Engaging Students on the First Day:
Creating a Positive Learning Environment
Debra Dunlap Runshe
Webinar Objectives
By the end of this webinar, participants will:
 articulate reasons why the first day of class is
important.
 discover ways to build community and positive
relationships in your class.
 recognize important components to
incorporate into the syllabus.
 identify strategies for creating a successful first
day of class and beyond.
The First Day …
“The first day of class sets the tone for the rest of
the term. It is natural for both students and
instructor to feel anticipation, excitement,
anxiety, and uncertainty.”
(Davis, 2009)
Before the First Day
Visit the classroom prior to the first day.
Know the answers to these questions:
 Where are the lights?
 Do I know how to use the equipment?
 What should I do in case of an emergency?
 Are there enough seats for the number of
students registered?
General Guidelines
 First impressions are important
 Build a sense of community
 Clarify expectations
 Set the tone
 Be productive
First Impressions
 Be early, mingle
 Dress the part
 Introduce yourself
Students with positive first-day experiences
report higher levels of motivation and
achieve higher grades than students with
negative first-day experiences.
(Wilson & Wilson, 2007)
What do you want them to know
about you?
Introduce Yourself Effectively
 What characteristics do you want to convey
about yourself?
 What will you need to say to convey those
characteristics?
 What do you think students are trying to figure
out about you?
Introduce Yourself Effectively
Introduction by Interview
 Introduce yourself and tell how long you have
taught and what course(s) you will teach this
fall.
 After your brief introduction, the floor will be
open for two “interview” questions.
Learn Your Students’ Names
Strategies to accomplish this:
 Name plates
 Seating chart, student choice
 Office hours “interviews”
Pictures
Building Community
Find someone who___???
Building Community
“30 Second” Introductions
1. Name, major, etc.
2. Two of these:




Home state
High school you graduated from
Pet(s)
First, middle, last, only child
3. One of these in one sentence:
 What you want to do when you graduate
 Your favorite vacation destination
Building Community
Circle in the Circle
 Form two concentric circles
 Line up facing one person in the other circle
 After the prompt, discuss each question
 After discussion the inner circle will be directed to
take one step to the right
Building Community
What strategies do you use to
build community?
Course Expectations
 Discuss the objectives of the course.
 Ask students to list the goals they hope to
achieve by taking the course.
 Describe how you propose to spend class time.
 Give your students advice about how to
succeed in your course.
(Davis, 2009)
Course Expectations
 Give a brief diagnostic pretest or survey.
 Ask students to work through a problem.
 Give an assignment for the next session.
 Ask students to write their reactions to the first
day.
(Davis, 2009)
Do you go over the syllabus the
first day?
Learning About the Syllabus
Role of the Syllabus
 Contract between students and faculty.
 Opportunity for faculty to convey expectations
of students.
 “Road map” for the course (Nilson, 1998).
 Occasion to disclose your teaching values,
enthusiasm for the subject, and research
interests.
Essential Elements of a Syllabus
 Instructor contact





information
Course description from
university catalog and
prerequisites
Course information
Required materials
Course policies
Course goals and
objectives
 Content outline
 Grading standards and
criteria
 Statement regarding
accommodations for
students with disabilities
 Disclaimer such as “The
above schedule and
procedures are subject to
change.”
Who are your students?
Learner Characteristics
Cognitive
• Aptitude
• Reading level
• Language development
• Learning styles
• Computer Literacy
• Prerequisite skills &
knowledge
Physiological
• Age
• General Health
• Sensory perception (visual,
auditory, tactile)
Psychosocial
• Interests
• Motivation
• Attitude toward subject
• Academic self concept
• Peer relationships
• Beliefs
• Cooperation/competition
• Socioeconomic
background
• Racial/ethnic background
• Working status
(Smith & Ragan, 2005)
Implications for Instruction







Pace
Relevance
Attention
Content of practice items
and examples
Number and difficulty of
practice items and
examples
Amount/kind of structure
Selection of instructional
media








