Welcoming each student personally
While I understand that welcoming each student to the course personally could possibly make a huge difference in their participation this seems rather time consuming especially when you have multiple classes starting at the same time. Would a group email welcoming them possibly achieve the same outcome. This is assuming in the email you introduce yourself and let them know you are available for questions by phone as well as email?
I love the idea of a personal e-mail to each student. I usually send one group e-mail to welcome them to the course, but I believe there can be many rewards from this practice.
Personalizing it with a statement for each individual student is a fantastic way to build engagement. Or including an attachment.
Another idea is creating a series of postcards themed to send through the student e-mail as we progress through the course.
We have emoticons in our e-mail system which are fun to use but crafting a more personalized series of messages at key points during the class is a fun idea I plan on trying out.
Dennis,
It would be a real "slap in the face" to ignore their response. It will damage your presence in the course and authority in the course if you are not interacting in meaningful ways.
Herbert Brown III
Agnes I agree asking a person a question and then ignoring their answer seems worse than doing nothing to me becasue no one likes being ignored and they probably then think "Why did you waste my time asking if you don't care".
Roland,
You have refined a very human and interactive method of introducing not only yourself but your course to your students. I like this personal touch because it starts student engagement right up front.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Transitioning from a face-to-face perspective to an online learning professor was not difficult for me. I simply use the way I communicated in a traditional classroom setting to online. It takes a little more effort--it is essentially what you are being paid for plus responding to EVERY student during dissusion posts in my opinion establishes the personal contact desired in a demanding, multiple online classroom environment. In announcements, at the beginning, I post a semi-detailed professional and personal biography and use first week discussions to establish individual contact. An individual email for each student when you have nearly 150 students is possible but extremely difficult within the first week.
Donald
Exactly I do a similar thing - try to find something in their biography that I can comment on so I can personalize my Welcome to the class message to each of them.
Dennis
Lakithia,
I commend you for your effort because this personal follow up is often what is needed to keep the student engaged and moving forward in his/her program.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I have found that students do not respond to group emails as well as personal emails. It is very time consuming to address each student by name but it is worth it. It shows them that you know who they are and that they matter. I feel that this is the best method.
The intro email is a great idea, as is welcoming students individually. Asking students to share their personal info, and then ignoring their answers creates a negative impression. Then, the students feel the introductions in the threads are just a formality, and nothing else. Student then have a harder time establishing a good rapport with the teacher/facilitator.
Responding and welcoming every student individually is key.
So is answering students' questions in a quick and efficient manner.
Audrey,
I like your "creative ways" idea (e-cards). Thnak you for sharing.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
I find that students are receptive to personal emails and group emails. I send e-cards to each students email address to get there attention. I think the key is to communicate often and in creative ways. This ensures that the student feels welcome.
Kenneth,
This is a good community building technique. Very nice.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
A group email will result in the same positive outcome, the key is communication. Also, I create an additional forum title, “Cyber Caféâ€. Within this forum, I provide a bio on myself and encourage the learners to do the same. This is of course a two-way street and learners are very excited and receptive in sharing their “storyâ€, which fosters a healthy dialogue. This forum also builds a sense of community.
Matthew,
It seems to work very well for many. Thank you for you contribution.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
I like using the group welcome email as well. In it, I introduce myself and the course specifics/expectations, and make sure students know that I am on their team and available to support them.
I understand the concern with time, especially when you have other classwork going on and many students to try and contact. I like the idea of the group intro email and then trying to connect with different students following this. One of the ideas given in the second module was to have students post a short bio of themselves and then try to read through those and respond to them. This would be somthing plausible perhaps, to have them post on the discussion board. You could then email them back individually trying to connect with something they said.
Donald,
Finding common ground (interests) is a supurb idea. I am sure it is a significant help for many students.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
From a student's autobiography, I try to find something that the student and I share. Then I comment on that issue, and welcome him or her to the class.
Kimberly ,
Very nice. It is uplifting, energetic and informative. Thank you for sharing.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
