Welcoming Students to your Synchronous Online Course
Even though fully online courses have been around for decades, students still struggle to know what to expect in these courses, resulting in frustration not only for them, but also for their instructors. The good news is that you can address these challenges before your course even begins by developing a communication plan that helps students feel welcomed to your course and prepares them for success.
An effective communication plan has two parts: (1) a welcome letter that introduces the course and invites students to share their feedback and concerns, and (2) a response to students’ input. This guide will prepare you to develop your own communication plan by outlining the purpose of these two elements of a good communication plan and providing examples of each element.
Part 1: Crafting a welcome letter
The best way to kick off your communication plan is to email a welcome letter to students before your course begins. An effective welcome letter helps you do three key things.
Welcome students and describe your plan for their learning.
Start your letter by letting students know that you are looking forward to working with them and that you have thoughtfully structured the course with their learning in mind. After that, include a brief description of how the course is structured, what kind of assignments they will complete each week (e.g., in-class learning activities, readings, completing writing assignments, etc.), and how they might plan that work. You may also want to share information about any special aspects of the course that students tend to find particularly exciting (e.g., an assignment or project that students always enjoy) to help build enthusiasm for the course.
Clarify what a synchronous online course requires.
After providing a broad introduction, give students information that will help them understand the fully online synchronous modality and how their experience in your course will be similar to and different from experiences they have had taking in-person courses. For example, explain to students that even though the online course provides flexibility in that they don’t have to come to campus, they still must commit to attending and participating in class meetings at a specific time throughout the course. This means they should expect to participate in learning activities and discussions during class meetings just like they would in an in-person class and that you will expect them to be seen and heard during class. This means they should be devoting class meeting times to class, not working, driving, actively caring for a family member, etc.
Seek students’ feedback.
After describing your plans for students’ learning and the course modality, the letter should invite them to share their own concerns or questions. Initiating this conversation about students’ learning—and explicitly inviting students into that conversation—makes them feel like they belong before the course begins. Moreover, asking students to share their concerns helps them see that you care about them. Both these feelings are essential to students’ success in your course.
Sample language for a welcome letter
Make sure to adapt this letter to fit your course context and personalize it to match your voice!
Dear students,
I hope this email finds you well. I am reaching out to help you plan for the course you will be starting with me in a couple of weeks. I’m writing to check in, tell you a little bit about our course, and gather some information from you that I can use to make sure this semester is successful for you and all students!
First, because this is a fully online synchronous course, we will have regular class meetings just like an in-person class, but we will meet virtually on Zoom. While all our contact will be virtual, I am making plans to ensure that the course will provide you with rich, meaningful interactions with me and with your peers in support of your learning. The schedule published in the course syllabus will provide more detailed information about the work you will be doing regularly.
If you haven’t taken fully online synchronous courses before (or even if you have!), it’s useful to get a clear sense of what this means for your learning. Below I have articulated some expectations that can help you plan to be successful.
- This course will require you to dedicate time and attention to class meetings. While a synchronous online course gives you the flexibility of not coming to campus, you need to plan for class time just as you would for an in-person class. This class will be highly participatory, and I will want to both see you and hear from you during class time. You can’t be successful in the course if you try to attend class while engaging in other activities (like working, driving, actively caring for a family member, etc.).
- This course will require you to attend class from an appropriate space. Because you will need to pay attention in class just like you would if the class were meeting in person, you’ll need to identify a quiet space away from interruptions during class time. If you think this will be a challenge for you, please let me know and I can help you make a good decision about a space where you can attend class.
- This course will require you to have access to a reliable high-speed internet connection during class time. Because you will be expected to participate during class, it’s important that you have strong connectivity.
Now that you know a little bit more about how we’ll be learning together this semester, it’s time for me to ask you some questions so that I have the right information to ensure that our course is successful. Please reply to this email and share your answers to these questions.
- What kind of device will you be using to attend class and do your work? Have you had any problems using that device to attend classes remotely or to use Brightspace or to do other required work?
- Are you the only person using this device? If you have to share this device with another person, what concerns do you have?
- Do you have reliable high-speed internet so that you can attend class and access course materials in Brightspace? Please describe any concerns you have about your internet access.
- Do you have work, family, or other obligations that could interfere with the time you need to attend or prepare for class? Please describe any concerns you have about your schedule and time commitments.
- What other concerns or questions do you have? Please share with me any challenges you may be facing in the coming semester or in this course.
Thank you for taking time to answer my questions. Knowing about your concerns and questions before the semester begins will help me as I finalize my plans for your learning in the course. I’m excited to work with you, and I wish you a restful remainder of your break! Be in touch!
Part 2: Using and responding to the information you gather from students
It’s important to have a plan for how you will learn from what students tell you and respond to any questions or concerns that arise. In some cases, the information students provide may require you to make some small changes in how you approach teaching the course. If students bring up very specific, personal concerns, you may want to address those individually with an email or an invitation to your office hours. If you see similar concerns across several surveys, you may want to respond to the entire class with an email or announcement addressing those concerns. Below you’ll find guidance about some common survey responses and how you can respond to students in helpful ways.
- Some students may not have a reliable device, have limited access to a device, or certain software does not run on their device.
If this is the case, begin by normalizing these challenges to keep students from feeling embarrassed. Then troubleshoot specific needs students have, such as not being able to run required software, by contacting ITS or colleagues to find a workaround. Communicate this plan and the resulting recommendations to students. - Some students may have concerns about their internet connection.
If this is the case, begin by normalizing these challenges to keep students from feeling embarrassed. Reassure students that you will work with them to troubleshoot issues that arise and find ways to ensure they can participate in class meetings if they have to temporarily turn off their video feed to maintain their connection. You may offer to have a Zoom meeting with them before the semester begins to test out their connection and identify any potential problems before they arise. - Some students may have concerns about other obligations that may interfere with their work in your course.
If this is the case, begin by normalizing these challenges to keep students from feeling embarrassed. Remind students of the ways that you have designed the course to help them manage the workload and prepare for major assessments and assignments. Make sure that the course schedule is clear and show students how they can use that schedule to manage their time and efforts. If a student describes a conflict that seems to make it impossible for them to be successful in your course, you may want to reach out to them and learn more. There may be cases in which you should suggest that they consider taking the course at another time.