Grouping of students
Level of performance
Reading level of
instructional materials
Vocabulary and
terminology used
Amount of time allowed
Type of feedback
Level of learner control
Response mode (written,
oral)
(Smith & Ragan, 2005)
Students’ Prior Knowledge
Understanding Learning Styles
 provides a conceptual rationale for selecting
appropriate teaching methods
 encourages students to develop alternative
learning strategies
 helps explain differences in student
performance
 increases student motivation
Felder-Silverman Model
Students learn about their learning preferences
and strategies that will assist them in being
successful. Their preferences fall on a continuum
between:
• active or reflective,
• sensing or intuitive,
• visual or verbal, and
• sequential or global.
(Felder & Silverman, 1988)
http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/Learning_Styles.html
Deciding Upon Essential Elements
Objectives
What should my students know?
What should they be able to do?
What type of activities can help students
achieve the learning outcomes?
How will I know that they have
achieved the outcomes?
Activities
Assessments
Importance of Goals and Objectives




shifts emphasis from what the faculty member
“covers” to what the student does
communicates a logical instructional structure
allows instructors to determine which teaching
strategies and materials are effective
facilitates fairness in testing and grading
(Diamond, 2008)
Importance of Goals and Objectives





encourages student self-evaluation
facilitates efficient student learning
decreases student anxiety
helps ensure equity between course sections
improves communication among faculty and
support staff
(Diamond, 2008)
Teaching Goals Inventory (TGI)
The TGI is a tool for identifying and clarifying
teaching goals. It was:
 developed by Thomas Angelo and Patricia
Cross as part of the Classroom Research
Project,
 funded by Ford and Pew grants, and
 shaped by nearly 5,000 college faculty who
participated in the initial survey.
(Angelo & Cross, 1993)
Purpose of the TGI
 identify essential course goals
 clarify teaching priorities
 gauge the fit between your teaching priorities
and your primary teaching role
 compare individual priorities with priorities of
faculty at other institutions
 provide a process for linking formative
assessments to goals
(Angelo & Cross, 1993)
TGI Clusters
 higher order thinking skills
 basic academic success skills
 discipline-specific knowledge and skills
 liberal arts and academic values
 work and career preparation
 personal development
(Angelo & Cross, 1993)
TGI Findings and Implications
 highest scoring clusters were higher order
thinking skills and discipline-specific knowledge
 faculty teaching priorities and roles are related
more to their academic discipline than to any
other factor
 slight difference between teaching goals of
instructors at different types of institutions
(e.g., community colleges, four year public and
private, etc.)
(Angelo & Cross, 1993)
Online Teaching Goals Inventory
http://fm.iowa.uiowa.edu/fmi/xsl/tgi/data_entry.xsl?-db=tgi_data&-lay=Layout01&-view
Other Elements of a Syllabus
 Conceptual structure of





