Strategies for the First Day of Class

August 9, 2021

The first day of class is an opportunity to build connections with students and set the right tone for the semester. Too often, instructors focus on reading the syllabus and course policies, which can give students an underwhelming first impression of what to expect in the course.

In this workshop, participants learned research-based best practices for creating a first-day lesson plan that will excite students. The workshop included activities that faculty have used in their courses along with practical guidance on how to develop activities that work for your own course. Special attention was given to adapting activities for in-person classes in which one or more students are attending via web conferencing.

Post-Workshop Archive