GSB students appreciate opportunities to interact and build community and relationships with each other and faculty outside of class time. Below are ideas to help create these opportunities within the structure of a course. For any in-person activities you might include in your course, we recommend considering how to accommodate students who are not comfortable with participating in person. And of course, please keep in mind the current health and safety guidelines for on-campus activities.
Small-group interactions between students and faculty
These may include regular or occasional opportunities for small groups of students to interact with you outside of required class meetings. For example:
- Office hours in which small groups of students meet with you to clarify topics discussed in the course lectures and assignments
- “Fireside chats” on themes generated by the teaching team or suggested by students. These could be particularly useful for addressing interesting topics that emerge during class but are a “deeper dive” than core course material.
Student study or discussion groups
You can include small-group interactions of two or more students as part of your course design, or present them to students as optional. These groups can be assigned or self-formed, opt-in or required. Members of your teaching team may also decide to visit with student groups. Here are some ways students might interact in small groups:
- Provide each other support for completing course assignments
- Share peer evaluations or feedback on completed assignments or assignments in progress
- Debrief course activities such as lectures, readings, assignments, or simulations
- Dive deeper into course topics introduced by the instructor
- Reflect on their learning in the course (e.g., synthesizing what they are learning and how it is relevant to them and their career path)
Student and faculty 1:1 interactions
You may also decide to create opportunities for you and students to connect individually, since it may be harder for students to talk to you in an ad hoc way, such as before or after class or stopping by your office. These meetings may be outside, near Coupa or Arbuckle, for example. Options include:
- 10-15 minute “get-to-know-you” time slots at the beginning of the quarter
- Weekly 1:1 office hour sign-ups
