The last day of class presents an opportunity for students and instructors to reflect on what they have learned during the semester, synthesize key takeaways from the course, celebrate collective accomplishment and the class’s sense of community, and think forward to how the course helps prepare students for future courses and careers. The ideal final class session brings the course together, evaluates achievement of the course learning outcomes, and reinforces the value of the course. Ending on a high note serves to amplify students’ experience of and achievements in the course. This resource suggests various class activities that could help instructors get the most out of the final class meeting(s). 

Looking Back: Reflecting on and Synthesizing Learning

Reflection is an important meaning-making process through which students and instructors translate experience into long-lasting knowledge. As Paulo Freire, advocate of critical pedagogy, stated, “Learning is a process where knowledge is presented to us, then shaped through understanding, discussion and reflection” (emphasis added).  

Reflection on Student Learning 

The end of a course is a good time to take a step back and consider students’ achievement of the big-picture outcomes and purposes of the course. Questions to guide such reflection include: 

• What did we learn during the semester? 

• How did we improve our understanding of the course topic? 

• Did we satisfactorily achieve the course learning outcomes? 

• What aspects of the course can we apply outside the class? 

These questions encourage students and instructors to think back to what they set out to do at the beginning of the semester, place the material and content from the course into a broader perspective centered on strengthening knowledge of the field, and consider how that knowledge can be applied in real-world settings. 

Student reflections on what they’ve learned can help solidify the learning experience, provide a sense of pride, confidence, and closure, and encourage metacognition. It also helps students and instructors alike consider which strategies were most effective for learning and practicing content. Specific activities that might help the class engage in individual and collective reflection include: 

• Five big ideas: Ask students to write down five big ideas that they learned in the course 

• Mind/concept maps: In groups, ask students to collaboratively develop mind/concept maps of what they got out of the course. Mind/concept maps visually organize information, showing relationships between concepts and ideas within a topic. (See examples.) 

• Revise and resubmit: Ask students to revisit their views of the course topic, either their general views or on a specific aspect of the course, and reflect on whether and how their views changed after completing the course 

Reflection on Teaching and Course Design 

Reflection need not be limited to course content. Students and instructors can also share their thoughts on logistical aspects of the course and teaching style and modality. They might respond to questions such as: 

• What is one thing you enjoyed about the way your instructor taught or structured the course? 

• What is one thing about the course structure or format that could be improved? 

• Did you experience any new learning techniques in this course (innovative class discussion formats, assignments, etc.)? How did these techniques impact your learning? 

These types of reflections can be done through a survey and/or a facilitated discussion. CTRL has resources on self-administered surveys and facilitating discussion-based feedback sessions with students to help you plan the logistical aspects of reflecting on teaching and course design.

Student Evaluations of Teaching (SETs) 

In addition to in-class reflection, the student evaluation of teaching surveys (SETs) are designed to both encourage overall course reflection and to provide instructors with feedback on their teaching. Save 10–15 minutes in one of the final class sessions to allow students to complete the SETs, as conducting the SETs in class is shown to increase response rates and improve the usefulness of the feedback, especially if students complete the SETs immediately following thoughtful course reflections as described above. Instructors should leave the room while students are responding to SETs (or, for online classes, ask everyone to turn their cameras off) to avoid students’ perception that they are being observed as they provide instructor feedback. 

Instructors might consider framing SETs by discussing their purpose, specific kinds of feedback they are seeking (e.g., general vs. specific), and examples of how they have used past feedback to improve their teaching. You might also consider administering your own, separate feedback survey to receive actionable suggestions, in conjunction with the SETs. Research shows that students are more likely to complete evaluations when instructors show them that they care about student feedback and have applied it to improve or adapt their teaching (Chapman and Joines 2017). It is important to consider, however, that SETs have been shown to be influenced by sexist, racist, and other biases (Heffernan 2022). For additional guidance on SETs, see CTRL’s resource on preparing for, processing, and responding to SETs. 

