An introduction to the instructor offers students a window into your experience and expertise and helps to establish you as a learning resource. Establishing your instructor presence as early on as possible is especially important for online courses as it can help to mitigate the distance students can feel between themselves, the course, and you. Your introduction can also set the tone for the students’ learning experience and serve as a model for students.

Resources

• Quality Matters 1.8 – “The self-introduction by the instructor is professional and is available online.”
• OSCQR Standard #10 – “Course provides contact information for instructor, department, and program.” 
• OSCQR Standard #40 – “Learners have an opportunity to get to know the instructor.”
• Five Strategies for Enhancing Instructor Presence in Online Courses. University of Houston.
• Jaggars, S.S., Edgecombe, N., and Stacey, G. W. (2013). Creating an Effective Online Instructor Presence. Community College Research Center Teachers College, Columbia University.

Research

• Anderson, T. (2004). Teaching in an online learning context. In Anderson, T. and Elloumi, F. (eds.) Theory and Practice of Online Learning (4th ed., pp. 273-293). Athabasca, Ca: Athabasca University.
• Aragon, S. R. (2003). Creating social presence in online environments. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 2003: 57–68.
• Garrison, D. R., Anderson, T., & Archer, W. (2000). Critical inquiry in a text-based environment: Computer conferencing in higher education. The Internet and Higher Education, 2(2-3), 87-105.
• McGuire, B. (2016). Integrating the Intangibles into Asynchronous Online Instruction: Strategies for Improving Interaction and Social Presence. Journal of Effective Teaching, 16(3), 62-75.

Regardless of modality, students need to know where to go to learn. This includes building and classroom number (if face-to-face), information about how to access the course in iCollege, and registration information if any additional platforms (publisher or other 3rd party) are required for the course. Providing these instructions explicitly and repeatedly during all early course communications will increase students’ early attendance and engagement and decrease the chances of students being lost at the beginning of the semester.

Resources

• Quality Matters 1.1 – ” Instructions make clear how to get started and where to find various course components.”
• OSCQR Standard #7 – “Course information states whether the course is fully online, blended, or web-enhanced.”
• CETLOE: Getting to Know iCollege

Research

• Cavanagh, Thomas B. (2012). The Postmodality Era: How “Online Learning” Is Becoming “Learning” in Game Changers: Education and Information Technologies. Edited by Diana G. Oblinger. EDUCAUSE.

Do not assume that students know how to log into and access course content in iCollege. Previous college experience, or lack thereof, is not necessarily an indicator of a student’s ability to engage with online content. In all early course communications, provide a link to the course and a link to student-facing instructions for accessing iCollege. If any publisher or other 3rd party platforms are required for the course, include instructions for how students can register for access to that content, including costs. Providing these instructions explicitly and repeatedly during all early course communications will increase students’ early attendance and engagement and decrease the chances of students being lost at the beginning of the semester.

Resources

• Quality Matters 1.1 – ” Instructions make clear how to get started and where to find various course components.”
• CETLOE – Logging into iCollege
• GSU Technology Services – For Students: iCollege Support
• GSU Technology Services – iCollege Documentation for Students

If you have expectations about students’ skills in navigating and interacting with digital information or minimum technology requirements (software or hardware), make those explicit and clear to students before classes start so that students can assess their own readiness for your course. If there are support resources available to students, be sure to highlight those as well. Frequent reminders throughout the course about the available support resources will also encourage students to take charge of their own preparedness.

Resources

• Recommended Technology for Using iCollege
• iCollege Documentation for Students
• Setting Up iCollege Text Notifications 
• Enabling iCollege Mail Forwarding.
• GSU Helpdesk for iCollege Assistance 
• D2L Help Center (iCollege help outside of GSU Helpdesk hours)
• CETLOE Student Resources for Learning Remotely
• Online Success Strategies (PDF)
• Online Learning Questions Answered (Videos)
• Quality Matters 1.5 – “Minimum technology requirements for the course are clearly stated, and information on how to obtain the technologies is provided.”
• Quality Matters 1.6 – “Computer skills and digital information literacy skills expected of the learner are clearly stated.”
• OSCQR Standard #8 – “Appropriate methods and devices for accessing and participating in the course are communicated (mobile, publisher websites, secure content, pop-ups, browser issue, microphone, webcam).”
• OSCQR Standard #11 – “Requisite skills for using technology tools (websites, software, and hardware) are clearly stated and supported with resources.”

