Strong Start Initiative
How can we ensure that students begin their GVSU career with a strong start? This initiative focuses faculty attention on best practices for engaging students in first-year and second-year undergraduate courses. If you are interested in learning more about the initiative or would like to strengthen your courses to best engage incoming students, do not hesitate to contact us.
May 2025 Strong Start Teaching Institute
Strong Start Teaching Institute
Monday, May 5th, 2025
8:30am - 5:00pm
Tuesday, May 6th, 2025
8:30am - Noon
Devos Center for Interprofessional Health 445 (DCIH)
Health Campus Grand Rapids
How can we ensure that students begin their GV career with a strong start? The Strong Start Teaching Institute focuses faculty attention on best practices for engaging students in first year undergraduate courses. Together, over two days we will explore resources and examples around four themes:
- Clarity of academic expectations.
- Fostering a sense of belonging (at GV and in our classrooms)
- Familiarity with available student resources.
- Active learning strategies that promote student engagement, motivation, and achievement.
Whether you are teaching a course for the first time or are looking to strengthen a course to beat engage students, we invite you to participate. The in-person and asynchronous components of this Institute will apply to a range of instructor experience levels and disciplines. Preference given to adjunct, affiliate and visiting faculty.
What is involved?
The institute begins with a modest amount of pre-work, including an interactive learning module and several short readings (~2hr commitment). The in-seat time will be spent in large-group discussions and small-group exercises, modeling learning activities to apply to your classrooms. Following the session, participants will have the opportunity for a follow-up individual consultation to review syllabi, course materials, and/or Blackboard sites.
Participants are eligible for a $500 stipend upon completion of the full program and another $250 for completion of the post-Institute course materials review consultation. Participants will also earn a digital badge.
Who can participate?
The Institute is intended primarily for instructors teaching courses with high first-year student enrollment. Preference will be given to non-tenure-track instructors: affiliates, visitors, adjuncts, and those new or relatively new to university teaching.
The Institute is limited to 40 participants.
How do I apply?
Register through Qualtrics by Friday, April 18th
If you have any questions, please contact the Pew FTLC at [email protected].
Are there additional opportunities to learn?
Yes. During the Summer May-July the Pew FTLC will offer a continuing workshop series building on conversations from the May Institute. In addition, during the 2025-26 academic year, the Pew FTLC will be offering semester-long Strong Start Initiative faculty learning communities.
What if I have questions?
Please do note hesitate to contact Christine Rener, Pew FTLC Director ([email protected]; 616-331-3499) or Maggie Goss, Pew FTLC Assistant Director ([email protected]; 616-331-3199).
GVSU Resources
- Tips for Teaching First Year Students at GVSU - a document prepared as part of the Strong Start Initiative
- My Laker Success - a website that was developed as part of the Student Success Network that helps students navigate their first year in college – encourage your students to bookmark this page
General Resources
- Teaching First-Year Students, a guide prepared by the Center for Teaching at Vanderbilt University
- Best Practices for Teaching First-Year Undergraduates, a PDF guidebook of best practices compiled by faculty at Carnegie Mellon University
- Suggestions for teaching first-year students, University of Wisconsin Madison
- How College Works: A thought-provoking book that identifies important aspects of the college experience vital to student success.
- The book is available as an eBook through University Libraries
- A brief interview with author Daniel F. Chambliss
- A series of videos that summarizes some of the findings from the book
- 33 Simple Strategies for Faculty: A Week-by-Week Resource for Teaching First-Year and First-Generation Students, Lisa Nunn
- The book is available as an eBook through University Libraries
- Publishers website
Additional Resources
- The Other Freshman Class, Chronicle of Higher Education, June 24, 2021
- Creating a Culture of Caring: Practical Approaches for College and University Faculty to Support Wellbeing and Mental Health, ACUE
- Trauma-Aware Teaching Checklist, Karen Costa
- On Grief & Loss: Building a Post-Pandemic Future for Higher Ed without Losing Sight of Our Students and Ourselves, Joshua Eyler Keynote recording, Plymouth State University
- COVID keepers: The teaching strategies we should hold onto after the pandemic ends, Letitia Basford, Hamline University
- Leading Groups Online: A down-and-dirty guide to leading online courses, meetings, trainings, and events during the coronavirus pandemic, Jeanne Rewa and Daniel Hunter, a free eBook with some excellent general advice and specific activities for engagement