Making a First Impression: Exploring What Instructors Do and Say on the First Day of Introductory STEM Courses

Lane, A. Kelly; Meaders, Clara L.; Shu-man, Jiang; Stetzer, MacKenzie R.; Vinson, Erin; Couch, Brian A.; Smith, Michelle K.; Stains, Marilyne

doi:10.1187/cbe.20-05-0098

Cited by 21 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…Collectively, these faculty taught 11 introductory and upper-level in-person courses across seven STEM disciplines as defined by the National Science Foundation (biology, chemistry, forestry, economics, mathematics, statistics, physics) during the spring 2020 semester, before universities in the USA were closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Four of the 11 instructors had been observed in previous years for a separate study focused on instructional practices used during the first day of class (Lane et al, 2021 ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We first coded for class period structure. Previous work has found that differences in class period structure are primarily driven by how much time instructors spend either on STEM content or policies and basic information (Lane et al, 2021 ). We coded every second of a class period for the three mutually exclusive categories: STEM content, course logistics (i.e., instructional strategies, instructional technologies, and policies and basic information), and all other first day topics (e.g., goals and relevance of the course) (Additional file 1 : Appendix S1).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Positively phrased non-content Instructor Talk is language that is framed to promote classroom environments, goals, or student learning (Harrison et al, 2019 ; Seidel et al, 2015 ). This framework has been previously used to establish a coding process for documenting Instructor Talk on the first day of class (Lane et al, 2021 ). Because the precise start/stop points for non-content Instructor Talk are more difficult to identify when compared to class period structure, we used 1 min intervals similar to a segmented observation protocol such as COPUS (Smith et al, 2013 ), and each minute was coded for the presence/absence of each code (Additional file 1 : Appendix S2).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, studies of the first day of class in psychology courses have revealed that non-content activities, such as reciprocal interviews where an instructor interviews students about their goals and expectations for the course and then uses these responses to set expectations for the students, and having a positive first day of class can impact student perceptions of their instructors, course satisfaction, and motivation (Hermann & Foster, 2008 ; Hermann et al, 2010 ; Wilson & Wilson, 2007 ). As such, there are many recommendations about how to approach the first day (e.g., creating connections and motivating students; Anderson et al, 2011 ) and varying ways that science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) instructors structure and emphasize messaging (Lane et al, 2021 ). However, despite the availability of recommendations about effective practices during the first day of class, there is a noted lack of empirical data about the relevance of this day for students (Mancini, 2017 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous work suggests that non-content Instructor Talk occurs more frequently during the first day of class compared to subsequent class periods (Seidel et al, 2015 ). Furthermore, the non-content Instructor Talk framework was adapted by Lane et al, 2021 to document the non-content information shared by 23 instructors from across STEM disciplines on the first day of class. Observations of the first day of class showed that although instructors varied in their approaches, instructors could be classified into two clusters: one cluster that dedicated higher amounts of time to STEM content on the first day and a second that spent little time on STEM content and covered more policies and basic course information.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Am I getting through? Surveying students on what messages they recall from the first day of STEM classes

et al. 2021

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Background The first day of class helps students learn about what to expect from their instructors and courses. Messaging used by instructors, which varies in content and approach on the first day, shapes classroom social dynamics and can affect subsequent learning in a course. Prior work established the non-content Instructor Talk Framework to describe the language that instructors use to create learning environments, but little is known about the extent to which students detect those messages. In this study, we paired first day classroom observation data with results from student surveys to measure how readily students in introductory STEM courses detect non-content Instructor Talk. Results To learn more about the instructor and student first day experiences, we studied 11 introductory STEM courses at two different institutions. The classroom observation data were used to characterize course structure and use of non-content Instructor Talk. The data revealed that all instructors spent time discussing their instructional practices, building instructor/student relationships, and sharing strategies for success with their students. After class, we surveyed students about the messages their instructors shared during the first day of class and determined that the majority of students from within each course detected messaging that occurred at a higher frequency. For lower frequency messaging, we identified nuances in what students detected that may help instructors as they plan their first day of class. Conclusions For instructors who dedicate the first day of class to establishing positive learning environments, these findings provide support that students are detecting the messages. Additionally, this study highlights the importance of instructors prioritizing the messages they deem most important and giving them adequate attention to more effectively reach students. Setting a positive classroom environment on the first day may lead to long-term impacts on student motivation and course retention. These outcomes are relevant for all students, but in particular for students in introductory STEM courses which are often critical prerequisites for being in a major.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Am I getting through? Surveying students on what messages they recall from the first day of STEM classes

