Be present. Don’t use your laptop or phone in class unless the professor says it’s OK. The special thing about ITP/IMA are the live people.
Support each other emotionally to stretch and fail. Success is going from one failure to another with enthusiasm (Churchill?).
Be brave in giving feedback and in receiving feedback.
Participate. Come to class with questions. Talk in class. If you can’t talk in class find a way to contribute on blogs or in small groups.
Don’t monopolize conversations, and elicit input from everyone. Give people time to speak, English is not most people’s first language.
In collaborations try specializing away from your strengths. Try to teach other people how to do stuff rather than do it for them.
Don’t try to win arguments. ITP/IMA is pluralistic. We can still move forward with many conflicting points of view unresolved.
The world is very big, don’t be shocked if people haven’t heard of your most famous, obvious, important references. Bravely ask “what is that” even if you think you are the only one who doesn’t know.
If you use someone else’s writing, images, or code, give them credit. It’s only fair, it’s what you’d want, and failing to give credit is a serious problem. You will get more credit by giving it rather than taking it.
Experimentation is naturally messy so try not to let other people’s foolishness, noise and mess bother you too much.
Clean up after yourself. And more. Your mess is invisible to you. Document stuff don’t store it.
Start by assuming good faith, the person who you are mad at probably meant well.