Leading the First Day of Class

Rationale

Developing and delivering first-day activities that build community, engage students in relevant course material, establish course expectations, and model an active learning environment positively impact students’ motivation, expectations, and grades (Bain, 2004; Lang, 2008; Nilson, 2010).

Practices

Create an outline for your class session
Practice a short welcome
Arrive early to set up any technology equipment
Ensure students have copies of your syllabus
Develop an online orientation module
Greet students as they walk into the classroom
Use an icebreaker
Allow students to pose questions anonymously
Post a Welcome Message
Post a personal introduction
Create an online introduction discussion forum
Use a reciprocal interview
Present a mini-lesson
Assign a syllabus activity
Send a First Day email before the start of your online course
Have students complete of an orientation module with a syllabus activity

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Leading the First Day of Class

Rationale

Practices

Create an outline for your class session

Practice a short welcome

Arrive early to set up any technology equipment

Ensure students have copies of your syllabus

Develop an online orientation module

Greet students as they walk into the classroom

Use an icebreaker

Allow students to pose questions anonymously

Post a Welcome Message

Post a personal introduction

Create an online introduction discussion forum

Use a reciprocal interview

Present a mini-lesson

Assign a syllabus activity

Send a First Day email before the start of your online course

Have students complete of an orientation module with a syllabus activity