Getting Ready for Your First Day of Class
Contributed by Jean Otsuki
(2 minute read)
Unsure how to prepare for your summer term course? Teaching a remote or hybrid course introduces new considerations about what technology you’ll use to engage students, how you’ll help students to get to know each other, etc. Check out the CTL’s checklists to find out what you can do to prepare for your LfA class before the start of the semester and to set up your classroom on the first day.
Then, there’s a lot you can do in the first class to get the semester off to a strong start. This list by Carnegie Mellon University’s Eberly Center outlines eight objectives for the first day (and suggestions for achieving them), including how to introduce yourself effectively, spark your students’ interest in the course, and start fostering a sense of community.
Finally, as James Lang, an English professor and Director of the Center for Teaching Excellence at Assumption University, also reminds us, you don’t need to wait until the second class to engage your students in learning! Incorporating activities that you plan to do regularly throughout the semester is a great way to set the tone for the weeks to come. So if you’re teaching a writing course, get students writing. If group work is an important component of the class, get students working in groups. Above all, get them excited about the course!
Good luck!