At the beginning of the semester, it can be difficult to learn students’ names, pronouns, experiences, and needs. Getting to know your students at the start of the semester isn’t just a nice gesture—it can transform the classroom experience. Research shows that students who feel seen and understood are more likely to engage, succeed, and feel comfortable taking risks in class. Simply knowing and using students’ names and pronouns and ensuring that office hours or deadlines are flexible to accommodate their schedules can foster a more inclusive and supportive classroom environment.

First Step: Ask Students Relevant Questions

Some information you may want to ask students to share with you includes:

What name and pronouns do you use (if you use pronouns)? How do you pronounce your name?
What is your major and minor?
What is your schedule like this semester?
What experiences do you have with the subject?
What are you hoping to learn?
Do you have any needs that you’d like to share with me? (e.g. A DRC letter is on the way. Hands-on activities make learning easier. You’d like more information about the tutoring services available. Office hours conflict with your schedule and you’d like to arrange another time to meet.)
Are there any challenges or commitments outside of class (e.g., work, family, other responsibilities) that we should keep in mind to help you succeed in this course?

Next Step: Establishing Connections

Incorporating both informal, low-stakes activities—like fun icebreakers—and more formal, reflective activities—like pre-course surveys or introductory emails—can give students multiple avenues to share personal information. Here are a few ways to provide students opportunities to share information about themselves:

Getting to Know You Activity

In small groups or with the entire class, students introduce themselves, choosing what information they are comfortable sharing, and then answer a general, fun question. Questions like “What are you looking forward to this semester?” or “What gets you up in the morning?” are examples of how you can learn about students as individuals and get them comfortable talking in low stakes ways.

Z-ID Sign-In Sheets

Students can fill in premade sign-in sheets that only include Z-IDs. On the sheet, students can share their name, pronunciation, and pronouns. This allows you to easily associate names and identities with Z-IDs and you can avoid accidentally using incorrect names.

One-on-one Conferences

Students meet with you one-on-one for conferences, so you can get to know them better. This is a great opportunity to ask for clarification on things like name pronunciation and take some notes to ensure you remember the details students share.

Introduction Emails

Students write an email to you introducing themselves. This ensures that students have your email in their Outlook suggested contacts, making it easier to contact you in the future. It also gives you a quick way to find information about your students when you need to email them later. Students get a chance to practice sending emails to include important information—like subjects to indicate which of your classes they belong to—and learn to personalize email signatures with the name and pronouns they would like you to use. This can be an activity that happens during class time and is a good way to encourage students to privately ask questions about the class or syllabus during the first week of class.

Dear Instructor Letter

Students write a letter to you answering relevant questions about themselves and their experiences with the class subject, skills they will need for the class, or education, in general. This letter can be submitted through Blackboard as a low-stakes or no-stakes activity in the first week of class.

Pre-course Survey

Students answer questions about themselves in a survey. This gives you an opportunity to collect important data about the overall class—like how many students have conflicts during your office hours—as well as information about students’ needs as learners. To encourage students to complete the survey, you might give time during class for them to complete it or include it as an assignment on Blackboard.

Share about You

When you ask students to share information about themselves with you, it should follow you sharing information about yourself. Identify what you want to be called, your pronouns, field of study, educational background, and any other personal information that gives them insight into you as an individual, not just an authority in the classroom. Sharing personal information can make students feel vulnerable, so building rapport and creating connections with students by sharing information about yourself can really impact their level of comfort.

Build in Continual Connections

Getting to know your students is not just a one-time activity; it should be a continual process that helps shape your teaching philosophy and approach throughout the semester. Use this information to adapt your lessons, create supportive relationships, and foster an environment where students feel valued and empowered.

Start the semester strong: Strategies for getting to know your students (and why it matters)