Let's Teach!
First Day or Earlier
- Publish your course!
First Week?
- Post Welcome and Getting Started announcement(s)
- Post announcement regarding any immediate activities intended to help students get to know one another.
- Check the People page for students who have not accessed the course and reach out to them via email or the Canvas inbox.
- Invite students to use the Frequently Asked Questions board (and redirect email and other inquiries there when possible).
Ongoing Throughout Term
- Maintain contact with your students. Check-in at least twice per week using announcements.
- Consider a weekly, predictable announcement reinforcing key activities, assessments, materials, and common questions.
- Contact students who are struggling. Connect learners to learner-centered, self-help resources (available in the "Enhancing Your Performance As a Student" module page if you are using the course template, and/or use the Academic Alert system. You can also use the "message students who" tool in Canvas to send nudges on missing assignments or praise to students who perform well on assignments and assessments.
- Continually remind students of office hours, FAQ, or similar discussion board, and other means of getting help.
- Update the grade book regularly and consistently.
- Monitor discussions and, ideally participate in them.
- Provide recognition: reach out to individuals; highlight and emphasize exemplary individual and group work.
- Allow for (anonymous) student feedback about the course and its delivery. You can do this multiple times. And make visible how you respond to the feedback you find productive and useful.
Final Week and Finals Week
- Post an announcement with deadlines for remaining activities, revisions, extra credit opportunities, etc.
- Encourage students to complete the end of the class evaluation. Post the link to the survey as an announcement. Remind them that their input helps you, the instructor, improve the course for future students.
- Remind students about finals format, time, technical requirements, etc.
- Submit your final grades via GradePage in MyUW by the deadline.
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