Other Helpful Features

Online Faculty Development Course

A Class Orientation

In F2F courses, the first day is similar in most courses: the Professor compares the roster to those assembled, and (hopefully) welcomes students to the class. She or he then runs down the syllabus, outlining course goals, activity types, policies, procedures, and modes of communication. Particularly in courses where student-to-student contact will be important, the professor might ask each student to introduce her or himself to the class.

Online courses can be similar. Create an introductory folder that opens at or before the course beginning date, that contains the syllabus, policies, requirements, expectations, and an icebreaker discussion. Compare your roster, available in the MyCanisius Portal with the classlist in D2L to ensure everyone can access the course.

Good Communication

However you decide to communicate with students, choose few methods of communication, outline them to students up front, and stick to them. For example, use the news feed in D2L to make announcements (via text or video.) Use a discussion topic (such as our Frequently Asked Questions topic) to handle course-level student questions. (The discussion topic, visible to all students, may prevent you from having to answer questions repeatedly via email.) Invite students to email you, or declare office hours each week via Zoom.

But after you choose a few modes of communication - perhaps two or three - avoid using or responding to others, such as telephone messages or text messaging.

Plan to provide prompt and effective feedback to students (more on this later) and then tell them up-front how that will happen. You should use the online grades/gradebook tool in D2L, and explain to students exactly how the structure there corresponds with any syllabus description of grades.

Support

Beyond tech guides and the helpdesk discussed previously, make certain your students know about other campus resources available to them. This include Bouhwuis Library, the Griff Center for Academic Engagement, and the Writing Center. Be clear that students must take responsibility for learning the requisite skills for your course, and should actively seek advice from available support services. For example, if a student believes that D2L is not accepting his assignments, he should consult the ITS Help Desk. Or if a student seeks advice on getting a research project started, a librarian is her best ally.

Goals and Expectations

Linda Nilson and Ludwika Goodson summarize a common scenario in online courses: "Students drop out when the reality of the academic demands of online learning clashes with their prior misconceptions of online learning being easier than classroom." (Nilson and Goodson, 2018, 134.) As we noted above, online courses require a greater measure of student self-direction, and students need to shed any preconception that online courses are easier than F2F courses. Students should be forewarned of the effort required before embarking on an online course, but should be reassured by the clear instructions, structure, and advice they receive at the beginning.

Emphasize your expectations in the syllabus and opening materials of the course. A learning contract can drive the point home. Sometimes, particularly in graduate studies, we might shy away from such talk if it seems patronizing. But occasionally we all need reminded that if we have begun a course of study, there probably was a good reason for it and we need to properly apply ourselves to it.

Additionally, any tools or advice you can give them on how to organize their efforts, such as checklists, rubrics, sample "A"-level work, or a framework for managing a digital project, is very helpful to them.

Lastly, you might express to students your enthusiasm, or at least conviction, for teaching your particular course, and your confidence that all assembled can do well if they wish.

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