5. Identify strategies to build your Communication Plan

The purpose of the Communication module is to present communication strategies and to help you get started building your communication plan – before you begin teaching.   

“How you communicate with your students and the methods you use to communicate can make a difference in whether or not a student is successful in your class” Sandra Mitchell-Holder  

Communication will help foster a sense of community in your class, which will help students feel connected to you and fellow classmates. To keep your students feeling connected and engaged throughout the course, maintain multiple means of establishing communication and conversation. Think about the assessment strategies for your course as you plan your communication and community-building strategies.

frog using cellphone outside of a yellow phonebooth

 Video Instruction

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Additional Videos

Resources

The Canvas Course Wizard guides you through setting up your course and building a custom template that you download from Canvas Commons and import into your Canvas course. The Canvas Course Wizard can save you a little time, incorporates Universal Design for Learning, and contains everything needed to meet the course overview and introductions standards outlined in the Quality Matters Course Design Rubric. 

The Canvas Course Wizard offers a Start Here module that will assist you in incorporating communication and community-building opportunities in your course.  

Visit the Class Communication Overview in the ECU Getting Started with Canvas course to learn about Announcements, The Canvas Inbox and Discussions. 

The Canvas Course Evaluation Checklist v2.0 includes several criteria related to communication, ranging from Foundational to Exemplary.   

  • Foundational: Instructor has provided contact information which may include biography, availability information, communication preferences, response time, and picture. 
  • Essential: Learning activities include student-student interaction to foster a sense of community (e.g. discussions, constructive collaboration, and peer reviews). UDL 8.3 Foster collaboration and community  
  • Essential: Learning activities include student-teacher interaction (e.g. teacher is actively engaged in authentic conversations and provides quality feedback). UDL 8.3 Foster collaboration and community  
  • Essential: Learning activities include student-content interaction (e.g. students interact with engaging content and resources) and provide opportunities for self-assessment. UDL 8.3 Foster collaboration and community ↠ UDL 9.3 Develop self-assessment and reflection 
  • Best Practice: There is a “Welcome” or “Let’s Get Acquainted” discussion designed to build a sense of community and establish rapport. UDL 8.3 Foster collaboration and community 

Visit the Discussion Forums Teaching Idea Spark for additional resources for building class discussions. 

Visit the Facilitating Synchronous Conversations Teaching Idea Spark for fresh ideas on creating rich synchronous dialog and increasing student engagement. 

Netiquette Example: 

  • We have a diverse group of people from many linguistic backgrounds, political views, and cultures. Please be courteous of these differences in your posts and discussions. Keep all debates professional without personal attacks. 
  • Use good taste when composing your responses in the chat room and discussion forums. Swearing, profanity, and slang are unprofessional in this classroom environment. 
  • DON’T USE ALL CAPITAL LETTERS. Not only is it difficult to read, but it is viewed as aggressive and shouting. 
  • Acronyms are fast ways to communicate with peers, but before you write them, define them.  Write the meaning first, then put the abbreviation in parentheses afterward. After you define it, use it freely throughout your discussion. 
  • Use proper grammar and spelling. In this professional environment, we do not use texting abbreviations. 

ECU Supported Communication Tools: 

  • Canvas 
  • Webex – can be used for Office Hours, live and recorded class meetings 
  • Microsoft Teams – can be used for Office Hours, live and recorded class meetings 

 

Articles: 

DeWaard, Helen, et al. “Let’s Talk: Effectively Communicating with Your Online Students.” Humanizing Online Teaching and Learning, Whitney Kilgore, 14 Nov. 2016, humanmooc.pressbooks.com/chapter/lets-talk-effectively-communicating-with-your-online-students/.  

Videos: 

Try it

Decide how you will accomplish each type of communication in your course.

  • Student to Instructor
  • Student to Student
  • Student to Class
  • Office Hours
  • Course Discussions
  • Group Work

 

Module 6 – Explore Ways to Deliver Lab Experiences