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I have taught in college, so here are some of my thoughts for what they're worth. When I first arrived on campus to take up my new position, I found a fancy name plate attached to my office door. I immediently took it down and scrawed the name "Bill, the Cat" (of The comic strip Boom County) in its place. My students were welcome to call me by my first name and did so.
My best college classes were the ones where the professor let the class know what s/he expected them to accomplish and set out the goals of the course on the first meeting. I hated the classes that were unrealisticlly difficult. I was in one organic chemistry course where the professor flunked 70% of the class because we couldn't perform up to his unrealistic standards. Conversely, I hated classes where the prof didn't believe in grades and gave everybody an "A," even those who flunked every exam. When I taught, I tried to make the class an inter-active one, where students were encouraged to give input and ask questions. There was no such thing as a stupid question, and I told my classes this at the start. I always admired when a professor admitted to having been wrong about something. If a student caught me out on some point, I would admit this. My honesty seemed to get me more respect rather than less. I encouraged my students to come see me during office hours if they were having a tough time, and I tried to let them know that I had complete faith in their ability to do good work. However, if they continued to flunk exams or not turn in papers, I would give them a low or failing grade. It was a wonderful experience, and I think I learned far more from my students than they ever did from me. Good luck and have a blast next fall!
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