Meeting the Class for the first time
Clearly communicate goals
We teach in a Module program also so I know that every minute of class is important. I always introduce myself and give some background of my 20 years of experience in the filed. I hope it allows the students to see that by learning from my and my colleagues, they can have longevity in their career too. I let them introduce themselves and then we go and meet the upper classmen so they feel like they belong.
I think its very important to tell about yourself and to let the students tell about themselves on the first day of class.
Meeting the class for the first time is probably the most stressful part of the course for me. I always start with a short news video related to the course I am teaching. We have 5 week mods and students talk amongst each other. This causes some student to have an opinion of me before they even meet me. If it is a negative opinion that sometimes makes the first day harder. I have been pretty successful in turning around negative opinions by keeping my students engaged in the material covered in the course.
