First Day of Class - Do’s and Don’ts
Do:
meet your class on time and bring your class list with you.
take attendance; find out who is there but not on your class list and why.
give each student a syllabus and explain its contents.
give students opportunities to ask questions about the syllabus. (Don’t assume freshmen know what a syllabus is.)
get some information about your students from your students.
This is an ideal time to try a diagnostic quiz or get information about their previous experiences in relevant courses. It may also be helpful to you later on if you have students answer some simple questions on index cards. You can consider getting the following information: Name, phone number, e-mail address; class standing; major; other courses in the discipline of the current course; expectations from the course; anticipated problems with meeting of all requirements. (I have also asked students to tell me the last five books they read, how many hours a week they plan to study, whether they have jobs or family obligations, why they are taking the course, how they will know if the course has met their needs and other questions that point to awareness of student responsibilities.)
Don’t:
neglect the real reason you’re in class.
Even if taking attendance and explaining the syllabus take a good deal of class time, make sure that you begin to set out the course content. There can be some turnover in the population of any class during the Drop/Add period, but most of the students who are attending on the first day will be there throughout. If you set the tone initially as one of seriousness and enthusiasm about the subject matter, your class will get the message that their individual comings and goings are not the primary point of the class, but that learning is.
be too affected by your students’ "attitudes."
If they have an apparent lack of exuberance, it is not something you should take personally. After all, they’re dealing with culture shock as much as you are (Where did the summer go? When did I get so much older? Why isn’t there ever any parking close by? Why did I wear these tight shoes? etc.).
be intimidated by your overall responsibilities.
Yes, you do have to teach, research and perform service as well as have a life (someday, maybe) but on the first day of classes, all
you have to do is teach.
try to solve all your problems at once.
The Center for Teaching Excellence will be hosting events to deal with the problems that plague you. Plans include small workshops and discussions on typical case-based problems as well as larger programs on some of the broader issues such as teaching through discussion and collaboration; syllabus troubleshooting, analysis of classroom style; instructional technology; your role in student research; evaluation of students; peer evaluation; teaching portfolios; curriculum development, and career-long teaching strategies. Call 962-3034 for information.