You are browsing the archive for first day of class Archives - GeoEd Trek.
January 13, 2023
Starting online courses with one-on-one student meetings
What happens when you meet one-on-one in Zoom with each student enrolled in your online, asynchronous course during the first week of the semester? (1) Depending upon the size of the class, you are exhausted(!) and unable to schedule other/additional meetings. (2) You learn just how much meeting their online professor means to students.
August 17, 2022
Giving students a survey on the first day? Think about what you are asking, and why
First-day survey responses can yield stepping stones to conversations and modifications with regards to our students and our courses. As instructors, we need to be mindful and thoughtful about the questions we ask, how we ask these questions, and what (if anything) we will do with those responses.
December 28, 2021
Getting students to create a course purpose statement
Having students write a course purpose statement at the beginning of a semester provides them an opportunity to articulate why they selected to study this content, what their overall learning goals are, and what they aim to accomplish in this course.
August 25, 2019
What it means to students when you can pronounce their names – and when you can’t
I don’t think we can over-emphasize the importance of learning student names and the correct pronunciation of their names in our courses. Our introductory-level geoscience classrooms are especially important for recruiting new majors and producing Earth science-literate citizens. If we don’t have a class identity as a supportive and inclusive community for learning and working together, what impact can and will that have for our departments, the discipline, and society as a whole?
August 27, 2017
Breaking the ice with truths and a lie
Bring the party to the first day of class with this party game to break the ice with and between students
August 15, 2017
Five items for Fall Semester 2017
Here are five topics on the minds of faculty as we gear up for the start of the Fall 2017 semester. What direction will you go with these issues?
August 17, 2016
The first day of class – what will you do?
There is no right or wrong way to conduct your first class meeting of the semester – but are you using your time wisely? Explore these ideas for how to kick off the first day and every class day in the academic year.
January 7, 2015
Ideas for the first day of class
Are you ready for the first day of classes? What is your approach to the first day, and how will you get your students engaged in your course? Here are some resources to get you thinking of ways to kick off your semester…
Laura Guertin is a Distinguished Professor of Earth Sciences at Penn State Brandywine in Media, PA. Her research focuses on how technology can enhance teaching and student learning in introductory-level geoscience courses for non-science majors. Her blog focuses on geoscience education/outreach, science communication, and technology tools in the classroom, online, and in the field.