Working Group Facilitators: JT Torres (Washington & Lee), Kitty Maynard (Richmond), Kylie Korsnack (Richmond), Ryan Cales (Richmond), Lucas Morel (Washington & Lee), Adam Scales (Washington & Lee), Helen MacDermott (Washington & Lee) and Brandon Bucy (Washington & Lee)
Description: Research suggests that early semester first impressions can shape students’ perceptions of instructional quality as well as their engagement in a course (Samudra et al., 2016). These effects are especially pronounced during the first two weeks of a term (Buchert et al., 2008). This two-campus working group developed concrete, evidence-based, time-efficient methods for building classroom community, particularly in the crucial first two weeks of the semester, to create the conditions for effective and meaningful civil discourse. In so doing, this project addressed two of the 2025 Co-Lab’s thematic focus areas: Fostering constructive dialogue and civil discourse, and advancing our understanding of inclusive and innovative pedagogies. The resulting resource guide serves as an asset to ACS faculty and Teaching & Learning Center directors as they work to support student engagement and constructive dialogue.