Includes articles, podcasts, and related content for the beginning of new semesters.
The first day of class can be a source of excitement and anxiety for students and instructors. Read more about First Day of Class Checklist
Whether or not you are new to teaching in a higher education setting or an experienced university educator, beginning teaching in a new university setting presents unique challenges. Read more about Preparing to Teach a UNT Course for the First Time
This section of the Handbook provides resources for preparing to teach a class at UNT.
An understanding of UNT Teaching Policies is a crucial element to teaching effectiveness and succ
The University of North Texas, like most research universities, relies on a range of teaching per
Building community online is a lot like relationship building in any other context. There needs to be a sense of trust, some mutual sharing, and healthy boundaries for interaction. Read more about Setting Expectations for Online Students
Because of the nature of the online course, communication becomes especially important, and a clearly outlined communication plan can help improve student attitudes, as well as demonstrate thoughtful preparation. Read more about Managing Your Online Course Through Communication
Usually during the first-class meeting of a face-to-face class, the instructor will go over the syllabus and course policies and expectations with students. It is equally important to do this in an online course where the lack of face-to-face interaction can create uncertainty. In this in-depth article, we overview how to design and orient students to your online course at the beginning of the semester. Read more about Orienting Students to Your Online Course
Clear and consistent organization will allow you and your students to focus more on learning the actual content of your course, not only from the beginning of the semester but throughout the remainder of the course. The beginning information in a course along with the course syllabus are both areas where you can answer initial questions up front, prevent some questions from needing to be asked, and/or prevent other problems from coming up. There is no fool-proof perfect way to put a course together – but there are a lot of things that you can do that will make it easier for everyone involved and make it more enjoyable. Read more about Organizing Your Online Course
In a face-to-face course, instructors often spend part of the first-class meeting going over the syllabus and class policies with students. Creating a designated Start Here area in your online course is like this. This is a place where you can include the most important information that students need to know to get off to a good start in your course. A Start Here area also allows you to emphasize things that are important for this course or expectations that you have for how students will interact with the content, each other, and you. Read more about Designing a Start Here Section for Your Online Course
