10. The Thin Line Between Civility and Incivility: Fostering Reflection and Self-Awareness to Create a Civil Learning Community

Abstract

Incivility is a critical, but under-examined aspect of teaching and learning. It has important implications for the academic success of students and the university as a whole. Bullying research offers a unique lens through which this type of anti-social behaviour can be understood with a view of developing intervention strategies. The exercises outlined in this paper will help professors gain valuable information about their students’ understanding of the continuum between civility and incivility. The potential results from this reflective exercise can be an exciting example of the benefits of classroom engagement, where the knowledge gained from participating students is reinvested into their classrooms, thus contributing to their own creation of a civil learning community.