Peter Newbury Center for Teaching Development UC San Diego 12 December 2014 collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu

1. The College Classroom
Session 8: First Day of Class
December 9 and 11
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2. By the end of the first class, you want
students to have a good sense of
First Day of Class - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu2
 why the course is interesting and worthwhile
 what kind of classroom environment you want
 how the course will be conducted
 why the particular teaching methods are being used
 what the students need to do to learn the material and
succeed in the course
Also,
 you respect them
 your want all of them to succeed (CWSEI, [1])

3. By the end of the first class, you want
students to have a good sense of
First Day of Class - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu3
 why the course is interesting and worthwhile
 what kind of classroom environment you want
 how the course will be conducted
 why the particular teaching methods are being used
 what the students need to do to learn the material and
succeed in the course
Also,
 you respect them
 your want all of them to succeed (CWSEI, [1])
Is that all?
C’mon, you’ve got
50 minutes!

4. The First Day of Class[1]
First Day of Class - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu4
1. Establish motivation
1. personal relevance and interest
2. choice and control
3. sense that one can master the material
2. Personalize the learning experience
3. Establish expectations
4. Don’t go over the details

5. The First Day of Class[1]
First Day of Class - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu5
1. Establish motivation
1. personal relevance and interest
2. choice and control
3. sense that one can master the material
2. Personalize the learning experience
3. Establish expectations
4. Don’t go over the details
Wait, when do you
welcome them?
When do you tell
them your name?

6. Why is this necessary?
First Day of Class - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu6
 You want every student to leave the first class thinking,
“Thiswillbeagoodcourse,I’m okbeinghere.”
 If you don’t do it,“students who are most likely to see the
subject as worth learning are those whose backgrounds, and
corresponding attitudes, are most like that of the instructor.
Those students whose backgrounds are different, which by
definition (usually) includes most members of under-
represented groups, will be less likely to understand the
appeal of the subject and consequently more inclined to put
their efforts into pursuing some other discipline.”
(CWSEI, Motivating Learning)

7. First Day of Class - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu7

8. First Day of Class - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu8

9. First Day of Class - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu9
Recall, since you don’t have time to
do everything, perhaps start with
the items in the middle that support
all three components.

10. What’s your name?
First Day of Class - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu10
How do you want your students to address you?
A) Dr. Smith
B) Mr. / Ms. /Mrs. Smith
C) Professor Smith
D) Michael / Elizabeth (first name)
E) Mike / Beth (familiar, nickname)

11. friend students?
class twitter acct
professional /personal acct
follow students?
will you initialize google
hangouts? participate in them?
class pinterest
class flickr acct
link to students?
Social Media
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How many of these
social media channels
will you (do you) use
to connect with your
students?
other?

12. Think-Pair-Share
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What’s the difference between academic misconduct
and academic integrity?

13. Course details: don’t
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 Don’t go into details during first class; give links to
more details on
 course syllabus
 detailed schedule
 detailed learning outcomes
 academic misconduct integrity
 deadlines
 rules/policies (eg, late assignments, missed exams…)
 Could give an assignment involving reading these.

14. First class do’s and don'ts
First Day of Class - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu14

15. Do Don’t
First Day of Class - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu
Check out classroom
before the first class
 clicker hardware?
 podium computer?
 lapel mic (“lav”)?Try it.
 presentation remote
works from back of
room?
 assume you’ll be able to
figure it out at the time.
 let a technical problem
ruin your only chance
to make a first
impression.
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16. First Day of Class - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu
Start the class on time.
(establish expectations)
 arrive late (what
expectation does that
establish?)
 have “intimate”
conversation with
students in the front
rows while you wait for
others to wander in.
This doesn’t
“personalize” the class.
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Do Don’t

17. Do Don’t
First Day of Class - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu
Tell students you think they
can all succeed if they put
in the effort.
Fine to say the course is
challenging as long as you
also express it is
 interesting/worthwhile
 do-able with appropriate
effort
Say threatening things like
 telling them you expect
some to fail
 telling them that students
don’t usually like the
course
 telling tell them that
students find the course
extremely difficult
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18. Do Don’t
First Day of Class - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu
Try to give them an
authentic experience of
what the class will be like.
 If you’re going to use
peer instruction, do it
even if some don’t have
clickers yet.
 email pre-reading
assignment 2 days before
class
Use teaching practices that
are inconsistent with how
you’ll teach the rest of the
time:
 don’t use clickers if
you’re not (really) going
to use clickers
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19. Do Don’t
First Day of Class - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu
Involve students during
class
Talk the entire class time
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20. Do Don’t
First Day of Class - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu
Address academic conduct
in context throughout the
course:
 talk about plagiarism
when you give out a
writing assignment, not
now
Emphasize rules and
penalties on the first day:
 sends a message of
distrust
 they’re not listening
anyway
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21. Do Don’t
First Day of Class - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu
End class on time with a
slide containing pertinent
info:
 your name
 office hours
 contact info
 course website
 homework
 important thing
End class early
(establish expectations)
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22. Do Don’t
First Day of Class - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu
Repeat vital info at the
beginning of the 2nd class,
too
 your name
 contact info
 course website
Assume everyone was there
in the 1st class.
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23. Do Don’t
First Day of Class - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu
Reinforce all of these
messages (motivation,
personalized learning,
expectations,…)
periodically throughout the
course, at the appropriate
times.
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24. Do Don’t
First Day of Class - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu
Have a growth mindset:
You must believe all of
your students are capable
of learning your course’s
content.
If you don’t, you may
inadvertently deny your
students learning
opportunities.
Have a fixed mindset
about your students’
abilities, including
 your job is to find
5% who will be like
you
 your job is to filter
out students from
advancing to the
next course24

25. Thank-you for your
First Day of Class - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu25
 your enthusiasm for teaching and learning
 your commitment to this class
 generously sharing your expertise
I have a better understanding of teaching and learning and
I’m a better instructor because of what I learned with and
from you…

26. References
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1. CarlWieman Science Education Initiative (2009). First Day of
Class – Recommendations for Instructors.Available under Instructor
Guidance Resources at cwsei.ubc.ca
2. CarlWieman Science Education Initiative (2013). Motivating
Learning.Available under Instructor Guidance Resources at
cwsei.ubc.ca