Important Splash Teacher Information for Spring 2017


  1. Guidelines for Teaching at Splash
  2. Checking In
  3. Special Class Locations and Meeting Points
  4. Cancelling Your Class
  5. Reimbursements for Class Supplies
  6. Splash Appreciation Dinner
  7. Splash Teaching Tips
  8. Handouts
  9. Getting and Giving Feedback

1. Guidelines for Teaching at Splash

The safety and well-being of our students is our highest priority and we take this issue seriously. The following are rules and expectations for teachers at Splash. Please familiarize yourself with the following:

  • Splash teachers must be at least 18 years old and affiliated with Stanford University.
  • Splash teachers must interact appropriately with students and cannot teach classes that put students at any risk of physical or mental harm.
  • Splash teachers must not teach classes that involve performing or promoting illegal activities.
  • Splash teachers must not advertise any outside organizations, services, or products.
  • Splash teachers must not collect data for outside research purposes of any kind.
  • Splash teachers must not teach classes that seek to preach a particular viewpoint such that students feel uncomfortable disagreeing with the class content.
  • Splash teachers are expected to follow the University’s Code of Conduct and the Haas Center’s Principles of Ethical and Effective Service

Any teachers who violate these rules may have their classes rejected or cancelled by the Splash Admin Team or may be unable to teach for Splash in the future. Please note that Splash reserves the right to approve or reject any classes. In serious cases, the Splash Admin Team will deal with the teacher as mandated by Stanford University rules.

In case of emergencies (student injury, fire, theft, etc.), all Splash teachers must contact 911 (9-911 from a campus phone). Please then contact a member of Stanford Splash at 650-427-0377 to notify us of the emergency.

2. Checking In


Please check in at least 30 minutes before your first scheduled class at the Teacher Check-In station in front of building 110 in the Main Quad facing Stanford Memorial Church (see map here). For driving direction and parking information, please check out this page. If you are teaching a 10 AM class on Saturday or Sunday, please plan to check in early. If you are driving to Stanford, please beware of possible traffic congestion around 9 AM to 10 AM during the weekend so please budget time accordingly.


At check-in, you will receive a packet with your name tag, a few forms, your class schedule, and a map of the campus. You will also get your Splash teacher t-shirt. At check-in, you can request a VGA cable as well as a Mac adapter. It is best to bring your own Mac adapter if you need one. Please note that we keep very few adapters and there are many types of adapters available so it is not guaranteed that we will have one for your laptop.


After checking in, you can hang out and eat snacks in the teacher's lounge in Room 110-114, also in building 110, or you can go to your classroom to prepare. Keep in mind that other teachers may be using the classroom before you so please be respectful to not disturb them.


Please note that if you are teaching on both Saturday and Sunday, we need you to check in before your first class on BOTH days, but you don’t need to check in before every class.

3. Special Class Locations and Meeting Points


If you would like for your class to take place somewhere other than a standard classroom on the Main Quad, you must contact us at stanfordesp@gmail.com to communicate your plans in advance. Please note that we cannot provide lab spaces, etc. and you must arrange use of such rooms on your own. Your class will then be scheduled at a “meeting point," meaning your class will take place in a location that is not one of our classrooms in the Main Quad. All meeting points are located along the row of pillars outside of building 110 and 100 (see map here).


Classes being held in special spaces (such as a lab) will be assigned to meeting points where students can gather and find their teacher. You will need to meet your students at the meeting point and take them to your final class location. You should only leave the meeting point at 5 min. after the hour to give students time to find you.


If your class is scheduled to meet at a meeting point, you must go to the location that you have previously confirmed with us so that we can find your students in case of an emergency. In addition, you must be able to be contacted at the cell phone number registered to your account.

4. Cancelling Your Class


Students come to Splash because they can choose to take classes they are most excited about. Thus, canceling your class can be a major disappointment to students enrolled and doing so at the last minute will deprive them of the opportunity to take other classes during your class period.


If you are forced to cancel your class due to illness or emergency, please let us know ASAP by either emailing us at stanfordesp@gmail.com before the day of Splash or calling us at 650-427-0377 during the event. Please note this phone number is not active until the day of Splash.


