Long-term/ Passive
Max. participants
200
Min. duration
30 minutes
Cost per head
Free
Mode
In-Person
Team phase
Forming
About the intervention
Assign students specific seats for the first few lectures/first day of a workshop to eliminate anxiety over where to sit, and meet new people.
How to set it up.
Map out the room and create a seating chart.
The chart could simply have numbers at every seat and students are allocated seats according to a random number they draw from a box.
What to do during.
Encourage students to learn something novel about the people they are sitting next to.
How you can mix it up ...
Size: This intervention is suitable for all group sizes as long as there is a room where they all meet (e.g. lecture room, rooms inside Imperial buildings, etc).
Randomising methods: Seats can be assigned alphabetically, according to the students’ birthdays, randomly, etc. You could also instruct students to sit beside others with the same first letter of their name, in tutor groups, similar shoe size, or with someone they have never met before.
Conversation starters: Cue cards with conversation starters could be placed on tables or on name tags to spark discussion.
Useful resources.
No further resources needed.