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New Term, New Context: Six Key Considerations

Starting a new term can be both exciting and challenging. We know that much has changed over the past few years. Recent reports on higher education in Canada (Napierala et al., 2022) and globally (Abdrasheva et al., 2022) emphasize the importance of thoughtfully designing learning that acknowledges these changes. While pandemic-related emergency remote teaching is in the rearview mirror, we continue to teach and learn in complex times (Kenny et al, 2025).   As you begin a new term, these considerations can help promote a positive start.

Start with where your students are.

At the beginning of the term, it is helpful to find out what your students already know and are ready to learn. Consider taking the time to assess their prior learning so you can meet them where they are.

  • Use ungraded quizzes on general content from previous years or courses. If you see significant gaps in background knowledge, you can recommend extra resources or include bridging activities to support student learning.
  • Start with a hands-on activity that will provide a baseline from which to build. Observing students and/or having them self-assess their skills can provide documentation of these starting points.
  • Survey students on effective learning and study skills. The Student Success Centre’s new Toolkit for Academic Success includes a series of short videos you can share with your students. Topics include planning a weekly schedule, reading for deep understanding, and note taking.
  • Given our diverse student population, consider how to create a more inclusive classroom using Promoting Positive Learning Environments.  
  • If your course has online components, consider starting with a survey such as this Student Technology Capabilities Check-in.

For more pre-assessment strategies, see How to assess students’ prior knowledge (Carnegie Mellon University).

Support student collaboration and social interactions.

Recent research has highlighted how student belonging – their sense of being connected and included in their educational context - has been linked to degree completion (Brady & Gopalan, 2025) as well as to academic performance and mental health and well-being (Lawrie et al., 2025).  What used to be considered routine classroom interactions may feel uncomfortable or even anxiety-provoking for some students.

  1. Strategies for supporting collaboration and social interaction

    • Establishing classroom norms and expectations for respectful, productive conversations is a good use of time at the beginning of the term.  
    • Consider using activities such as a Think-Pair-Share or even a low-stakes icebreaker to ease students into classroom interactions.  
    • If including group projects in your course, consider using group workplans and templates to help support collaborative decision-making and accountability.

  2. Resources

     

Use technology to supplement in-person learning.

You can easily incorporate technology into in-person and blended learning environments to enhance the teaching and learning experience. For in-person classes, the use of interactive polls and collaborative documents can increase engagement among students. For blended classes, the use of breakout rooms in Zoom can facilitate small group discussions about in-person labs and improve content literacy through peer-based learning.

  1. Strategies to incorporate technology into your courses

    • Set up a D2L course shell to share course outlines, resources, notes, and post weekly announcements or course updates to the News widget.
      • Utilize collaborative learning activities in in-person, blended, and online settings.
      • Use pre-recorded videos (5 to 10 minutes) to supplement in-class lectures and course materials.
      • Encourage collaborative notetaking with online documents shared through D2L.
      • Create an online shared document to collect student questions during in-person classes to mimic the Zoom chat function. This can even be displayed for the class.

  2. Resources

Maintain flexibility within clear boundaries.

We have learned that incorporating flexibility within a well-structured course design strengthens students’ motivation, engagement, (Patzak & Zhang, 2025) and ownership of learning (Barua & Lockee, 2025). Choosing which strategies fit best in your context are important for optimizing student success while avoiding excessive educator workload.

  1. Strategies to promote flexibility

    • Incorporating a late bank policy of 3-5 days which provides both flexibility and clear boundaries (Schroeder et al, 2019).
    • Setting up daytime or early evening deadlines encourages students not to work through the night and ensures you are available to answer questions.
    • Offering virtual office hours that can be booked by appointment or are offered at a regular time throughout the term. Provide this handout to help students make the most of this time.
    • Integrating the principles of Universal Design for Learning into learning and assessment activities.

  2. Resources

Clarify the aims and processes for assessments, including any in-person exams.

Clarity and transparency are crucial for ensuring fairness, reducing student anxiety, and promoting effective learning (Blazek, 2024). You can support students’ learning by clearly outlining expectations and grading criteria about all tasks, assignments, and examinations and sharing that information with them as early as possible. Additionally, everyone benefits from clear instructions and guidelines on late, incomplete, or missed work.

  1. Strategies

    • Discuss course-level learning outcomes with students and explain how the assignments and quizzes will focus on assessing those outcomes.
    • Plan to develop a strategy to maintain grading consistency among all teaching assistants and instructors.
    • For in-person exams that maintain this focus on higher order thinking, consider providing a formula sheet or permitting students to bring in a self-made sheet of notes (specify the size allowed).
    • If it is essential for students to memorize information for your course exams, consider sharing strategies and resources to support memorization.

  2. Resources

Remember that there is a whole campus of resources to support you and your students.

The past few years have been challenging for many people, but we do not have to face the challenges of the new term alone. Nor do our students. Here are some helpful starting points for finding support:

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Term-by-term Resources for Educators: Learn more

Innovative Approaches to Course Design: Learn more »

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References

Abdrasheva, D., Escribens, M., Sabzalieva, E., Vieiro do Nascimento, D., & Yerovi, C. (2022). Resuming or reforming? Tracking the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on higher education after two years of disruption.  UNESCO International Institute for Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000381749

Barua, L., & Lockee, B. (2025). Flexible assessment in higher education: A comprehensive review of strategies and implications. TechTrends, 69, 301–309. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-025-01039-3

Blazek, K. (2024). Improving assessment with transparency in learning and teaching. Proceedings of the Australian Conference on Science and Mathematics Education. https://openjournals.library.sydney.edu.au/IISME/article/view/18862

Brady, S.T., & Gopalan, M. (2025). College students’ sense of belonging: A graduation update. Educational Researcher, 55(2). https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X251393248

Lawrie, S. I., Carter, D. B., Nylund-Gibson, K., & Kim, H. S. (2025). A tale of two belongings: social and academic belonging differentially shape academic and psychological outcomes among university students. Frontiers in psychology, 15, 1394588. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1394588

Kenny, N., Arshad, M. A., Biswas, S., Carter, J., Dyjur, P., Flanagan, K., Grant, K. A., Kaipainen, E., Martineau, C., Mason, D., Miller, S., Norman, D., Smith, E. E., Stowe, L., & Usman, F. (2025). Shifts and Transformation in Canadian Postsecondary Teaching and Learning: Views from Teaching and Learning Centre Leaders. Calgary, Canada: University of Calgary. https://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/49576

Napierala, J., Pilla, N., Pichette, J., & Colyar, J. (2022) Ontario Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Experiences of Ontario First-year Postsecondary Students in 2020–21. Toronto: Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario. https://heqco.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Ontario-Student-Experiences-with-COVID_FINAL.pdf

Patzak, A., & Zhang, X. (2025). Blending teacher autonomy support and provision of structure in the classroom for optimal motivation: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Educational Psychology Review, 37, Article 17. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-025-09994-2

Schroeder, M., Makarenko, E., & Warren, K. (2019). Introducing a late bank in online graduate courses: the response of students. The Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 10(2). https://doi.org/10.5206/cjsotl-rcacea.2019.2.8200