Many instructors don't really understand how important the learning environment really is to their students'success. They just assume that the class will unfold by itself and everything will be fine. Keeping in mind that many of our students are returning to school for the first time in many years and are very nervous about their chances for success. In addition, with the time delay from when they were last in school and the present their academic skills may have become rusty so they are very concerned about such items as notetaking, test taking, and report writing. A friendly supportive learning environment just as you have outlined will do much to relieve many of those concerns. The environment is not only physical but mental as well. Instructors have to work hard so the students will "feel" comfortable in the classroom and "feel" that they have many options available for course success. Classroom management is a must for instructors as you have mentioned and there are many different ways that they can maintain control. The simple fact is that if the instructor doesn't maintain control the students will. We all know that it is a hole lot easier to be the one in control, but I cannot tell you how many times I have seen the students running the class to the frustration of everyone. These types of classes require some quick interventions to regain control or those types of instructors are going to be gone very shortly. In most cases this is sad because they have experiences and content that needs to be shared they just can't manage the learning environment.