DAY ONE: Getting Started

According to Banner, 71 faculty are teaching evening classes in the spring of 2010. In other words, over a thousand students have chosen to take a weekly or bi-weekly class that meets for much more than the usual 50 or 75-minute class period. For some courses, this is a blessing, because it gives you time to do extended simulations, labs, and other time-consuming activities that enhance learning. It also minimizes travel to campus and gives the students access to an education after day-time responsibilities. However, it also creates a different set of challenges for both you and your students.

Our 15 Ideas in 15 Days theme this semester will provide you with ideas and insights into meeting these challenges and fostering the best learning environment possible in your evening or other extended time classes. Some of these ideas have been pulled from the literature and some from the experiences of other BHC evening instructors who have shared their tips with me! Please note that at the bottom of each “idea” is a Comments link. Just click it to add your own thoughts, experiences, questions. The blog will give you several choices for signing your post. Please select one that will add your name, or type your name into the post itself.

Let’s talk in this first idea about how you can utilize some valuable time on the first night of class to get to know your evening students better. Evening classes often contain more adult learners who have a wider variety of life experiences; knowing some of them can help you:

• identify what kinds of review of prerequisite knowledge is needed prior to introducing new content
  
• make intentional decisions about how to group the students for in-class activities or group projects
  
• invite their contributions in class discussions based on their relevant work or life experiences
  
• target the course to their collective career aspirations or personal interests.
  
• identify which students are new to college and might need additional support in the early weeks of the semester

You can have the students fill out a 4x6 note card or a survey in answer to your questions, interview each other and then introduce the other to the class or to a small group in the class, or make up a skit with 2 or 3 others about something they have in common. The point is, these kinds of activities show your interest in getting to know them, set the tone for active participation and sharing, and give you valuable information. Here are a few suggestions for the kinds of information you will want to find out, one way or another:

1. Name, nickname, contact information
   
2. Job or personal experiences relevant to the course
   
3. Current work; future career aspiration
   
4. Student status: what major? What degree are they pursuing, if any? Full-time/part-time? Other course work completed at BHC or elsewhere that they think might help them in this class? Class status (freshman?)
   
5. Learning style inventory (e.g., VARK)
   
6. Knowledge survey (like a prerequisite knowledge quiz, only instead of answers, the students indicate whether each content area is new to them, they have heard of it but don’t’ know much about it, can explain it in general to someone else, or could probably teach a short lesson on it). Email me if you’d like to see an example of one (bakerm@bhc.edu).

Now what kinds of other ideas or types of questions have you implemented on the first night of class to help your students get acquainted with you and each other? Click the Comments link below.