First Week of Class Interview Activity

This activity allows students and the instructor to take turns interviewing one another to help create an active, comfortable classroom. After participating in this activity, students showed significant increases in comfort in approaching the instructor and participating in class (Foster and Hermann, 2011).

Activity time

45 to 60 minutes

Materials

Click the button to make your own copy of the handout in Google Docs.

Handout

Instructions

Introduction

Explain that this activity is intended to allow you, the instructor, to communicate important aspects of the course to students and to give students the opportunity to share their goals and concerns in an open, supportive environment. Provide the handout as a paper or digital document. Explain that the activity will consist of two rounds of small group discussion followed by a whole group interview.

Round 1 – Instructor Interviews Students

1. Have students form small groups of 5 or 6 and spend about 15 minutes discussing several course-related issues in Round 1 of the handout. Have each group select a representative to share the group’s thoughts during the instructor interview.
2. Interview the representatives in the presence of the entire class for 15-20 minutes. You may also allow other class members to respond if additional input is needed.
3. Demonstrate active listening by taking notes (on a whiteboard or notebook) and asking clarifying questions. Strike a balance between responding immediately to student concerns during the interview and simply listening and taking notes.

Round 2 – Students Interview Instructor

1. Have each group select a new representative to interview you on the group’s behalf. Inform students they are free to ask any question as long as it relates to the course in some way.
2. Give each group 5–10 minutes to decide on several questions they would like to ask you using the information in Round 2 of the handout and from the previous instructor interview.
3. Have the group representatives take turns asking you questions for about 15 minutes.
4. Make an effort to answer the questions thoughtfully and sincerely and promise to return to issues or questions you either do not have an answer to or are unprepared to discuss.
5. Use student questions to raise important course issues that may not have been addressed up to this point, like the challenging aspects of the course or the ways students can get assistance.