You don't need TΦ101 to tell you that the beginning of any event sets the tone for much of what is to come, and that certainly is true of your first class session.  Here we have some general principles and specific exercises you may want to try out on your first day of class.

 

Setting the stage.   You want to arrive early and be intentional about the tone of the classroom from the very beginning.  For example, if you want your class to be warm and informal, you should be relaxed and friendly, greeting students as they come in and engaging in some conversation if the opportunity arises.  You also need to think about what signal you want to send by the clothes you choose to wear. It's worth thinking about what you want students to call you ahead of time, as there is a good chance they will ask about that (Dr. X, Professor X, your first name, etc.).

 

Objectives for the first class.  You have a lot to accomplish in this short period, so use the time carefully.  Here are some possible goals for the first class (this is adapted from Erickson, Peters, Strommer 79).

 

1. Introduce yourself, distribute materials, and tell the students something about the course.

2. Learn something about the students.  This might include having them fill out some sort of information card with something about themselves and contact information (including cell phone numbers).  In a small seminar class, you might ask permission to distribute some contact information at a later point to other members of the class, suggesting that anyone who is uncomfortable with this should contact you privately.

3. Help students meet and connect with at least some of the other students in the class. This could be via an icebreaker activity or a simple instruction like "introduce yourself to the students sitting around you".

4. Create a format where students will be talking during the first class. 

5. Have students discuss a philosophical question or issue in the first class.  This could be as simple as "how would you define philosophy" or "give your own example of a philosophical question". Questions like these generate a surprising amount of discussion. 

6. Don't spend a lot of time on the syllabus. Students should understand the syllabus and course requirements but it's probably not a great use of time to read the entire syllabus to them.  One possibility is to hold off discussion of the syllabus until a later day, and ask students to do a brief assignment about the syllabus.

7. Try to do some philosophy on the first day. Ask a philosophical question, introduce a topic, or mine students stereotypes and expectations around philosophy. It's useful to hear what they think the class will be about, as you can then confirm or disabuse their expectations. Here is a handout I use on my first day of introduction to philosophy. Having students introduce themselves and going over this handout takes up the majority of a 75 minute class session. Students do not consider this handout all at once. For example, class starts with students taking a few minutes to write an answer to item (A). Then we discuss those answers and move on to subsequent items. 

8. Do not dismiss students early on the first day of class. This sends the wrong message. Teach them something--they are paying to be there and it will start the course off on the right foot. 

 

Other resources. There is a lot of advice out there about how to conduct a first day of class. See for example​ James M. Lang's comprehensive guide at the Chronicle for Higher Education called "How to Teach a Good First Day of Class". I also recommend What the Best College Teachers Do by Ken Bain. 

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Your institutions center for teaching likely has advice as well. DePaul University provides a fairly extensive catalog of ideas and activities for the first day here, include tips for online courses, like creating a video in which you introduce yourself.

 

Author: John Immerwahr
Update: 11/6/2025--David Sackris