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Handbook for Graduate Teaching Assistants

The First Class Meeting

Your first face-to-face contact with students is critical to the success of the rest of the course. In general terms, you need to accomplish three objectives in your first class meeting:

  1. Introduce yourself to the students and the students to each other.
  2. Answer students' questions and calm their anxieties about the course.
  3. Provide a sample of the course content.

You will need the entire class period to accomplish these things, so don't dismiss class early — this is important work.



Tips for the First Day

The following tips may help you think about how to handle your first meeting with students.

Write out your plan for the first class meeting
At least make some notes of what you intend to say and do before you get in front of the group.
Write course identification information on the chalkboard
  • The course name, number, and section (as a help to students who may not be sure they are in the right classroom)
  • Your name
  • Your office location and office hours
  • Your e-mail address / office telephone number
Introduce yourself

You may want to tell the students something about your academic background or professional interests.

Gather information about students

If you want to gather information about your students, ask them to provide it on 3"x 5" cards. These cards also can help you learn students' names.

Give a course overview

Explain the structure of the course and your expectations of students. Address general student concerns about things that may affect their grades: attendance, test and quiz policies, homework, how much work the course requires, and your grading policy.

Get input from students

Ask students what they want to get out of the course; discuss how the course fits into the general curriculum; and provide an overview of the content to be covered.

Describe available resources

Discuss the texts, required readings, reserved readings in the library, or web-based readings.



Seven Questions: Starting Well

These seven questions address some common concerns of beginning teachers.

How do I begin?

With introductions — they set the tone of your course for the rest of the semester.

  • If you introduce yourself at the start of the class, repeat the introduction at the end for the benefit of late-comers.
  • As you go around the room, ask students to tell you their names, majors, city of origin, why they are taking the course and what they expect from it.
  • Locate each name on your roster and record it before moving to the next student for an introduction.
  • If your class is small enough, put students in small groups to introduce themselves to each other.
How can I learn my students' names?

There is some evidence students are more motivated by teachers who learn their names. You can begin the learning process on the first day, even if you have a poor memory for names. Here are some strategies that work for some teachers:

  • Require students to bring in photos (with names clearly inscribed).
  • Use a polaroid or digital camera to take snapshots on the first day.
  • Videotape students on the first day, having them file past the camera one at a time, giving their names and perhaps some background information.
  • Ask students to choose a permanent seat so you can make a seating chart. If you explain that the seating chart is to help you learn their names, they will not object.
How can I learn other things about my students?

The more you learn about your students, the better you can teach them; these are some methods for gathering this kind of information.

  • Distribute 3 x 5 cards and ask students to provide some basic information: full name; first name or nickname they prefer to be called; campus address and phone; home address and phone; e-mail address; major or intended major; advisor's name; special health conditions you should be aware of; why they are taking the course and what they expect to get out of it.
  • If your class is small, ask students to sign up for a time to meet with you during the first week of class. You can interview them individually to elicit information about their skills, interests and needs, and generally get to know them better.
  • Give the class a non-graded pre-test covering material they should already know and some material you intend to cover in the course. Students' performance will provide important information about how much remediation you will have to do, or how much of the course material they already know.
  • Ask students to write a non-graded essay on some aspect of the course about which you assume they know something. Their essays will provide a quick measure of their knowledge and of their writing skills.
How do I communicate my expectations of students?

First be sure of your expectations yourself. Come to class prepared with a list of points to be made, and policies to be announced; anticipate student concerns:

  • How will the final grade be determined?
  • How much weight will be given to midterm exam, paper, final exam, discussion section?
  • Is attendance required for the course? Will attendance always be recorded?
  • Have the exam formats been decided?
  • What is the required reading, the reserved reading? Are texts available now in the bookstore?
  • What are your policies on make-up exams, late papers, plagiarism, and homework?
  • Will you be using Blackboard, e-mail, or other internet tools in the course?
  • Make sure you have copies of the textbook, lab manuals, and other materials to show on the first day.
  • When students have had a chance to buy the books, require that they bring them all to class one day so you can describe the kinds of information you expect them to get from their reading.
How do I deal with registration problems?

Ask to see anyone with registration problems after class rather than taking class time to straighten them out. Become familiar with registration processes so you can help students troubleshoot registration problems. Decide ahead of time whether you want to sign Permission to Enter Closed Course forms if your section is closed.

How do I present a course overview?

Provide a brief sketch of the material to be presented in the course. Explain why you are excited by the course material or the subject generally. Such feelings can be contagious.

You also could plan for a mini-lecture or discussion on a course topic students already know something about, show a short film related to course content and have a discussion, or devise an activity through which students learn about the nature and scope of questions the course is intended to answer.

How do I motivate students?

If you want students to work to their full potential, you need to think of ways to enhance their motivation for learning, which depends on three interrelated factors:

  • Appreciation of the value of the learning experience. ("What's in it for me?" or "When and where will I ever use this stuff?")
  • Expectation of success. ("Will I be able to learn the skills in this course?" or "Will I be able to make the grade I want in this course?")
  • Belief that performance is related to rewards. ("Will this course take more time than it is worth to me?" or "How much work will I have to do to get what I want from this course?")

If you address these issues in the first class meeting, both you and your students will benefit. For example, illustrate the ways students will directly benefit from mastering the course material: how the course material will be useful for different majors, how the concepts will enhance their general education, or how the learning will help them in their future careers.

By drawing attention to your reasonable criteria and fair procedures for earning course grades, you can show students they can succeed, given a reasonable amount of work — that rewards will be meaningfully related to performance.