During the first week the instructor …

Completed

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Managerial

Contact missing students to encourage their participation.

Minimize delays for students adding the course late to gain access to course materials.

Provide support information when needed, e.g., how to get remote access to the library, register for credit/no credit, drop the course, or use publisher’s study materials.

Social

Provide a personal and welcoming introduction to develop a personal presence.

Design a forum for students to post introductions and share experiences. Respond to each student’s introduction.

Encourage students to share pictures or other representations (e.g., avatars) of themselves. The 'Roster Tool' in Blackboard makes this easy to do.

Model discussion response behavior and tone. Use a conversational tone for responses that is inviting, personal, friendly, and encouraging.

Use humor sparingly and carefully; use emoticons to express jesting.

Invite and encourage students to use online office hours and/or to make appointments.

Add a social forum for non-class related topics.

Pedagogical

Create an ice breaker activity related to a course key objective or concept.

Communicate with students daily to maintain a positive rapport.

Determine areas in which students need to improve and notifiy students.

Challenge the students by asking questions which apply to the readings and communicating high expectations.

Technical

Provide detailed tutorial links and/or instructions on using the technology within the assignment information to help the students feel comfortable with the technology.

Assist students with login/access difficulties or refer them to the appropriate support contacts.