What I Wish Someone Had Told Me Before I Taught My First University Class

The internet is full of “What I wish I knew before starting college,” but almost nothing about what I wish I knew before teaching college. Teaching isn’t an easy craft, unless maybe you majored in education and took courses on how to teach. Most of us walk in with content expertise, but not the teaching expertise you need. Being a TA or RA helps, but not always. This post is the list you wish someone had handed you.

Syllabus Design

• Think of it as a story, not a hard-locked contract.
  • If you need to move things around, you can! Want to flip when you read books x and y, that’s okay. This statement is your best friend: “The descriptions and timelines contained in this syllabus are subject to change at the discretion of the Professor.”
• It does need clear rules.
  • You need a strong statement such as “The use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools is strictly prohibited, including but not limited to ChatGPT, Claude, CometsAI, etc.” If you say, “Work must be your own. The class prohibits the use of ChatGPT or Copilot. That leaves your students the ability to use others, Claude, for example.
• Where to start
  • Think about the experience you want students to have, then build backward. Do you want them to build from book to book? Make them chronological; going back and forth between years is hard. Don’t start in 1943 then go back to 1941. I realized I made that mistake in my books this week.
• Students respond to structure more than strictness.
  • The syllabus with clear rhythm, pacing, and visual organization helps students feel anchored.
  • Make students want to read it: use quotes, tables, section titles, or even a magazine‑style layout.
  • The more readable the syllabus, the more teachable the course
• Have a float week!
  • If you are sick, you can move things as needed.

The Silent Treatment

• You need strategies ready before you walk in:
  • Offer two options instead of open-ended questions.
  • Give 30 seconds of writing time.
  • Bring in a student’s earlier comment.
  • Question of the Day – I write a question out on the whiteboard; students mark their answer as they come in. This gives us something to keep the flow going.
• Conversation is architecture, not about your style or personality.

Less is MORE

• Try not to over prep! You will run out of time.
  • You don’t need 40 minutes of lecture for a 50-minute class.
• Students learn more when you let them ask questions
  • If it’s a core class, find a way to connect it to what they know or have been learning. In my Espionage class, a biology major will think differently from an engineering or finance major. How does this work in their future fields?

Students often struggle to read.

• Students aren’t lazy — they’re inexperienced academic readers.
• You must teach:
  • how to skim (if they can)
  • how to annotate
  • how to identify argument vs. evidence
  • how to break a paper or chapter into digestible chunks.
• Reading is a skill, not a prerequisite. It’s something you (and they) must keep sharpening!

Classroom Community!

• It’s up to you to create the community you want within your classroom.
• Students learn better when they are noticed. I usually listen in while we wait for class to start and engage when I can.
  • This might look like asking a student what exams they have coming up when they complain about 4 exams next week.
  • For early classes, I usually ask if everyone is awake and ready. It’s silly, but we all say we need more coffee/caffeine.
• First Day note:
  • Students typically hate the intro part of the day! Find a way to make it fun. I usually make them tell truths and lies, and others have to guess.
  • How to identify argument vs. evidence
  • How to break a paper or chapter into digestible chunks.
• A low-stakes warm-up question each day! (One of my favorite things to do)
• A shared Google Doc for notes. You can start, or they can make one and share.
• A “what do you want from this class?” survey
  • Beware: you may make them think you don’t care about the content; it’s just a box to tick.
• Community reduces silence, anxiety, and disengagement.

Office Hours

• Explain why you have them and how they can use them.
  • That way, they use them for more than asking why they made a 67 on the test or why they received 8 out of 10 on their writing assignment.
  • You must explain: “This is where we talk about ideas,” “This is where you ask questions you don’t want to ask in class,” and “This is where we plan your success.”

Looking back, I realize how much I wish someone had handed me a list like this before I started teaching. What did you wish you were told?