learning institution who can help facilitate the discussion and ensure that both sides are heard.
- Understand institutional policies. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the institution’s policies and procedures for handling academic disputes, conflicts, and other similar issues. These policies often provide a step-by-step process that you can use for guidance and advice.
- Reflect and learn. Both you and your professor should take the time to reflect on the situation and what has led to it. This is an important step as it might provide you with important experience for similar situations in the future.
Steps to Take
So, what should you do when you find yourself in the middle of a conflict with your professor? Take the following steps:
- Take a moment to reflect on the situation and ask yourself: What exactly is the issue, and how has it impacted you? What outcome are you seeking?
- Gather evidence like copies of assignments and exams emails, correspondence, class notes, and syllabus.
- Request a meeting. Email a professor and request a meeting while also explaining why you need one. For example, “Dear Professor Green, I hope this email finds you well. I am writing to you to request a meeting to discuss my latest assignment. I have some concerns that I believe would be best addressed in person. Would you be able to meet during your office hours? Thanks for your time. Sincerely.”
- Prepare for the meeting by writing down key points and questions and practice expressing your concerns clearly and calmly. Remember to keep your emotions down as you need to resolve the conflict but not make it even more significant.
- Seek to understand the professor’s perspective. You might not be aware of factors that influence their decisions. Thus, always listen to the professor’s position first.
- Propose solutions. Instead of focusing solely on the problem, propose potential solutions, as this will show that you are proactive and willing to work towards a solution.
- Know your rights and resources. Use them when needed to take the situation to another level.
The Importance of Maintaining Professional Relationships
Professional relationships between professors and students are vital for several reasons:
- Academic success. Positive relationships with professors can significantly affect your academic success and performance. When the relationship with professors is good and when you have a connection to them and their teaching style, you get more motivation to study and get better results. Professors can also provide mentorship guidance and opportunities that many students need a lot.
- Professional development. Professors often serve as references for job internships and future career opportunities. That’s why maintaining good professional relationships with them is important for students’ future careers. Positive relationships can lead to valuable recommendations, networking opportunities, and job offers.
- Healthy learning environment. The academic environment should be respectful and supportive. That is the way to foster better learning. When conflicts arise, they should be managed effectively because, in this way, we can build a culture of trust and respect and promote personal growth.
- Conflict resolution skills. Navigating and resolving conflicts with professors will provide you with valuable skills and experience that can be very important to your future career and life in general. It’s better to always aim for resolution and positive outcomes instead of creating a negative experience.
Practical Scenarios and Options for Resolutions
Scenario 1: Grading dispute
A student receives a lower grade than expected and feels like the grading was unfair.
Resolution: In this case, it would be better to request a meeting with the professor and, during the meeting, calmly explain the concerns and ask for specific feedback on the paper. The professor will review the paper with the student and provide detailed explanations for the grades given. You can also discuss ways that you can improve your future assignments, and if you still feel that the grade isn’t fair after the discussion, you can follow the institution’s formal grade appeal process.
Scenario 2: Miscommunication
A professor assigned a complex project with vague instructions. A few students submit assignments that do not meet the professor’s expectations, leading to low grades.
Resolution: Students address the issue in the conversation with the professor so that they realize that the instructions given at the beginning were unclear. The best option would be for the professor to provide more detailed guidelines and offer an opportunity for students to revise and resubmit their work.
Scenario 3: Accusation of plagiarism
A professor accuses a student of plagiarism on a research paper while the student insists that they properly completed the work.
Resolution: Review the paper together with your professor, identifying the sections in question. It might become clear that you misunderstood proper citation techniques, which made the professor doubt the uniqueness of the paper. Or there might be some other issues that resulted in such a conclusion. The professor will allow you to rewrite the paper, and you will learn a valuable lesson about academic integrity without facing severe consequences.