Strategies for the Start of the Semester

If you have not already done so, start by ensuring that you have created an inclusive syllabus. 

Before the first day of class, you can begin building community with and among your students by capitalizing on their excitement and fresh outlook on the semester. 

  • Consider sending a welcome message.  Keep it brief and friendly in tone, allowing students to get to know you. 
  • If you feel comfortable with online survey tools (such as Google Forms* or Qualtrics*) you could prepare a few “getting to know you” questions to allow students to tell you a bit about themselves and include the link to that survey in your welcome email.  (But make sure it is a voluntary activity and only for the purpose of learning about students thoughts, questions, concerns and hopes for the course.)  Research has shown that having students write a brief few sentences about what matters to them improves the performance of students by validating who they are and where they are starting from. 
  • You could open an online discussion forum (your LMS should have an option for this built in), to allow students to meet each other, ask questions, and see responses that you give to them as a group.

The first day(s) of the course are important for setting the tone and creating a good dynamic for the course.  Try to approach your first day with the goal of understanding who your students are and guiding them through the structure of your course. 

“Structure” in a course refers to the resources, information and feedback that students will have to ensure that they understand how to succeed in the course.  Do not assume that all students know how to “do” college.  Likewise, not having this type of cultural capital should not impede any student from accessing the content and demonstrating their understanding in your course.  It is well-documented that “high structure” courses, with frequent feedback opportunities of varying levels (high-stake and low-stakes) benefits all students, but is particularly helpful to first-generation and minoritized students.

STRUCTURE in a course

Respect students’ choice of personal pronoun.  You can model this, beginning with the first class meeting, by introducing your name, its pronunciation, and sharing your preferred pronouns. 

  • Ask students to write theirs on name tents.  You can also ask this information in your pre-class survey and create name tents for them to hand out on the first day of class.  We have done this and taken the opportunity to include decorations on the name tents that connect to the topic of the course.  Again, this helps to create a sense of community.
  • Ensure that students understand your goals for their learning.  This is different than a list of topics that the course will include.  This is about what you intend for your students to take with them and how the activities in the course will help to lead them there.  This is related to the idea of “backward course design” and is part of the syllabus development process.
  • Introduce the tools and teaching techniques that you will use throughout the semester so that the students can understand what to expect.
  • Create an opportunity for students to learn actively and to engage with each other, even in the first class.  For example, have them work in small groups on a syllabus “scavenger hunt” to answer questions about the course and what it will involve.
  • Bring index cards (or use a free online polling system like Vevox* or Slido*) to the first day of class and let students write any thoughts or questions that they have about the course at the end of the first day.  Then, be sure to read them and either reply to individual students, or to the group as a whole.  If you observe confusion or concern by a large number of students about a particular aspect of your course or syllabus, make a point of addressing this in person with the entire class the next time you meet.  In fact, consider if there is anything you need to change to address these concerns.  (Acting on real-time feedback from students is a way to demonstrate that you will be responsive to them and that the learning experience is shared journey between you and them.)

References :

Hogan, Kelly A. and Sathy, Viji. (2022). Inclusive Teaching: Strategies for Promoting Equity in the College Classroom. West Virginia University Press: Morgantown, WV.

Wiggins, Grant and McTighe, Jay. (2005). Understanding by Design 2e. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development: Alexandria, VA.