et al. 2021

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Frequency, topic, and preferences: Tracking student engagement with several modalities of student–instructor contact in a first‐year course

et al. 2021

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Meaningful student–instructor interactions during an undergraduate degree course can have important effects on student learning. The format by which those interactions are made possible can vary greatly. We investigated the preferred modality of contact and students’ reasons for contact across several modalities in a first‐year biology course. We tracked student–instructor contact for two‐course instructors who team teach collaboratively (rather than sequentially) across two‐course sections. Both instructors had identical scores on student evaluations of approachability. Student–instructor contact was facilitated using five ‘student hour’ modalities: (a) in office by appointment, (b) 1 h per week, in office drop in, (c) 1 h per week, virtual chat, (d) by email, (e) 10 min immediately after class. Though email was the preferred method of contact, the period immediately following the class instruction was the most popular of the face‐to‐face options. We note significant differences in the distribution of workload across the two instructors and make recommendations for increasing the accessibility of student–instructor contact and for equity in workload to support student learning.

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Fostering Community and Inclusion in a Team-Based Hybrid Bioengineering Lab Course

Taylor

Hernandez

2022

Biomed Eng Education

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As cornerstones of biomedical engineering and bioengineering undergraduate programs, hands-on laboratory experiences promote key skill development and student engagement. Lab courses often involve team-based activities and close communication with instructors, allowing students to build connection and community. Necessitated by the pandemic, changes to class delivery format presented unprecedented challenges to student inclusion and engagement, especially for students from underrepresented minority backgrounds. Here, we present a multi-faceted approach for fostering inclusion and community-building in a hybrid bioengineering laboratory course. A basis for this project was an approach for team-based project work which allowed students to have hands-on experience in the lab and collaborate extensively with peers, while abiding by social distancing guidelines. Members of each student team worked together remotely and synchronously on a project. One team member executed the hands-on portion of each lab activity and the remote student(s) engaged in the project via online communication. The hybrid lab course was supplemented with interventions to further promote inclusivity and community, including instructor modeling on inclusion, team-based course content, attention to lab session logistics, and instructor communication. Students responded positively, as indicated by the median ratings in course evaluations for the four lab sections in the following categories concerning course climate (using a 5.0 scale): their overall comfort with the climate of the course (4.8 to 5.0), feeling valued and respected by lab instructor (4.8 to 5.0) and their peers (4.8 to 5.0), peers helping each other succeed in the course (4.5 to 5.0), and the degree to which the experience in the course contributed to their sense of belonging in engineering (4.2 to 5.0). When asked to describe aspects of the class that contributed to inclusivity towards differences, students cited a collaborative environment, course content on implicit bias and inclusivity, and an approachable teaching team. Overall, our approach was effective in fostering a sense of community and inclusion. We anticipate many of these initiatives can transcend instructional format to positively impact future lab course offerings, irrespective of modality. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s43683-022-00081-4.

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Making a First Impression: Exploring What Instructors Do and Say on the First Day of Introductory STEM Courses

Cited by 21 publications

References 44 publications

Am I getting through? Surveying students on what messages they recall from the first day of STEM classes

Am I getting through? Surveying students on what messages they recall from the first day of STEM classes

Frequency, topic, and preferences: Tracking student engagement with several modalities of student–instructor contact in a first‐year course

Fostering Community and Inclusion in a Team-Based Hybrid Bioengineering Lab Course

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