Their the class climate is supportive (the students feel accepted and safe, even when their ideas are being challenged), chilly (they feel they are anonymous and their ideas are irrelevant or unacceptable), or hostile (they feel marginalized because of their race, gender, or beliefs, or their perceive the instructor as an adversary rather than a source of support). Students in a supportive climate are much more likely than stdents in chilly and hostile climates to achieve the instructor's learning goals and gain self-confidence, autonomy, and a sense of personal and professional identity.