“Among the wonderful things NIU provides to students are resources to succeed in the classroom and throughout their educational journeys. We faculty play a key role in supporting student belonging, engagement and success by making sure we create learning environments that enable students to thrive from Day One.” – Interim Provost Laurie Elish-Piper
The first week of classes is a critical opportunity to engage students actively and early, thereby setting the expectation for a high level of participation throughout the semester. The connections that students form in the first week with you and their classmates can have a profound impact on their sense of belonging and ultimately their success and persistence in the course. As you develop your syllabus and plan your first week of class, keep the following principles in mind (adapted from Lang, 2021).
Curiosity – Students may or may not have any personal interest in the content of your course, but you can use the first week as an opportunity to spark curiosity by centering your course around deep questions and problems that have the power to fascinate students.
Community – During the first week of classes, students often feel alone and nervous about the upcoming semester, particularly first-year students. Taking the opportunity to humanize yourself to students and get them talking to one another will help them feel more comfortable foster a sense of belonging.
Learning – If you want students to be actively engaged in learning throughout the semester, the best approach is to actively engage them in learning from the very beginning. Instead of a lecture, design an activity based on the content of the course that might foster curiosity and community, such as a small group discussion, a reflective writing activity, or a problem-solving exercise that previews the skills and material they will learn during the course.
Expectations – Setting expectations early helps students look ahead and plan for time management. Instead of going through the entire syllabus, consider highlighting major elements only or using an engagement activity like a syllabus reconnaissance or scavenger hunt.
The Week of Engagement Toolkit includes ideas and strategies for creating a student-centered syllabus as well as activities to build engagement and excitement during the first week of class.
View the Week of Engagement Toolkit
