The First Day
The first day of any new role can be intimidating and nerve-wracking. Each GA/TAs first day might look different depending on the course they have been assigned to. This chapter outlines some tips to ensure your first day gets off to a good start.
Preparing for the First Day
- Visit the teaching space (e.g., classroom or laboratory) before your first day. This helps to avoid getting lost and being late. Knowing where you are going will also give you more confidence.
- Familiarize yourself with the course materials (e.g., syllabus, your role, class list, room number, office hours, etc.) as well as any tools and technology you may need for your role (e.g., Brightspace, classroom computers, USBs, software, etc.).
- If you have time, meet with the GA/TAs who were assigned to this course in previous years to gather ideas.
On the First Day
Introduce yourself
Share with students your name and how best to contact you. This can be facilitated by attending the first scheduled class. Creating an information sheet or introductory slide about yourself with a couple of fun facts is a great way to introduce yourself to students. Remember to share your email, along with where and when your office hours will take place if these are part of your role. Remind students about any policies for contacting you, as needed (e.g., hours when you check email).
Get to know the students
If you are facilitating a laboratory session, tutorial, or teaching on the first day, it is important to provide a space to get to know the students and allow students to get to know one another. Icebreakers can help build rapport, create a relaxed environment, and encourage student participation. When selecting icebreakers, consider what you hope to achieve with the icebreaker. For example, have students say their name, why they took the course or program, and one fun fact about themselves. Remember to try your best to learn every student’s name. Asking students to use nametags at the beginning of the semester is a great way to match names with faces.
Introduce the course
It is important that students get a clear idea of what the course, laboratory, or tutorial will be about, any expectations of them, and why their attendance and engagement is important. Why is this course helpful in their educational journey? What will this course teach them? How does the tutorial compliment class time? This is a good time to go over the course/laboratory/tutorial expectations and to set standards with the students. Reviewing the course outline, important policies such as plagiarism and attendance are also key things that should be talked about on the first day. You may also want to review classroom etiquette, norms, and/or expectations.
Plan an activity
During the first day it can be helpful to plan an activity for the class to complete that relates to the course content. One way to promote engagement while also gaining valuable information is to have an activity that gauges where students are at and what they already know about the material. For example, you can create a Kahoot! game that will give students something fun to do, while also giving you concrete information about how many students understand certain concepts. Fun activities will help get students excited and ready to engage with your course content for the rest of the semester. Tips for creating an engaging class, lab, or tutorial, can be found through this interactive workshop recording.
Communication with Students
Often your GA/TA role will include interacting with students in some way. Whether you’re communicating over email or during office, consider the following practice:
- Always hold office hours with the doors open to ensure the safety of yourself and the students.
- Hold office hours during normal business hours of the University so that there are other individuals around.
- Only use your UWindsor email for communication with students. It is important that no personal contact information is given out to the students while you are in a GA/TA role.
- Set appropriate limits for answering emails and communicate this to your students and the instructor. For example, only responding to student emails between 9am-5pm to give yourself healthy boundaries. You do not need to be on call 24/7.
- If a student email becomes overwhelming, you can opt to welcome them to your office hours to discuss the matter. If you cannot handle the matter on your own, you should ask the course instructor for assistance.