The first day of school is as informational as any other school day in the quarter. I could NEVER understand the teachers who turned in the syllabus and then told the students that they had been laid off and that they should come back ready to learn on the second day of school. That is rude, devalues ​​students’ time, and eliminates so many chances for students to learn important information related to the course.

Like all valued clients, students expect to be kept informed on key issues that could impact their success. Therefore, immediately before your first class meeting, be aware of the key facts within your department’s course enrollment environment. These facts include

• Number of spaces available in your course (and in other sections of it).
• Class sections that could have been canceled due to low enrollment or other factors,
• New class sections that could have been created due to unexpectedly high interest,
• Eliminate dates and procedures for making changes to the schedule.

As the initial class meeting nears the close, you need to make sure students are aware of this information. It is very possible that they, or their friends, have had changes in their schedules forced by several factors. Presenting the latest information may not only provide you with the opportunity to recruit a few additional students (if needed), but it also demonstrates your concern for the best interests of your currently enrolled students. Consistently demonstrating an increase in enrollment in your course sections during the add and drop period can reflect well on you to the department chair and the dean.

Reassure students about their decision

Whenever students start a new class, they generally experience a condition that psychologists call “cognitive dissonance.” This is a state of conflict that arises when trying to hold two contradictory ideas at the same time. In this state of mind, students, like those who make any major decision in life, question the wisdom of their decisions. Tuition, fees for textbooks and other materials, opportunity costs, and other factors become the focus of your evaluation. Marketers refer to cognitive dissonance as “buyer’s remorse” and spend a great deal of time and money reassuring customers that their decisions were correct. Therefore, they encourage repeat business, or what higher education calls retention.

Before ending your first class meeting, briefly review with students why your course is a good investment of their time, energy, and money. Emphasize the important and relevant content they will learn, highlight the value of their peers, and share their enthusiasm for a dynamic classroom environment. Make sure when they leave their classroom they want to come back for more. For many teachers, the first class meeting is the most critical to student retention throughout the term.

Assessment of students’ understanding of the starting position

When students conclude their first week in class, it is advisable to assess their perceptions in an anonymous and non-threatening manner. Doing so at this critical juncture helps you identify roadblocks before they can become big barriers later in the trimester, leading to withdrawals and, most of all, reducing the success that students might otherwise achieve.

Spend two minutes distributing 3 x 5 index cards where students can anonymously answer various open-ended questions, such as:

• Who was the most interesting person you met in this class?
• What do you look forward to the most in this class?
• What concerns you about your ability to be successful in this class?
• What questions do you have that have not yet been answered?
• What has surprised you the most about this class so far?

Have the students put the completed cards in a convenient place near the door when they leave. I wish you the best. You are ready and ready for the new semester, quarter or term of your course!