The first week of class sets the tone for the entire semester, and the Center for Teaching has a number of resources and ideas for engaging students from the start.   

In this month’s video from The Extraordinary Teaching Project, AmyRuth McGraw (American Sign Language and Theatre Arts) explains how she uses icebreaker exercises to inspire her students to interact as a dynamic group of learners throughout the semester.  

Structuring group-work exercises around the course syllabus can help students understand the intellectual framework of the discipline as well as the process of scholarly discourse. 

For more suggestions for the first week of the semester, check the Center for Teaching’s array of programming and support for all UI instructors.