Prepping for the First Day of Class
We can probably all agree that we’d rather have students leave our first class meeting thinking, “This class is going to be great!” rather than yawning. First impressions matter, and research shows the experience of first day of class can even influence student motivation (Wilson & Wilson, 2007).
Tips from UVM faculty
Over the years our colleagues have shared these ideas with us about how they’ve approached the first class meeting of the semester.
Arrive early and be organized
This is the most frequent recommendation from seasoned faculty: Come to class prepared and familiar with the room technology. You can schedule an advance visit to the classroom with Classroom Technology Services so they can show you how to use the technology.
On the first day, be there early to greet students as they arrive. Let students know they’re in the right place by displaying a slide as they walk in (or write this on the board) with the course name and section number as well as your name and how you’d like to be addressed. If you have graduate teaching assistants, include their names, too, and be sure to introduce them at the beginning of class.
Convey enthusiasm
Another professor states that it’s crucial to communicate excitement about what you teach. Even if you’re not teaching your dream course, you should be able to muster enthusiasm for it. Foundational or introductory-level courses are exciting when you consider that you may spark an interest that has a formative effect on someone’s life. Genuine enthusiasm can be infectious.
Show the 10,000 foot view
Another recommendation is to contemplate your schedule again before the first class, and identify the overarching course themes. On the first day, share this 10,000-foot view with your students and talk about how the key themes are woven throughout the schedule. This overview provides not only a conceptual map of the course, but a rationale for the work you are going to be asking them to do and how it all fits into the larger picture.
“Flip” the syllabus review
A few faculty create a syllabus “scavenger-hunt” quiz as the first, graded homework assignment. This eliminates the (sometimes tedious) first-day syllabus review, freeing up class time for more engaging activities.
Learn names
There are some fun ice breakers that help everyone to learn each other’s names, such as these from CUNY [PDF].
Another method for instructors is to pass out index cards and ask students to write the following on them.
- Their name as it appears on the registrar’s records
- Their preferred alternate name and pronouns
- A few of their interests and/or why they’re taking your class
Collect the cards, then print out their small photos from the registrar’s website, and tape each person’s picture to their card. Review the cards for a few minutes before each class until you know all your students.
This anecdote from a professor emeritus describes a feat that may be impossible for most of us: Before the first day of class, he memorized students’ names and faces from the registrar’s page, and some of his classes had 100+ students. Then when students were filing into the room on the first day, he stood by the door greeting them by name. He claimed that the shocked expression on the students’ faces was priceless!
Invite connections
Another faculty member asks each student to come to her office individually just to say hello and chat for a few minutes sometime during the first two weeks of the semester. This helps students feel she’s approachable and breaks the ice for future office hours. For large classes where this is unfeasible, she invites only the first-years and seniors to come by, the two groups she feels would most benefit from this, albeit for different reasons.
Get students talking to each other
One faculty member recommends the turn-and-talk method for any class, but particularly on the first day when anxiety may be running a little high. She asks an evocative question related to the course topic and invites students to turn to their neighbors and talk about it. After a few minutes, she invites volunteers to share their thoughts with the whole group. Not only does the lively buzz change the atmosphere in the room, doing this on the first day lets students know that the class is participatory and that they are going to be challenged to think.
Further Reading:
Chronicle of Higher Education article by James Lang:
“Advice Guide: How to Teach a Good First Day of Class”