course
Statement providing
estimate of student work
load
Supplementary materials
Grading rubric(s)
Glossary of terms used in
course
Bibliography
 Campus resources
 List of co-curricular
activities relevant to your
course
 Space for names and
telephone numbers of
two or three classmates
 Statement on your beliefs
about teaching and
learning and instructional
methods you will use
What’s your instructional style?
What’s your style? context?
Style
 Mini lectures
 Discussion
 Small group
 Other?
Context
 Web-enhanced
 Hybrid (blended)
 Fully online
Identifying Effective Strategies
Seven Principles for Good Practice in
Undergraduate Education
1. Encourages student-faculty contact
2. Develops reciprocity and cooperation among
students
3. Uses active learning techniques
4. Gives prompt feedback
5. Emphasizes time on task
6. Communicates high expectations
7. Respects diverse talents and ways of learning
(Chickering & Gamson, 1987)
Why use active learning?
Research suggests active learning strategies:
 more frequently engage students.
 lead to increased student achievement.
 enhance students’ metacognitive skills.
Retention of Information
After 24 hours, what percent of information is
retained by students in a lecture environment?
a. 5%
b. 10%
c. 20%
d. 40%
e. 50%
(Sousa, 2001)
Retention after 24 hours
(Sousa, 2001)
Acquiring Learning Activities
Search for Existing
Learning Activities
Create Your Own Learning
Activities
 Pro: lots of resources
 Pro: flexibility to
from which to
choose
 Con: might not be
exactly what you
want
create exactly what
you want
 Con: learning curve
to the applications
may be high, and
potentially costly
Create Your Own For Free
Hot Potatoes
 FIB, Quiz, Crossword
puzzle, Sentence
jumble, Matching
activities
 Pro: Free!
 Con: Each activity must
be created individually
http://hotpot.uvic.ca/
Create Your Own For Free
Flash Card Machine
 Students can create flash
cards to help study for
exams.
 Teachers can create flash
cards for students.
 Pro: Free, and easily
accessible online.
 Con: Flash cards are the
only activity
http://www.flashcardmachine.com
Searching for Learning Activities
Web sites to start your search:
 MERLOT www.merlot.org
 Wisconsin Online http://wisc-online.com/
 RLO-CETL - The CETL for Reusable Learning
Objects
http://www.rlo-cetl.ac.uk/joomla/index.php
 Learning About Learning Objects
http://www.learning-objects.net/
 More!
Additional Elements of a Syllabus
For a course that utilizes the online environment
 Computer software
 Computer hardware (e.g., computer system,
camera, microphone)
 Internet connection
 Additional contact information
 Student support services
 Content resources, links
 Navigation in the site
Additional Elements of a Syllabus
Tools and Technology
 Content presentations (text, screen casts,
audio presentations)
 Posted resources
 Discussion forums
 Online chats
 Blogs and Wikis
 Assignment tools and gradebook
 Video conferencing meetings
What element(s) might you add
to your syllabus?
Set the Tone for the Class
 Collect information from the students about
issues related to course content
 Have students generate hypothesis about a
typical problem in your course
 Make explicit connections
 Establish a culture of feedback
Set the Tone for the Class
 Directed reading-thinking activity
 Connect course content to current events
 Preview “coming attractions”
 Stimulate their interest
 Facilitate a challenging task
Ending the First Day of Class
 Bring closure to earlier activities
 Make an assignment
 Give time for reflection
What might you do differently on
the first day of class this
semester?
Thank you for your participation!
Debra Dunlap Runshe
Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis
Center for Teaching and Learning
755 West Michigan Street, UL 1125
Indianapolis, IN 46202
Phone: 317-278-0589
Email: drunshe@iupui.edu
Resources
Angelo, T. A., & Cross, K. P. (1993). Classroom assessment techniques:
A handbook for college teachers. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Bain, K. (2004). What the best college teachers do. Cambridge, MA:
Harvard University Press.
Bianco-Mathis, V. & Chalofsky N. (1996). The adjunct faculty
handbook. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Clement, M. C. (2010). First time in the college classroom: A guide for
teaching assistants, instructors, and new professors at all colleges
and universities. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Education.
Davis, B. G. (2009). Tools for teaching (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA:
Jossey-Bass.
Diamond, R. M. (2008). Designing & Assessing Courses & Curricula: A
Practical Guide. 3rd ed., San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Resources
Felder, R.M. & Silverman, L.K. (1988). Learning and teaching styles in
engineering education. Engr. Education, 78(7), 674-681.
Filene, P. G. (2005). The joy of teaching: A practical guide for new
college instructors. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina
Press.
Fink, L. D. (2003). Creating significant learning experiences: An
integrated approach to designing college courses. San Francisco,
CA: Jossey-Bass.
Gabriel, K. F. (2008). Teaching unprepared students: Strategies for
promoting success and retention in higher education. Sterling, VA:
Stylus.
Jones, Thomas B. (2006). The missing professor: An academic
mystery. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing, LLC.
Resources
Nilson, L. B. (2010). Teaching at its best: A research-based resource
for college instructors. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Smith, P. L. and Ragan, T. J. (2005). Instructional Design. 3rd Edition
Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Sousa, D. A. (2001). How the brain learns: A classroom teacher's
guide (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Svinicki, M. & McKeachie, W. J. (2011). McKeachie's teaching tips:
Strategies, research, and theory for college and university
teachers. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
Wilson, J. H. & Wilson, S. B. (2007). “The first day of class affects
student motivation: An experimental study.” Teaching psychology.
34(4), 226-230.