Two Weeks Prior
Starting approximately two weeks prior to the first day of class, your role as the lead instructor is to complete the following tasks to prepare to lead the course. Recommended timelines are provided as guidance.
Verify that you can access the course materials
If you have not already, verify that you can log on to My ASU and access the class materials via the "My Classes" area. If you do not have access or have problems accessing the materials, please contact your instructional design team immediately.
NOTE: You will receive an email approximately 2-4 weeks prior to the class start date introducing the team associated with the course you are teaching, including the instructional design team, program coordinator(s), academic advisor(s), and co-instructor(s). If you did not receive that email, please contact Ana Ruiz (Ana.Ruiz@asu.edu) or Elizabeth Ford (eaford@asu.edu) to request the information.
Prepare initial welcome email
Prior to the start of classes, we recommend you send preliminary welcome emails to your students with pertinent course information to help them prepare to be successful in the course.
Two Weeks Prior
Approximately two weeks prior to the first day of class, we recommend you send a preliminary welcome email to your students to remind them about the course start date and any textbook purchases. Until students are added to the course (approximately three days prior to the first day of class) you can send email through My ASU using the Class Roster in the ASU Faculty Center. Instructions for sending email via the Faculty Center are included below, along with a sample welcome email you can modify as needed.
Three Days Prior
In most cases, students will be given access to the class three days before the official start date. At this point, you can send an email to students from within the course management system itself. Instructions are included below, along with a sample course start email you can modify as needed.
Schedule meeting with co-instructors
In preparation for the start of classes, we recommend that you contact your co-instructor(s) to set up an in-person or online meeting prior to the course start date. Contact your instructional design team for assistance in setting up a online virtual meeting space or conference line.
Please refer to the Contact your Co-Instructors page for detailed information on available tools for conducting meetings with the instructional team.
Verify that you can send/receive email from your ASU email account
If you have not already, verify that you can send/receive email from your ASU email account. This is a critical step as students will email with questions, and it is essential you be able to receive and respond to their questions.
NOTE: Once you are hired, the university and university personnel will send all correspondence to your ASU email address (not a personal email address). This applies to students as well—all correspondence should be sent to their official ASU email address only.
Respond to any student questions that you receive
Upon accessing the course, students will find information on how to get started, the syllabus and schedule, the Student Community space, and other course pages. Since they are not yet assigned to groups prior to the first official day of class, students may contact you with questions; however, they may contact your co-instructors since their names are listed on the ASU Class Search and in the course materials. You and your co-instructors are encouraged to use the syllabus, schedule, and course materials to respond to student questions. As a reminder, college practice stipulates that lead instructors and co-instructors respond to student email within 24 hours.
The most common questions students ask include the following. We have provided sample responses for you to share with students as needed.
How do I access the online course materials?
To access the course materials:
Log on to My ASU and you should see [COURSE NAME: COURSE NUMBER] listed under the "My Classes" area.
Click on the hyperlinked course name to access the course materials.
If you have any problems accessing the course through My ASU, you can use the direct link to the platform: https://canvas.asu.edu/, then click the link with the course number, name, year, and session. For example, COE 501: Intro to Research and Evaluation (2021 Fall B).
What group am I in?
To maintain small communities of learners, you may be placed in groups of students. Should this course require groups, a link to your assigned group will appear within the Groups item within the Global Navigation Menu on the official start date of the course. The letter (e.g., A, B, C) represents the group to which you have been assigned. If you do not see the link to your assigned group by the second official day of class, please use the Inbox or email the instructor directly so that you are assigned to a group. Once you have been assigned to a group, please direct all questions and email to your instructor or co-instructor assigned to your group. (The instructional team and their group letters are listed on the Meet Your Instructional Team page.)
What do I do if I haven’t received my textbook yet?
We endeavor to provide the first lesson/module’s reading online as a PDF in case there are issues with obtaining textbooks prior to the course start date. For copyright reasons, we cannot provide PDF copies after the first lesson/module, so every student is responsible for having the required textbooks as of the start of the second lesson/module.
I need a special accommodation. What do I do?
All students requesting a special accommodation must register with the ASU Disability Resource Center (DRC), now Student Accessibility and Inclusive Learning Services (SAILS). SAILS will provide the lead instructor with information about approved accommodations.
NOTE: Any accommodation(s) made for a student must have been determined by SAILS and sent directly to the lead instructor. If you receive a notification from SAILS about a student, you will need to determine which group and co-instructor the student is working with. (You may contact your instructional design team for assistance in obtaining this information.) You then need to forward the information from SAILS to the co-instructor who will be working with the student to ensure the student receives the appropriate accommodations.
Review the list of students for group assignments
Please review the list of students in your class and notify your instructional design team if you would like to request a special group assignment for a particular student in the class.
As much as possible, special group assignment requests should be submitted by the lead instructor, co-instructors, or students prior to the first official day of class. This means that students should review the list of instructors/co-instructors in the class (which they often do) and lead instructors and co-instructors should review the list of students to alert us to any possible conflicts.
It can be disruptive to both students and co-instructors if groups are rearranged after the first official day of class, especially with the short 6-week classes in the summer. In addition to affecting the community of a particular group, moving a student or co-instructor can also result in technical and grading issues.
Acceptable reasons for requesting that a student not work with a particular instructor/co-instructor or for moving a student from one group to another
The instructor/co-instructor works closely with the student in their place of employment, either as a peer/colleague or as a supervisor/subordinate.
The student is retaking the class because they failed the class and needs to retake it. In this case, the student should be assigned to work with a different person when retaking the class to receive fair assessment.
Non-acceptable reasons for requesting that a student not work with a particular instructor/co-instructor or for moving a student from one group to another
The student questioned a grade given by an instructor/co-instructor but resolved the issue at the appropriate level with the instructor/co-instructor prior to final grades being submitted.
The student requested a grade change (because of a miscalculation) that was resolved professionally at the appropriate level with the co-instructor and instructor.
The student does not like the instructor/co-instructor (personally or professionally) or had him/her in a previous class (online or f2f) and does not want to work with the person again.
Borderline/Gray areas (to be reviewed on a case-by-case basis)
The student filed a grade appeal or disputed a grade that might indicate one party or the other cannot be objective and/or unbiased in subsequent interactions.
The student and instructor/co-instructor had a conflict that might indicate one party or the other cannot be objective and/or unbiased in subsequent interactions.
Changes to the course materials or settings
Because all changes made to the course materials or class settings are visible to students, please do not make any changes to the course materials/settings. If there are changes you would like to suggest based on student feedback, please forward them to your instructional design team for review and implementation.