Resources for Communication
Return to Instructional Manager.
An IM is:
A source of clear, consistent communication about the course.
A contact point for information about the course.
A cheerleader! Encouraging students and sharing your own experiences overcoming struggles as a student can be valuable in helping students who feel like they are alone in confronting challenges.
A line of communication between the students and the instructor.
A resource for connecting students with course materials.
You will be responsible for communicating with the instructor. Instructors are human and, like the rest of us, can get overwhelmed. If you have a concern, question, or idea about how to make communicating class information or managing the team more effective, be proactive: do not wait for your instructor to bring it up. They may not even have noticed the area for improvement or be aware of available resources.
You need to communicate EARLY and OFTEN! Whether communicating with the instructor, the team, or students, you will need to take the lead in initiating, responding, and following through with communication. Communication can sometimes feel like a one-way street, but it's important to stay consistent and keep at it.
Take a look at Establishing Effective Communication from Module 1 for some examples of what and how to communicate.
Some common resources IMs have used for communication with the team and students:
Microsoft Teams - (UArizona teams can request this service from UITS)
All of the above resources have free versions. These have limited capabilities from the paid versions, but can still be very effective.
*These are not UArizona supported technologies. If you and your instructor decide to use them for class communication, you will need to provide support and training for the team and students.