Constructing A Community-Centered Learning Environment: University Instructors\u27 Reflections About The First Day Of Class

A significant relationship exists between university students\u27 perception of the first day of class and their end-of-term satisfaction with the course and the professor (Wilson & Wilson, 2007). Because the first day of class presents an opportunity for faculty members to begin constructing the classroom culture for the remainder of the semester, it is critical to explore the many ways that professors begin to create rapport and build trust with their students during their first class meeting. This study examined how faculty members in a traditional face-to-face undergraduate classroom construct the first day of class to promote the behaviors of rapport, trust, and empathy. Faculty members were first observed in the classroom during their first class meeting, followed by an interview designed to help professors reflect upon their perceptions about how they plan and review the effectiveness of their first day of class. Professors discussed and demonstrated several strategies that help them create an environment that encourages promotive interaction (Johnson & Johnson, 2005) and community-centered learning (Calkins & Seidler, 2011). To create a community-centered learning environment from the first day forward, it is important that educators establish norms that facilitate positive peer interaction on the first day of class that carry throughout the semester