In order to give students in your class the chance to make the most of their time at Splash, if you have not checked in by 30 minutes before your class and we are unable to contact you, we will cancel your class.


Please note that we take cancelled classes ("no-shows" in particular) very seriously and will take them into consideration before approving any of your classes in the future.

5. Reimbursements for Class Supplies


Splash can reimburse teachers up to $30 per class section. To get reimbursed for a class, you must submit an itemized receipt by email to stanfordesp.reimburse@gmail.com and submit the teacher reimbursement form available here by May 9th. Items that are purchased for Splash and are reusable must be returned to Splash. This includes, but is not limited to: sports items (footballs, basketballs, hula hoops, jump ropes, tarps, etc), adapters and computer equipment, books, musical instruments, and cookware. During the Splash weekend, there will be a box labeled "Returned Splash Supplies" in Bldg 110 Room 112 where you can leave these items. Please label all items (or the container in which they are kept) with your name and email address. Returned class supplies will be matched against submitted receipts for reimbursement processing.


If you are planning to purchase a reusable item, as defined above, check with a stanfordesp.reimburse@gmail.com before purchasing to see if the item is already owned.


If more than $30 per class section is needed, a supplementary budget request must be filled out here. This budget request will then be approved or rejected (with an email notification).


We receive hundreds of reimbursement forms during the Splash weekend, so please consider submitting your form/documentation early in order to expedite your reimbursement. All reimbursement requests must be submitted by April 30. Please note that reimbursements will take some time to process, especially as our financial office gets backlogged immediately following the Splash event. However, if you still have not received your reimbursement one month after you submit your completed paperwork, please contact us by email.

6. Splash Appreciation Dinner


On the Sunday night of Splash weekend at 6:30 PM in the Mackenzie Room in the Huang Engineering Center (3rd Floor), we will have a Teacher and Volunteer Appreciation Dinner. All teachers and volunteers are welcome to attend this event and enjoy free food!

7. Splash Teaching Tips


We offer teacher trainings to help in teaching skill development and class design. Additional sessions for teacher development will be scheduled closer to Splash. For more info, please log in and check on our website or email stanfordesp@gmail.com.


Below are some teaching principles that may be helpful to think about as you design and teach your class.

7.1 Organize


Lesson plans are best when they are structured. Know what major points you want to get across and figure out how you will build up to those points. In preparing for your class, it is great to write out notes and to see if you can logically transition to your final points.


When you are teaching your class, it is great to start off with an agenda or a list of goals for the class.


Remember, explaining something well can take a lot of time so do not try to cram too much material into your lecture, especially if it’s only 45 min. long. Budgeting extra time for questions is a great idea and no students will fault you for ending class a few minutes early.

7.2 Summarize.


Repetition is not always a bad thing. Often when you are trying to help a student learn, you do not want to be subtle. As you work through your lesson, it is actually very helpful to simply state or even restate what the “conclusion” was of that part of the lesson.

7.3 Engage.


Everyone has been a student before and can agree that some classes, even when you find the topic interesting, can lose you or cause you to zone out.


In survey results, our students have suggested that they greatly enjoy interactive or hands-on classes. We advise varying your format or having the students actively do something (discuss with a neighbor, get up and walk around, write down their thoughts) to keep them focused and excited about the material.


This is not to say that lectures are bad. But keep in mind that teaching is a two-way street. The best teachers watch their students, ask them questions and wait for their answers, and tailor their lesson or what they say based on how the students are responding. For example, if students are clearly lost, taking the time to re-explain something will be much more valuable for them than forging ahead.


Please contact us at stanfordesp@gmail.com if you have any questions about designing your class.

8. Handouts


Here are the handouts we provided during the teacher training sessions! Feel free to review any information that might seem useful to you and you class!

Also, check out this amazing website for great teaching tips about how to make the best out of your class time!

9. Getting and Giving Feedback


Your students will be providing you feedback on your class via our online survey. Please remind your students at the end of class to fill out the Splash feedback form on our website. Your students will receive a link in their email during Splash weekend.


We would also love to hear about your experience teaching at Splash and you will receive a teacher survey by email. Your comments and suggestions are really important to us!



Last modified by ikhuu on May 03, 2019 at 12:39 a.m.