Teaching
8 First Week
Jennifer Smith
Before Classes Begin | First Day | Disability Accommodations | Check Course Questions or FAQ Discussion Board Frequently | Email Communication | References
Before Classes Begin
Hit the ground running by sending a welcome message through Canvas BEFORE classes begin. Why is this a good idea?
- Sharing the syllabus and other important “getting started” information (such as the textbook purchase) as early as possible helps students who have a busy semester ahead get a jump start on things.
- It helps students to mentally prepare themselves for the tasks your course will require.
- A kind welcome message and student-friendly syllabus can help to reduce students’ anxiety and let them know that you have created an interesting and clear learning path for them.
First Day
The first day of class is your opportunity to set the tone for the semester. Take this opportunity to:
- Incite curiosity about the course topics:
- What excites YOU about the course?
- What are the interesting assignments and activities that will help students gain knowledge and expertise?
- Provide a thought-provoking question, quote, or statistic about the course topic.
- Create a learning community:
- Give students an opportunity to chat with peers through a syllabus analysis activity.
- Discuss elements of the course topics and what students don’t know or would like to know about them.
- Frame your expectations:
- What level of commitment do you expect?
- What learning practices have worked well for previous students who have taken the course? (Interestingly, students tend to be more interested in tips from each other than the instructor’s recommendation to do the homework!)
- Invite your students to travel on a wonderful journey with you!
James Lang provides suggestions in his advice guide: “How to Teach a Good First Day of Class.”
Disability Accommodations
Students with disabilities register with the Disability Resource Center. Many students do quite well with fairly minimal accommodations such as extra time on quizzes. When you received a DRC letter from a student requesting additional quiz time, it’s pretty easy to set this up within Canvas:
- Canvas Guides: Extra quiz time
- Canvas Guides: Extra quiz attempt
- Use the Quiz Extensions (located in the Instructor Tools in the left navigation) to give a student extra time for all existing quizzes
- Select the students from the list of enrolled students
- Choose the appropriate amount of extra time (1.5x, 2x, etc.)
If you receive an accommodation request for Closed Captioning in videos, fill out a request form. Do this as quickly as possible, as it can take some time to set up. Delays may put your student at risk of falling behind in coursework.
Check Course Questions or FAQ Discussion Board Frequently
Consider using some type of Course Questions or FAQ forum for students to use when they have a question that could benefit the entire class. This discussion board is comparable to raising one’s hand