August 26, 2024
Today many of you and your students, like me and mine, are starting a new academic year. It is exciting! It is also a bit nerve-wracking. I had a K-12 colleague once tell me that if I wasn’t a little nervous at the start of the school year, then it was probably time to reconsider my profession. Teaching, regardless of age group, is an important role. Our students depend on us to “get it right.” That is even more true in virtual, online classrooms. Why? Because there are no non-verbal cues, no body language, and no facial expressions. Even with emojis it is impossible to know when someone is smiling to make you comfortable or laughing at you. So, what should you do on day one? Here’s what I think works:
Before class ever begins, send your students a welcome email that mentions the start day of the course, links the syllabus, and includes the textbook details. This will allow students to prepare for day one and be ready to jump into the course materials.
- Require all students to post in a “Meet Your Classmates” type of introductory discussion forum
- Require all students to respond to one another in some way. I usually require replies to a minimum of two peers.
- Lastly, and I think this is the most important for helping our students gain comfort in the virtual classroom, respond to each of them yourself.
- Try to find something you can mention specifically in your reply. Did they mention a hobby, favorite team, sport or instrument that they play, etc. that you can comment on in a positive manner?
- Doing this will help your students see that you are more than an unknown person behind the computer, but instead are someone interested in them and their success in your course.
Until next time, thanks for visiting!
TheHigherEdAlly
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