Reading the syllabus aloud, line by line, is the classic first-day mistake. Students tune out, and you spend a precious hour on something they can read themselves. Instead, hit the essentials they need to start well: what the course is about, how they will be graded, key dates, your communication and late-work policies, and where to find help.

Point them to the full syllabus for the rest, and make it genuinely usable, well organized, with headings and the answers to common questions easy to find. Some instructors add a short syllabus quiz or scavenger hunt in the first week so students engage with it. The goal is for students to leave knowing how the course works, without you having read every word to them.