Tag Archives: Welcome

Welcome to Fall Term!

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Fall Term is just around the corner, bringing with it new opportunities, fresh faces, and the chance to make a lasting impact on your students. Whether they’re logging in for the first time or for their final term, setting a welcoming and engaging tone from day one helps create a foundation for everyone’s success, yours included.

Here are a few ways to kick things off and set the stage for a smooth, successful term:

Start with a warm welcome

  • Post a welcome announcement and introduce yourself to your students.
  • Use a warm and welcoming tone in your message to help students feel encouraged, supported, and comfortable as they enter the course.
  • Personalize it with a photo or short video, it goes a long way in making connections.

Open your course early

  • If possible, open your course before the official start date. This gives students a chance to explore, order materials, and introduce themselves.
  • Open modules at least two weeks ahead. Many students juggle full-time jobs, families, and other commitments, so maximum flexibility is appreciated.

Keep communication open

  • Set up a Q&A discussion forum, and check it regularly. This allows you to answer common questions once and ensures everyone sees the response.
  • Encourage students to post questions in this forum and let students know when and how they can expect replies.
  • Be responsive to messages and follow up with students if needed.

Model engagement

  • Join discussion boards and post regularly. Ask guiding questions, offer feedback, or simply cheer students on, show them you’re present and engaged.
  • Think about how you’d engage in a face-to-face class and bring that energy to your online space too.

Be accessible

  • Hold regular office hours or offer flexible scheduling options. Creating the time and space for students to connect with you makes a difference.

Grade consistently and give meaningful feedback

  • Timely, constructive feedback helps students grow. The effort you put in early pays off in improved work later in the term.

Stay organized

  • Block out time in your calendar each week for class check-ins and grading. A little planning now can prevent overwhelm and burnout later.

Take care of yourself

  • Don’t forget to breathe. Support your students by also supporting yourself.
  • Be kind to yourself and set boundaries to attend to personal commitments, too.

Here’s to a strong, successful Fall Term — you’ve got this!

5 Aspects of a Great Welcome Message

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Wooden sign with the word welcome on it.
Wooden sign with the word welcome on it.

“You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” ~ Will Rogers

As Winter Break has begun it’s rapid decent into the start of a new term, it’s time to take a look at how we will welcome our students back to school in the new year. Winter term brings new beginnings for students as their papers now contain the date 2024. Maybe they’ve made resolutions to do homework on time, or read every last page you request, or just be more present, whatever it is, that first message or impression from you in the new term sets the tone for the class. I’m sure that everyone wants to start a class off on a positive note, so let’s look at 5 ways you can create an informational, welcoming, and inclusive message to start the term/semester off right.

  1. Welcoming tone
  2. Talk about your class
  3. Offer support (and remind them to review the syllabus!)
  4. How to get started
  5. Inspire them

Create a Welcoming Tone

I don’t know about you but when I think back to the professors and teachers that I enjoyed learning from, I remember who they were and how they communicated with the class. They weren’t just an educated, knowledgable, and smart person, they were personable too. Empathy for their students, calling out the fact that we all have a bad day from time to time or might have just missed a deadline made it not seem daunting if we had to come “begging” for an extension. It didn’t seem like begging, it was known and called out that it could happen. Give your students the ease as you recognize them as people and not just a name on a roster.

Talk About the Class

Just think, a brand new set of classes, so many new syllabi to read and materials to devour. Hype your class up by talking about exciting topics, real world applications, and maybe mention an assignment or two that they’ll be working on.

Offer Support

We know that each of our students begins our class with a different set of circumstances on the other side of that screen. With that in mind, including a reference to support for these students can be helpful in letting them know the resources are there and it’s ok to use them. Mention your syllabus, the getting started or introduction module, and make sure they know resources are listed and available in all of those places and not only for your class but for all those other things that life tosses their way.

How to Get Started

So much information is available at the start of a new term. Sometimes it’s hard to know where to start! Wait, what happens when it’s before the term starts? Can we help our students prepare for their classes ahead of time and maybe ease their mind a little bit? How about a Canvas email to your students that introduces them before the term starts to their upcoming class. You could include information about if the class is published already, even if it’s just the welcome page and what OSU Ecampus calls the “Start Here” module that includes information about the class (syllabus) and resources that they have access to as Ecampus students. In that same email, you can help them to figure out where they should start. By telling them directly, and maybe even providing a link, you can give them the information to get started with less anxiety as they know they’re starting where you think they should.

Inspire them

Your excitement about working with them often evokes excitement and positive anticipation of a great class. Share with them a quote or why you love this topic and maybe give them an interesting fact that can pique their curiosity. The point here is to get them inspired and excited to learn.

Example

Dear Students,

Welcome to QLT 123: Introduction to Quilting! My name is Professor Seam and I’ll be your instructor for this online course. We are going to learn so much this term, the first three months of quilting are simply mind-blowing as you move from not knowing how to start to drafting a mockup of one you’d like to make, and finishing your first quilt! We’ll explore the basics, you’ll have opportunities to show off your success and funny failures (because guess what, they happen!) and in the end, you’ll get to showcase all of your hard work in your finished quilt. Guess what? There are no textbooks for this class! Instead, you get order in some fun fabric (but not yet!) Hop into our Canvas site and take a look at the syllabus, find resources for support if you are in need, introduce yourself in the first discussion board and take a look at what’s in the first module. We’ll start next week when the term begins so get ready to sew the seams of creativity because you’ve just started the most sew-perb quilting class and I can’t wait to embark on this journey with you.
-Professor Seam

Share out!

Got a great welcome message? Share with us in the comments!