8 Essential Tips for Engaged and Happy Students

Because of Canvas, your students will usually access the syllabus before they even come to class. Don't give them reason to drop the class before they even meet you!

The syllabus is the student's first introduction to you. Make sure that it is:

• exciting.
• well-organized and easy-to-read.
• accessible.
• beautiful, free of errors, well-spaced, with easily readable flow, font and font-size.

Also, you may wish to reconsider your course calendar from the student perspective. Make sure that the course calendar:

• is not overwhelming.
• gives students something to look forward to.
• is understandable and informative.
• effectively tells students what to expect.

Long gone are the days when the first day of class is a dull lecture on the syllabus. Instead, it is your first chance to set the tone by:

• making sure that your students know they are the reason for the class, they are the most valuable people in the room.
• connecting with students by greeting each one individually, acknowledging emotions, answering their questions about you.
• selling students on you, your background, your expertise, that you value them.
• selling your students on what they will get out of your class.
• identifying ways that students will be able to have fun, like how they will be creative or play games.

You know how  frustrating it is when a student drops your class before you get to the really interesting stuff? Well, put the interesting stuff first, at least one thing, even if you have to modify it a lot. Students sometimes drop a class within the first few classes because its not interesting to them or it doesn't help them, so bring something that they can really use to the first lecture.

Also, make sure the students get to connect with each other and you during the first class.

You probably know this one. Keep students moving and thinking actively in ways that promote critical thinking skills and connection with each other. A short selection of many ways to do it:

• debate or dialogue
• class and group projects
• website design
• zoom presentations
• poll everywhere, kahoots, and similar
• video projects and reports
• role play

Be intentional about helping students form connections between each other.

• Have students do well-organized group projects even if you are meeting by zoom.
• Try brief daily team activities where you rotate partners so students all get to know each other.
• Build to larger projects, debates/dialogues.

The bonds between you and your students are essential for encouraging them and retaining them in your class, even when the class is hard. Here are some suggestions:

• Plan how you will form your bonds.
• Know your students' preferred names and call them by those names.
• Try to understand and read students by:
  • how they respond on tests, quizzes, assignments
  • how they interact with others
  • how they typically behave in class, and how that changes over time
  • their body language
• If students are going through a hard time, encourage them with kind and supportive words.
• Validate your students! Try seeing their inner strengths and and telling them what you see. Do you have a strong leader? Someone you see a glimmer of their future successful self? Do you see a student that doesn't get much positive feedback and is discouraged? Imagine the impact you could have by privately saying "I see you and I see that you can succeed in this!"

Other ideas for how to show that you highly value each student are here.

Midterm is a great time for reflection with your  students for the purpose of improving the classroom environment and explaining parts of the class that students might have questions about during the current semester. Unlike SCEs, midterm feedback is not shared with administration, so you can gather it in whatever creative way works for you. For example, maybe ask students to design a t-shirt with a class logo, or reflect on a favorite (or muddiest) part of the semester. Much of the time, the information you receive will help you better talk about why the class works the way it does. Other midterm feedback ideas, and ways to interpret the results, are here.

Many of our students have grown up in the age of cell phones and are used to working on them. Build opportunities into the class where students can access their cell phone, like using Poll Everywhere or a Kahoot. Utilize the tools on zoom, teach them how to submit video reports, find opportunities for them to use their laptops in class. For those new to college, these little moments of familiarity can help increase comfort in an often uncomfortable space.

For other innovative ideas for using technology in class, see Teaching Remotely and by Mixed Modality.