Preparing Your Introduction

Your introduction may be the most important part of your first interaction with students. It helps introduce yourself (of course), but it also serves many other functions, such as:

Making a great first impression
Establishing norms and expectations
Breaking down some instructor-student barriers
Reducing your nerves when interacting with your new students
Alleviating students’ worries and concerns
Setting the tone of the class and introducing your teaching style
Helping to create a sense of community within your learning environment

There are many things you can include in your introduction. Some are more formal or about the course, but you may also want to include some informal topics so students get to know you more as a person. In the table below, we have compiled a short list of things you could consider including in your introduction. Which ones would you include in your introduction? Are there other components missing? Check out the complementary activities where we left space in the table for you to add your own ideas.

Once you’ve reviewed the provided ideas and brainstormed your own, highlight the components you plan to include in your introduction.

What to Include in Your Introduction

About the Course	About You
Goals for the semester Expectations for your students (more details in the next section) What your students can expect of you (more details in the next section) Social norms for the classroom	Your Name Your Pronouns* Teaching philosophy or teaching style Your education and background (e.g., What experiences do you bring to the course? What interests you about the topic of the course?) A fun fact about yourself so your students get to know you as a person

*If you’re comfortable, sharing your pronouns is one way to help establish an inclusive learning environment and model for your students that you cannot and should not assume someone’s pronouns. If you are curious, you can read more in this University of Waterloo resource.

In your introduction, it’s usually a good idea to include a discussion about the norms and expectations for your seminar, tutorial, or lab. It is even better if you explicitly record this and share a copy with the students so it can be referred to later. We have again compiled a short list to get you started, but check out the complementary activities to brainstorm more.

Setting Expectations

Expectations for Students	What Students Can Expect From You
The structure of the course - what will you and the students be doing when you meet? Policy for late assignments, extensions, attendance, grades, etc. Expectations for student-student and student-instructor interactions Online etiquette (e.g., for CourseLink discussion boards or online video/chat platforms) Co-create a classroom contract	How/when students can ask questions (e.g., do you have office hours?) Set boundaries for yourself as a TA (e.g., when will you respond to emails?) How fast can students expect to receive their grades? How and when can students ask you for a re-grade? (e.g., do they have to ask in writing? Do they have to wait a day or two after receiving feedback?)

Sample Introductions

If you would like to see how this may all come together, here are a few sample introductions to get you started. Two are examples of pre-recorded videos that were shared online with students, and one is a screenshot of a CourseLink announcement. These sample introductions could also have been delivered ‘live’ in front of students (in person or online).