Creative Ways to Engage Students from Day One
The first few weeks of a course matter. Students are learning names, figuring out expectations, navigating new technology, and deciding how comfortable they feel participating. A simple, low-stakes activity can help students make connections and begin seeing themselves as part of the learning community.
One way to get that started is with Adobe Express. Instead of relying only on the traditional written introduction, faculty can invite students to create something small, personal, and visual. The goal isn’t polished graphic design. It’s giving students another way to share, create, and connect.
Give Students Another Way to Participate
The Express Yourself presentation includes 10 ideas for using Adobe Express to engage students early and often. Activities range from short introduction videos and creative identity projects to comic strips, visual check-ins, drawing activities, AI image creation, and portfolios.
These activities can be adapted across disciplines and used in both in-person and online courses. More importantly, they give students opportunities to:
- participate before the stakes feel high
- share interests, experiences, and goals
- connect with classmates
- communicate through images, audio, video, and text
- become active contributors to the course from the beginning
You don’t need to try all 10. Choose one activity that fits your course, adapt it for your students, and see where it takes you.
Explore Express Yourself
The Express Yourself presentation was created with 10 classroom-ready ideas, examples, and resources for using Adobe Express with students.
Explore the Express Yourself presentation – available on GCC Main only
A small creative invitation early in the semester can do more than introduce a new technology. It can give students a reason to talk, share, experiment, and learn something about the people they’ll be learning alongside.
Resources
- Adobe Express for Education – Creative tools, templates, and resources for educators and students.
- Adobe Blog: How university students are bringing creativity to the classroom with Adobe Express – Students who understand how to use images, color, animation, video, and audio to visually communicate ideas will have an important advantage over peers without these skills.
- Columbia: Fostering Belonging in the Classroom: Strategies for Instructors – Timely strategies that instructors can implement to foster a learning environment where all students feel they matter and can succeed. Can you use Adobe Express to implement one of these strategies?
- Columbia: Community Building in the Classroom — Approaches for strengthening interaction and community in face-to-face and online courses. Can you use Adobe Express to implement one of these strategies?
Looking for a thought partner?
The CTLE team can help you generate new ideas, revise assignments, and thoughtfully integrate AI into your teaching. We are here to support you!
Connect with us to get started.
