In a study examining psychology courses, results revealed students preferred course overviews of requirements, expectations, and information on how to succeed while approximately a quarter of students noted introducing course content to be "unpreferable."

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To date, studies have used surveys to evaluate student perceptions of the first day while none have quantified what exactly occurs during the first day of a course. Studies have assessed the effects of the following:
- Student preference of course structure and content
- Use of community building interventions
- Instructor tone

Making a First Impression: Exploring What Instructors Do and Say on the First Day of Introductory STEM Courses - Why does it matter?

Lane, A. K., Meaders, C. L., Shuman, J. K., Stetzer, M. R., Vinson, E. L., Couch, B. A., Smith, M. K., & Stains, M. (2021). Making a First Impression: Exploring What Instructors Do and Say on the First Day of Introductory STEM Courses. CBE life sciences education, 20(1), ar7. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.20-05-0098 

Making a First Impression: Exploring What Instructors Do and Say on the First Day of Introductory STEM Courses

Community building interventions, such as ice-breaker activities, promote student interaction amongst fellow peers and their professor. Students who did participate in such activities reported that their instructor was more welcoming of questions and clear of course expectations.

Making a First Impression: Exploring What Instructors Do and Say on the First Day of Introductory STEM Courses - Use of community building interventions

Between students who were shown a video of their professor with a positive tone versus an emotionless tone on their first day of class, the students who watched the positive tone video reported higher levels of motivation and better course grades as compared to the alternative group.

Making a First Impression: Exploring What Instructors Do and Say on the First Day of Introductory STEM Courses - Instructor tone

Making a First Impression: Exploring What Instructors Do and Say on the First Day of Introductory STEM Courses - Student preference of course structure and content

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