Staff Toolkit
What is Blazer Welcome: First Four Weeks?
Student engagement within the first four weeks of any semester is crucial to student success. Faculty and staff are encouraged to build relationships and create a sense of belonging, set expectations, promote active, engaged learning environments, integrate student support into learning experiences and help students know where they stand in class. To support campus-wide Blazer Welcome First Four Weeks initiative, below are some suggested ways to engage students in and out the classroom.
Download the Student Engagement Guide for Faculty & Staff
Build and Encourage Relationships
- When a student comes to you for help, personalize the conversation by asking for the student’s name and giving the student your name.
- Ask the second question. New students may not know enough about the university to understand what they need or who they need to talk to. Help them out by asking a follow-up question to figure out what they need to accomplish.
- Give students who visit your office your business card. Let them know that they are welcome to call or email you if they need help.
- When you send a student to another office, call ahead to make sure someone is there and understands what the student needs.
- Give a campus map to a student who needs directions or walk the student to a nearby office. Take the extra moment to help students find where they need to go. Remember this might be their first time on campus.
- Make a commitment to respond to email and/or voicemail within 24 hours during the work week.
- Attend a campus event during Blazer Welcome and talk with at least one new student. Find out where the student is from, what the student is are majoring in, and how you can help the student be successful.
Social Connections
- Attend the New Student Convocation on Tuesday, August 27th starting at 6:30 in Bartow Arena. This is a great opportunity to come and engage with our new students.
- Be Seen in Green on Friday’s! Take this opportunity to show UAB pride and wear green or a UAB shirt to support our students your campus pride. Post about it on social media (if you subscribe) using the hashtag #blazerwelcome.
- Attend a campus event during Blazer Welcome and talk with at least one new student. Find out where the student is from, what the student is are majoring in, and how you can help the student be successful.
Academic Engagement
- Refer a student to a learning resource when appropriate.
- Listen, and let a student talk through a problem. Often you can help them talk their way through to the solution that is best for them.
- Help a student worker understand how to better help other students.
- Ask your student workers how they are doing in their classes and listen to any problems that they might be encountering.