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There are many perspectives about how faculty should start the first day of class. One of the traditional approaches was to provide an intense amount of content and homework. This was a method used by professors to intimidate low performing or uninspired students to withdraw from the course. I have tried multiple approaches with varying levels of success. Things changed once I started interweaving research with practice. I find effective planning, learner success strategies, and interaction provide a solid foundation for high levels of achievement.
Planning
Some faculty plans consist of a few Post-It notes with a list of topics. Other faculty refuse to plan and use the “wing-it” approach. My favorite professors always ensured that everything you needed to succeed in the course was presented on day one. This entails a high-level outline of the course followed by dates and times for every topic, assignment, project, test, and exam. The goal is to ensure that on day one, every learner can walk through the course until they reach the final exam.
Learner Success
The traditional education system is based on an adversarial model involving teacher vs. student. Educators who have been indoctrinated by the adversarial model often use this approach in their practice. This antiquated method to learning does nothing for student success and inevitably leaves educators feeling frustrated and burnt out. On day one, I remind learners I am committed to helping them succeed. A course outline is a learning contract. It provides a binding agreement between you, the learner, the program, and the institution. A central part of learner success is ensuring students know the roadmap they need to excel in the class.
Interaction
Many faculty start day one with a deep dive into the course material. This approach leads to long rapid-fire lectures that leave learners uninspired. We know there is a significant amount of content to cover, but effective planning puts this excuse to rest. My day one includes time for building an interactive learning community. If you read Bandura, you know the importance of social interaction to learning. Providing students with a chance to interact and share something interesting about themselves is the first stage to collaborative learning.
Once I built these features into my practice, I notice learners shifted their mindset and attained higher levels of engagement. Making theses change required some time upfront, but once it was refined, I replicated it in other courses. Let’s see what you can achieve with a new day one!