In the Moment: Celebrating Achievement and Acknowledging Community 

The last day of class is also a space to celebrate individual and collective achievements. Positive recognition has a lasting impact on students, setting the stage for lifelong learning and success. Everyone has gained something from having taken the course, be it academic or social, personal or collective, or some combination of these. Over the semester, the students and the instructor have engaged in collective learning and discussion, creating a sense of community among the class. Acknowledging this community can work to solidify its foundation, which has value beyond the course as students may encounter peers again in future courses, around campus, or even in their careers. Simply acknowledging how far the class has come since the course began can create a sense of accomplishment to be celebrated. Also, emphasizing the value of connections can help students see that they are in an ongoing collaborative community and feel a greater sense of belonging to the institution and their field. 

Celebration and Acknowledgment 

There are different activities that can help cultivate the spirit of celebration and community building: 

• Team trivia: Organize a fun, light-hearted team trivia (ungraded) featuring questions about the broad course topic, but not necessarily the assigned material. For example, for a course on American politics, the quiz might feature interesting facts about political parties and elections in America. 

• Personal moments of pride: Ask students to write down one thing they are proud of from their participation in the course. 

• Notes of gratitude: Ask students to write a note of gratitude or acknowledgment for at least one peer, creating a tangible artifact that students can take with them. For example, you could provide each student with a set of sticky notes and ask them to write a few short notes to classmates and then share them. You could also work with students to write thank you cards for guest speakers who contributed to the class.

Looking Ahead: Preparing for Final Assessments, Future Courses, and Career

The final day of class also affords the students and the instructor an opportunity to look ahead toward both immediate (e.g., final assignments) and long-term (e.g., application of course to future courses and career) aspects that stem from the course. You can help students recognize the value of the course and establish clear connections to what they will do in the future. 

Preparation for Final Exams and Assignments  

The last day of class does not always signify the end of the course. Final assignments, such as a final project, paper, presentation, portfolio, exam, or other summative evaluation, may be due several days after the final class meeting. Anticipating the immediate remaining assessments, you may wish to devote a portion of the last class to help students prepare for these assessments. Focusing on the final assessment also provides the instructor with the opportunity to go over logistical details of the assignment and clarify general expectations. There are different ways to do this: 

• Student showcase and peer feedback: If students are building towards a final project due after the last day of class, create an opportunity in the final class(es) for students to showcase drafts of their work, share their ideas, and give and receive feedback that they can apply before submitting the final version.  

• Review course material: Organize a thematic discussion that reviews the major topics covered during the course and offer the students opportunities to ask questions about and clarify aspects of course material.  

• Low-stakes quiz/assignment: Plan an ungraded quiz or short in-class writing assignment designed to help students’ comprehension of the material. You might also provide sample exam questions and discuss potential answers, soliciting input from the class as a whole. 

• Student “experts” review presentations: Assign students to groups, designate them as “experts” on a topic that was covered and will be present on the final assessment, and ask them to make short presentations synthesizing the key points and takeaways related to that topic. Other students might ask the “experts” questions to clarify any points of clarification or confusion. 

Relevance to Future Courses, Career, and Life 

Beyond immediate upcoming tasks, the last day of class is also a space to solidify the value and relevance of the knowledge and skills students gained from the course. You might consider the following community-building activities for the final meeting: 

• Letter to a future student: Ask students to write a brief letter to a future student of the course, sharing advice and recognizing the value they have found in taking the course. 

• Practice job interview: Ask students to reflect on and discuss how the course has prepared them for their future endeavors, be they additional courses or industry jobs. To do so, you could pair students up for a hypothetical interview question: “I saw you took [course name]. Could you tell me what you gained from that course that you might apply in this role?” 

• Create a networking group: Create an alumni group or social media group for the students, which could preserve social interaction as well as help students connect each other with professional networks for jobs, graduate school applications, and/or other future endeavors. 

• Dreaming a positive future: Make time to discuss positive, hopeful, imaginative futures related to the course content. At a time when students are experiencing a lot of stress, thinking positively and dreaming of different kinds of futures, using the tools and frameworks the course provided, can be motivating and liberating. 

 In sum, there are numerous ways in which instructors can make the most of the last day of class, plan rewarding activities for students, and end the course on a high note. Use this Last Day of Class Plan worksheet to plan the last day of class for your course.