Research

• Magda, A. J., & Aslanian, C. B. (2018). Online college students 2018: Comprehensive data on demands and preferences. Louisville, KY: The Learning House, Inc.
• Shackel, B. (2004). A user’s experience. British Journal of Educational Technology, 35(5), 645-656.

Early access to all learning materials is key for students to have their best shot at success in a course. Try to provide instructions about how to access required texts and any course-specific technologies or learning platform subscriptions before classes start, ideally via email to all registered students. This kind of information should also be provided in an iCollege welcome announcement. This advance notice will provide students the opportunity to make arrangements to access the materials they need ahead of time rather than scrambling after the course has already started and missing out on valuable learning time.

Resources

• OSCQR Standard #8 – “Appropriate methods and devices for accessing and participating in the course are communicated (mobile, publisher websites, secure content, pop-ups, browser issue, microphone, webcam).”

Our students lead active and busy lives and often have many obligations to balance outside of the classroom. When you provide a complete listing of all dates and times of any required synchronous or in-person attendance (class meetings, proctored exams, etc.) before the course starts, then you give them their best chance to make any needed accommodations to fully participate in your course. This is especially important if you plan to have regular synchronous sessions in a fully online course, as this could significantly impact a student’s schedule. If you need to make changes later, that is okay, but again, try to give your students as much notice as possible.

Resources

• Quality Matters 5.3 – “The instructor’s plan for interacting with learners during the course is clearly stated.”
• OSCQR Standard #7 – “Course information states whether the course is fully online, blended, or web-enhanced.”

Information about any course-specific costs (texts, technologies, learning platform subscriptions, etc.) should certainly be available to students in a syllabus, but calling out these costs in banner course notes or early course communications is also important. Students are often making complex financial decisions at the start of a semester and unexpected costs can cause significant stress that can negatively impact a student’s ability to engage early in the course. When you provide a complete accounting of any additional costs before the course starts, then you give them their best chance to make any needed accommodations to fully participate in your course.

Resources

• Quality Matters 1.1 – “Instructions make clear how to get started and where to find various course components.”
• Quality Matters 1.5 – “Minimum technology requirements for the course are clearly stated, and information on how to obtain the technologies is provided.”
• OSCQR Standard #8 – “Appropriate methods and devices for accessing and participating in the course are communicated (mobile, publisher websites, secure content, pop-ups, browser issue, microphone, webcam).”

Our students lead active and busy lives and often have many obligations to balance outside of the classroom. Students need to know what the modality (online, hybrid, or face-to-face) of a course will be and what that means in practice. If the course is online, are there still planned synchronous sessions or in-person proctoring requirements? If the course is face-to-face, are students expected to interact regularly with online components outside of scheduled class time? This is especially important if the course is labeled in banner as an “online” course and you still have required synchronous sessions. Clear and explicit reminders of the course modality before the course starts can help give students their best chance to make any needed accommodations to fully participate in your course.

Resources

• Quality Matters 5.3 – “The instructor’s plan for interacting with learners during the course is clearly stated.”
• OSCQR Standard #7 – “Course information states whether the course is fully online, blended, or web-enhanced.”

Research

• Cavanagh, Thomas B. (2012). The Postmodality Era: How “Online Learning” Is Becoming “Learning” in Game Changers: Education and Information Technologies. Edited by Diana G. Oblinger. EDUCAUSE.

Learning online may or may not be familiar to your students. We shouldn’t assume that our students are “digital natives” or that they are any more prepared to learn online than they would be in the classroom (and they might even be less prepared for the digital environment). Our student population is highly diverse, even down to experience with online learning. Our most successful students succeed in part because they have support. You are encouraged to provide students with strategies that can help them learn successfully online. GSU and CETLOE have developed generic resources to support online learning, but you might also consider sharing with students what you think helps students be successful in your course.

Resources

• CETLOE Student Resources for Learning Remotely
• Online Success Strategies (PDF)
• Online Learning Questions Answered (Videos)
• OSCQR Standard #6 – “Course provides access to learner success resources (technical help, orientation, tutoring).”
• Quality Matters 7.3 – “Course instructions articulate or link to the institution’s academic support services and resources that can help learners succeed in the course.”
• Quality Matters 7.4 – “Course instructions articulate or link to the institution’s student services and resources that can help learners succeed.”