At the beginning of the semester, we invited you to Rock the First Day. As the end of the semester draws near, it is now time to ROCK THE LAST DAY! The last day of class is your opportunity to reinforce what students have learned over the course of the semester, provide students with an opportunity to reflect upon those experiences, and to say goodbye. Therefore, rather than spending your last day of class simply reviewing for the final exam, here are some suggestions to help you Rock the Last Day:
- As a class, take a look at the learning goals presented in your syllabus and have a discussion about whether those goals were met. This not only helps to wrap up the course, but also serves as a review (as students can weigh in on what they learned related to each goal).
- Relatedly, give students a chance to extend what they learned beyond the classroom. As a class, brainstorm ways to apply or extend course material and concepts to the “real world” and encourage students to follow through.
- As suggested by Noelle Christiane Boucquey of Stanford’s Teaching Commons, “have students write a letter to next year’s class with advice on how to succeed in the course.” This information will be beneficial to your future students, but can also help your current students by having them reflect upon how to study best for the final.
- Check out this blog post on preparing for the last day of class.
How are you going to rock the last day?
Additional Resources to Help You Rock the Last Day:
