With the first day of classes just around the corner, the Center for Teaching staff would like to offer you these seven ideas to help you create an engaging and robust learning environment from day one of class.
The first day is crucial for establishing a positive course climate, outlining academic expectations in a learning-centered way, and actively engaging learners from the start - setting the tone for the whole term ahead. With that in mind, we offer you the following tips to help you get your classes started this semester.
The learning environment creates the first impression
Whether you are teaching in a physical classroom space or a virtual classroom, consider how you can use the learning environment to create a welcoming climate and give students cues about how you would like them to engage with the course. How would you like your students to feel or think about the course when they first encounter you in whatever modality you are teaching in? You can craft the learning environment on the first day by doing things like playing music as students arrive, or organizing seating (to whatever extent furniture is movable) to support your goals for engagement and ensure that the screen you will be using is visible, using microphones to make sure everyone can hear, or posting a welcome message on ICON. We recommend greeting students at the door or as they enter the Zoom room, as it can have similar effects to learning individual names (Sandstrom, 2023).
Introduce yourself
Consider sharing something about your research interests, professional experience, or training as it relates to the course or discipline (Nilson, 2007). This is also a good opportunity to let students know how they should address you (many instructors prefer formal forms of address, at least at first) and to provide guidance about the pronunciation of your name (you can also add name pronunciation in MyUI). To nurture a sense of belonging, consider sharing your story, social identities, and positionality. For instance, an instructor might share that they are first-gen (first in their family to attend college) and encourage any student who feels uncertain about how college works to reach out to them.
Introduce the goals of the course and give students a chance to set their own goals
You can increase student motivation by taking time to explain your goals and objectives for the class and why they are important. Are there any aspects of your teaching philosophy that would help to convey your methodologies or your enthusiasm for the course? The Four Questions assignment or other activities that ask students to articulate what they want to get out of the course can also help to motivate students. Some instructors ask students to write goals for themselves and then return them to the students later in the semester for reflection (Lang, 2019).
Get to know your students and their needs and interests
Getting to know your students will help you to understand the many kinds of experiences, needs, and interests that your students bring to your class. Consider asking students to respond to a brief survey to learn more about them and their circumstances this semester (see samples). This could be done either in class or as homework. University-supported options for sending surveys are ICON and Qualtrics. Some instructors of both face-to-face and online courses find it useful to set up a discussion board on ICON for students to introduce themselves to you and to their classmates (see some examples for inspiration). Students can use photos or video if they like.
Facilitating discussions about student interests and needs on the first day of class can benefit both instructors and students. Instructors can use this feedback to make informed decisions about course content and teaching methods that leverage students’ intrinsic motivations. One effective strategy is to lead a discussion focused on core values. For example, a write-pair-share activity could ask students to reflect on their personal values (e.g., community, sustainability, or justice) and how those values connect to learning. Students could then discuss in pairs how their values might relate to the course material and their overall college experience. Consider adapting motivational interventions to your course context.
Engage with the course content on the first day
You can help students develop intrinsic motivation to engage in the course by highlighting an interesting aspect of the content on the first day rather than only marching through course policies. Getting students thinking about the central inquiries or questions of the course or discipline on the first day by asking students to describe their preconceived ideas about the field or profession (e.g., share three words to describe a mathematician), discussing a provocative question or idea in the field such as the birthday paradox (Bennett 2004), or by facilitating an icebreaker activity (even people averse to icebreakers might like this one!) that is focused on a specific aspect of the course. You can return to these conversations at the end of the course to make students’ progress visible.
Set expectations around engagement and participation
The first days and weeks of class are an excellent time to have an explicit conversation with your students about expectations for engagement, participation, communication, and collegiality (Lang, 2019). Consider setting expectations about how students should communicate with you and your TAs as instructors and about how they should interact with one another as colleagues and peers in the classroom. Many instructors dedicate time during the first class session to establish community guidelines for classroom interaction. Establishing community guidelines early on in the course can help create an open and inclusive space in the classroom, and they can be a useful tool throughout the semester for fostering student engagement and navigating conflicts and tough conversations.
Introduce the course syllabus in a meaningful and engaging way
If you want students to regularly contribute during class, you should ask them to actively participate on the first day to set expectations and model appropriate engagement. Some instructors design group activities around reading the syllabus and posing questions about course policies and class content (examples are the syllabus icebreaker and the syllabus scavenger hunt). To brainstorm some engaging activities that could help leverage your syllabus, please review our resource: Introducing your syllabus to your students.
Citations
Bennett, K. (2004). How to start teaching a tough course: dry organization versus excitement on the first day of class. College Teaching, 52(3), 106.
Lang, J. (2019). How to Teach a Good First Day of Class. The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Nilson, L. (2007). Teaching at its best: A research-based resource for college instructors. (3rd ed.). Jossey-Bass.
Sandstrom G. M. (2023). Even minimal student-instructor interactions may increase enjoyment in the classroom: Preliminary evidence that greeting your students may have benefits even if you can't remember their names. PloS one, 18(8), e0288166. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0288166