Orienting Students to the Remote Learning Environment
Let’s talk about one of the most effective ways to help learners succeed in our courses—orienting students to remote learning in general and your course in particular.
In a face-to-face class, you can take the first day to go over the syllabus, how the course will work, your policies, and help your students get to know each other. Because the remote environment is different, every remote course should contain an orientation to help students know what to expect and how to navigate the course. When students feel comfortable with the technology as well as what is expected of them they are more likely to participate and learn.
Standard Elements of an Orientation
Welcome Email and Announcement
This email, sent out a few days before class starts, can let them know where to go to access the class and how to jump into the course. You might also want to remind them of your contact information, the IT help desk number, the Canvas help line number, and when their next assignment is due.
Also, answer questions that students may have about how the course will work. Here is list of possible questions:
What does “class” look like?
Provide a general description so students can visualize engaging in the course. Will they be listening to audio or video lectures, submitting assignments through Canvas, participating in Webex or Microsoft Teams meetings, or answering discussion board questions?
Will I need to participate in the class at specific times?
Make sure students know whether/when they should schedule to participate synchronously and that they know what tools they need.
What are the expectations for completing coursework?
Explain how students are expected to complete/submit assignments and where to look for due dates.
How will I take my exams? What about my labs?
Provide specific details on how exams or labs are to be completed. If any exams or labs are postponed or cancelled, include details.
Is there an attendance/participation grade?
If you grade attendance or participation, explain how that will work. Click here Links to an external site. to learn more about how to use the attendance tool in Canvas.
Web Conferencing Software
When using a Web Conferencing program like Webex or Microsoft Teams, be sure to orient your students to the specific setup that you are using for your class so they know how to log in to your web conference. You can add something like the following to your orientation or home page:
For a quick tutorial on how to use webex, please watch this video Links to an external site.. (This video starts by showing how to access the meeting from an email. You may be accessing it inside of Canvas instead. The rest of the video that shows how to use webex is mostly the same no matter how to get to the meeting.)
You can look at a tutorial about using audio and video (Links to an external site.), choosing audio or video options before the meeting (Links to an external site.), or one about troubleshooting audio problems (Links to an external site.). You can also contact SLCC's help desk, (801) 957-5555, for help.
They will also need reminders of exactly the days and times you will meet. They may have forgotten or not understood that they signed up for that specific meeting time when registering for the course.
If you need more information about Web Conferencing programs, how to use them, and what you might want to let students know about them, there is a Web Conferencing Software module later in this Canvas course.
Set Expectations Early
Most of our students are familiar with the layout of Canvas. However, students don’t have a teacher in front of the room telling them what to do, so you need you to make your expectations clear.
Syllabus
The syllabus may change between your face-to-face and remote course. Make sure to include the Institutional Syllabus (or a copy of the same information) in yours, just as you would for a face-to-face course. The syllabus should include your expectations for student participation. Be sure to reiterate that there are regular deadlines and that you still expect regular participation each week and any other specific requirements.
Course Structure and Navigation
Students may need a virtual tour of your course to help them navigate it. Canvas provides an Overview (students) Links to an external site. video to help with basic navigation, but you might have to provide more specifics. A good thing to remember when talking about the structure of the course is to make sure they know about any content pages you have. From face-to-face classes, many students are used to just skipping right to the assignments tab in the course navigation menu and so miss all of the content pages that are in an online course.
Time permitting, it may be helpful to provide students with a sample study and/or assignment schedule.
Additional Technology Requirements, Skills, and Support
Many students are unsure of what technology outside of the internet or Canvas or web conferencing software is used in a remote course. If your course requires the use of other software, apps, tools, etc., it is important to let them know early on in the course so that they can prepare. Some examples of this are LumenOHM, publisher materials, Kaltura, Microsoft Office (that students can get for free Links to an external site.), Quizlet, etc.
Academic and Student Support Services
At SLCC, many of these important resources for students are already gathered together in the institutional syllabus that is continually updated with the latest information. You can refer students to the institutional syllabus (the document icon in the far-left course navigation menu) to make sure they know about these resources.
Optional Elements
The following items may be helpful but optional to include as you are orienting your students to the remote learning environment.
Practice Assignments
Creating a practice assignment allows students to try any technology specific to your course (LumenOHM, graphing software, etc.) before they have to do it for an actual assignment. It takes the pressure off of learning a new tool and trying to learn new content at the same time. It can relieve student anxiety.
“Any Questions?” Discussion Board
Students frequently have questions about content, assignments, policies, etc. This optional discussion board is worth zero points and allows student to ask general course questions where you can answer them for the whole class to see. If a student emails you individually with a good question, you can also ask the student to post it on the board so that everyone will have the answer.