ALIGNED: Instructor initiates contact prior to or at the beginning of the course.
The purpose of this communication is to welcome the students, establish a comfortable class environment, introduce the class syllabus, log-in details, protocols, and/or establish a weekly routine.
The Welcome Letter is intended to support students in accessing the course and participating in the first week. The letter ideally contains important preliminary information about the instructor, Canvas, the course, and initial activities. It's not meant to serve the function of a syllabus, though. You want it to be welcoming, not overwhelming!
We recommend that the letter be archived in the course in an easy-to-locate spot (most likely your Orientation module). While the information will be redundant to most students, it may be critical to late adds and other students who, for whatever reason, didn't receive the pre-course email.
- Copy your preferred message and paste onto a page in your Orientation/Getting Started module.
- Personalize it as appropriate.
The RED ALL CAPS text indicates where you'll insert your specific details. The YELLOW HIGHLIGHT indicates where you'll insert a link to within your course. Remove the red text and highlight formatting before publishing the page.
It's recommended this initial message be sent via email (outside of the LMS) since not all students may have confirmed their Canvas email and so won't receive messages/announcements sent via Canvas.
Example 1 -
We are using the Canvas course management system for this course. Please see the [YOUR SCHOOL'S CANVAS HELP PAGE] webpage, which provides instructions for logging in, finding your course, and confirming your email to receive Canvas notifications.
Your first due date for this course is [DATE/TIME]. I recommend that you log in to Canvas now to read the Syllabus and participate in the Check-in Discussion, which is in the Modules area of the course. The course navigation menu includes links to the Syllabus and to Modules.
NOTE: If your college's webpage doesn't include details on how to log into Canvas, be sure to add that to your welcome message. New students may not know how to find that information.
Example 2 -
Good afternoon, and welcome to your [YOUR COURSE TITLE]!
My name is [YOUR NAME] and I will be your instructor for the course. I am looking forward to a terrific semester with you.
I want to welcome everyone, and I would encourage you to post a short informal hello message in the "Introductions" discussion forum to let me know you received my welcome message, and to briefly introduce yourself to your fellow classmates.
Although the official start date for the course is not until [DATE], all students (who have officially registered) now have access to the [COURSE NAME] Canvas course site, so feel free to start exploring our online learning environment. All details of the course can be found within the online course site, syllabus and modules. I also wanted to take a moment to post a couple of points as we get started.
This course will have regular weekly assignments due, weekly online discussions forums, as well as readings and course materials. This is not a self-paced course--it's important that you keep on top of the weekly reading and assignments!
Each of you must manage your own time each week to know when assignments, and any other weekly course obligations, are due. This will involve regularly logging into Canvas to check discussion forums and communications, monitoring your campus email address, and virtually interacting with classmates, team members, instructors, and course materials.
At this point, I suggest the following actions:
- Log into Canvas [LINK TO YOUR SCHOOL'S CANVAS LOG IN PAGE] and begin to familiarize yourself with the Canvas learning management system and the [YOUR COURSE TITLE] course site
- Make sure you've confirmed your email address in the Canvas system so you can receive messages and announcements I'll be sending
- Check out your Canvas Calendar for assignment due dates so you can plan your semester accordingly. You can access the Calendar from the left-hand global navigation bar.
- Submit your first assignment--introducing yourself in the Check-In Discussion--by [DAY/TIME].
- Read through the Syllabus [LINK TO YOUR SYLLABUS] so you know the rhythm of course, and what is expected.
As you get started, I'm happy to answer any questions that may arise, or point you to our tech support for more technical questions. Please post your specific questions about the class in the Getting Started forum [OR WHATEVER YOUR Q&A DISCUSSION IS TITLED]. I will send a Lesson 01 announcement on Monday, the official course start date.
I look forward to working with you this semester and getting off to a strong start!
Best,
~ YOUR NAME