A welcome call is important, but sometimes it is not possible to reach the student. I've made it a policy in my new courses to also send a personalized welcome message to each student. I've found that the students really appreciate the personal touch, and many reply in kind. I've found that since I've started doing this, my attendance and assignment submission rate has greatly improved.
Karissa,
Being clear in communicating the learning outcomes is first and foremost. Connecting the assignments to the learning outcomes and including learning outcomes in the rubrics is necessary. Keep trying.
