C3. Ask for any other information that the instructor should know at the start of the semester with a Get-To-Know-The-Student Google Form or Index Card.
Students want to be seen as an individual beyond simply being a student in your class, and they want to see you as a “real person,” too. Inviting students to share information about themselves communicates that you are someone who is willing to recognize individual differences and varying needs among students. It can motivate students to work hard in your class and opens up lines of communications for when issues arise. This information can also help instructors plan for gaps in student content knowledge or experience and anticipate student concerns with assessments.
Examples & Strategies
Create value about the survey. Send your survey out with an email in which you introduce yourself before classes begin to set a welcoming tone. Consider making this an assignment worth a few points to communicate that you value their time and responses. Share aggregate information with the whole class as a way for the class to get to know each other.
Choose questions that help you adapt your teaching to the different levels of background knowledge and experiences of your learners. To avoid making assumptions about student knowledge coming into the course, invite students to share their level of comfort or familiarity with certain fundamental topics (rather than asking what prerequisite courses they’ve taken). Consider directly assessing their knowledge of course topics with content questions.
Include information and questions that help you get to know each other as people, not just as professor and learners. For example, if you are an avid reader of science fiction, you might share that and invite them to share their favorite texts, e.g., a favorite book, story, zine, YouTube channel, or podcast.
Include one open-ended question to capture what information students feel is critical that you might not have asked about directly: “Is there anything else you’d like to share with me so that I can better support your success in this class?”
A somewhat longer survey is only necessary to do once at the beginning of the term, but it is good practice to build in “points of connection” activities throughout the semester. Your first survey should take no more than 10 minutes for a student to complete. “Points of connection” activities, or icebreakers, are brief activities that allow students to connect with you and others either as a whole class or in small groups (e.g., a series of “would you rather...?” questions; sharing a story of their name, making a class playlist of favorite songs that plays before class, solving a divergent thinking puzzle in small groups, etc.).
Considerations
Make sure personal questions or points of connection activities allow students to choose how personal they want to get, if at all. For example, “What has been the hardest obstacle you’ve overcome?” forces students to share on a deeply personal level, while asking “What was the most memorable event of your first year?” allows students to choose how personal, or vulnerable, they want to get with you and/or their peers. Always state why and what you’ll do with their responses each time you invite students to share personal information, whether in survey or activity form.
Resources
Garrett, J. and Clement, M. (2018). First day of class activity: The interest Inventory. Higher Ed Teaching Strategies from Magna Publications.
How do I Keep My Students Engaged in Large Courses? Center for Teaching and Learning.
How do I Support Students with Compassion and Empathy? Center for Teaching and Learning.
Kuusinen, C. and LaCross, L. (January, 2021). 24 Virtual Icebreakers to Enhance Remote Learning and Working. LinkedIn.