At our campus we have several first week activities - we have a club rush week, the student council will prepare food (this raises money for the council and also acts as a mixer), and we have 'concierge' around campus in order to answer questions and guide lost students.
James--
This sounds great! I especially like your plainly teling them that you enjoy what you do. That is important for them to hear and see.
Susan
on the first day of class I have students say their name, where they are from, and what they expect from our institution, and what their career goals are.following that I give them my experience, time in the field, and my teaching credentials.I then let them know I am here for them, for what ever,and I also explain to them that I enjoy what I do.I also state to them I am very concerned about their future and I am here to help them achieve their goals with alot of help from them.
Darryl--
I like your idea of adding the 'club day'. This showcases opportunities for students to get involved.
Susan
We have reps call any student who does not show up for class.
We have organized club rush to give students access to the various clubs and organizations.
We have created a student mentor program with faculity
One of the things I like is the "meet and greet" format of meeting all faculty and staff and also the current students. A welcoming reception with food for new students and faculty would "break the ice" and really let the students get comfortable in their surroundings. School clubs or student government would also be good exposure to students by initiating a "club" day to see what is available for students by students.
David--
This is an excellent idea!
Susan
I like to give the students a relatively easy assignment which contains material that's new and usefull to them. Most students get a feeling of accomplashment from completeing the task and they find value in the course because they have already learned something new and usefull.
We introduce the students to their mentors and give them a tour of the facilities again.
Jeff--
Sounds like a great plan. Do you have specific meet and greet activites that you have found most effective?
Susan
I like introducing them to staff they may not know, and share story's of day's to come and classes to come to get them excited about the entire school...
We have a meet and greet with our students and their assigned faculty advisor.They also get another tour of the school and the departments.
It is important to constantly give our students an inviting feeling. This will help the students to follow through in a variety of ways.
Meet and Greet activities, personal one on one time, treat each person with respect, have each student do a short introduction to the class.
We do a student advisor meet and greet session.
the students are educated about the diverse clubs and student organizations they can be a part of (Wine & Beverage Club, Pastry Club, Experimental Cuisine, Asian Food Club, Dining Out Club, Slow Food Club, etc.). There is a club for everyone.
Jim--
The 'golden rule' of treating others like we want to be treated...still applies. Good for you!
Susan
One of the best ways to treat new students is to treat them the way you would want to be treated. We all like to be treated with respect and acknowledged. It is important that you let the class know that each student is important to the class, just like a team. When doing the first roll call have each student do a short BIO and during the week reflect back with each student and how this class can help them in their career, and attaining their educational goals.
Wow, thank you Susan and Joanne. I really appreciate the apparent efficacy of your approach. I will have to include the 2 day assimilation into my best practice praxis.
John--
We did this in just one class that I took and that person and I ended up going through our entire program together...study groups and even took a 'senior' trip! Personally, I found this to be a great exercise for many reasons including the fact that you weren't talking about yourself, but introducing someone else which made it easier in general.
Susan
I like to use the interview your neighbor approach to in-class, 1st week activities. The students are assigned to another student and interview the student. After interviewing the student, the interviewer introduced the student to the class. I use this ice breaker to also demonstrate the difference between substantive and nonsubstantive research and writing.
