Quality Time: Goal Post # 2 (Opening Lines of Communication with Students)

As we “take the field” the first day of class, we want to communicate with our students that we are available to answer questions, provide more detailed directions, and help them be successful in our courses.

Goal: Open lines of communication with students should be established early in the term.

Question: As you kick off the new semester with your students, how do you open the lines of communication so to avoid “sacks” and “fumbles” during the term?

Possible solutions:
QA Requirements
1. Send a welcome letter internally in D2L and externally using student roster
2. Post welcome News Announcement
3. Introduce yourself in your Introduction discussion AND respond thoughtfully to each student’s initial introduction post

Other Ideas:
*Share some tips of your own for success in your course and include open ended questions in the introduction discussion about the syllabus, course layout, or e-book. One tool students might find useful is this time calculator from Virginia Tech.
*Create an audio/video of yourself welcoming students to class and giving them some initial instructions about how to maneuver in the course.
*Conduct an Elluminate session the first week of class to answer students’ questions and provide a tour of your course.
*Provide discussions that encourage students to communicate regularly with you and each other about the course and assignments. Some options are:
1. Coffee Shop where students might post technology questions and course content questions.
2. A midway discussion that asks “How’s it going?” The instructor and students can provide each other tips about how to be successful with the course and assignments. This helps identify areas of miscommunication and “dropped balls” before the end of the game.
3. A wrap up, debrief, or “post-game show” discussion that asks students for feedback about the course layout, assignments, and technology incorporated. Be positive and ask for more detail from students who post negatively.

We are eager to hear your ideas and suggestions on this topic. Please post your comments in the appropriate discussion in the CCCOnline Community.

Quality Time is a series of posts concerning course quality issues, best practices, and/or CCCOnline policy.

Quality Time: Goal Post # 1 (Students and the Syllabus)

For the next two Wednesdays, we will include at this location a “Goal Post.” This little series is intended to provide suggestions and encourage conversation about how to start your semester smoothly.

Our first topic is about familiarizing students with your course policies and procedures.

In this arena, we observed some noteworthy practices in your summer courses; a few of them are included below under “Possible Solutions.”

Goal: Students, as they "warm up" for the course, need to read and understand the syllabus.
Question: How do we coach our students on the significance of the syllabus?
Possible solutions:
*A syllabus quiz
*A syllabus or “scavenger hunt” assignment to be submitted to the dropbox
*A short video or audio file reinforcing key points of the syllabus
*A series of syllabus or course policy questions in the Student Introduction Discussion
*A special discussion topic to verify that students have done the introductory housekeeping. This topic could require students to post that they have indeed read the D2L Quick Start Guide, participated in the Introduction Discussion, and sent you a test e-mail or test dropbox assignment. The topic may also be a place for you to highlight certain critical course policies or course tools.

What do you think? We welcome your ideas and encourage you to contribute to our related discussion in the CCCOnline Community.

Quality Time is a series of posts concerning course quality issues, best practices, and/or CCCOnline policy.