Do professors teach on the first day (PROF answers)
Do professors teach on the first day of class?
Most professors, including me, do NOT teach material on the first day of class. Or at least go into a lot of depth with new material. As a former professor, I rarely taught on the first day of class BECAUSE the college allowed students to drop or add classes during the first few days of the new semester.
This meant that students who were present might drop my class, and other new students could add my class. I did not want to spend the entire lecture period going over material when some students would be gone and new ones would arrive.
So, I kept the lecture about the course and my syllabus only. I did cover basic stuff but nothing too specific. It was just a basic overview of the course material.
I did this mainly because of the likelihood that new students would arrive the next class period, and they always did.
Plus, I just didn’t have a lot of time to even get into the material. But there were a few evening classes that I taught that were several hours long. I always lectured during these LONG classes. But if the class was 75 minutes or less, I did not get into any detailed lectures the first day of class.
If you want to know how the first class day will go, you can try and look for your professor’s syllabus. A lot of colleges require their professors to publish their syllabus on a learning platform.
You can login to that learning platform (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, etc) and see if the syllabus is there BEFORE class starts. You can see what you will be going over that day.
What to say to your professor on the first day of class?
On the first day of class, if you have never met your professor, you should find some time to introduce yourself. A lot of students seem apprehensive to talk to their professor, but I think you should introduce yourself to your professor on the first class day.
I rarely had students come up to me and introduce themselves, but when they did, I always remembered them.
I would introduce yourself after class rather than before class. Before class, your professor is trying to prepare for the lecture and might be busy. I would go straight up to your professor and talk to them.
I would usually have students tell me their name, what their interests were within the subject, and thank me for teaching the class and that they were looking forward to a new semester.
You don’t need to make this too lengthy. You are just trying to stand out amongst the crowd. Who knows, it could come in handy later. Maybe you need a recommendation, or reference and they’ll remember you better.
What do professors do on the first day of class?
On the first day of class, most professors will welcome you to the course and provide you an overview of what the course will be about.
Professors will almost always go over the syllabus on the first day of class too.
The syllabus outlines all the course policies and expectations for students. They will want to cover this so that all the students know how to do well in the course.
A lot of professors will want you to get to know them too and they might introduce themselves and share a little bit about themselves to the class.
Another thing that I see a lot of professors do is have students participate in icebreakers. They might have students introduce themselves to the class or do a fun activity.
But usually the first class day is pretty relaxed. Some professor do start some serious lecturing on the first class day, but that isn’t as common.
Do professors give homework on the first day of class?
On the first class day, most professors do NOT give students homework. Remember what I said earlier, a lot of colleges allow students to drop or add classes the first few days on the semester, and if professors gave students homework on the first class day, students who weren’t enrolled would miss the assignment.
So, it just isn’t something that is frequently done often. And if it is, the homework is probably not a grade.
Do professors assign seats on the first day of class?
Rarely will professors assign seats in a college course. As a former professor for 15 years, I NEVER assigned seats in my college courses. And I never knew of any other professors who did either.
When I was in college myself, I never had assigned seating either.
I can see how some professors might assign seats if they wanted to try and remember everyone’s names will more ease. But other than that, I don’t see the point.
What questions should you ask your professor on the first day?
On the first class day, you could ask your professor about their research or professional experience in the field.
This might be helpful to you because you might be able to learn quite a bit from their professional or research experiences. Don’t be shy and speak up and ask them about themselves. They’ll likely love talking about it too.
I would NOT ask your professor questions about things that are already addressed in the syllabus.
You may also want to ask your professor about some of the best study strategies for their class. You could ask them how their past students have had success in their course. This shows great initiative.
Other than that, I can’t think of any pressing questions you should ask on the first day of class as most of your questions will be answered in the syllabus.
If you have anything else you want to discuss with your professor, I recommend talking to them during their office hours. Check out my guide to visiting your professor during their office hours here.
READ MORE : Why you should attend on the FIRST day of class to avoid getting dropped.
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