We found 15 results that contain "communication"

Messaging your students early in the semester is essential. For initial communication use the "email student in a class" tool on the RO site to ensure you're contacting 100% of your students via their preferred contact information. It's especially important that you communicate A) where class will convene, B) when class will convene, C) what your expectations for the first 3 weeks of class are, and 4) a brief introduction of yourself. It is also wise to attach a copy of your syllabus to this note, if you see fit.

This tool provides the highest level of certainty that you will be communicating with the most accurate roster of your students, and that the message will be delivered to their preferred email address. Once you meet as a class and have time to establish communication norms you can communicate using whatever tool is best for your class.

The tool can be found in Instructor Systems on the registrar's site (reg.msu.edu). You'll need to login with your MSU ID to access the tool.

 

Click on the attached to find an accessible PDF of the MSU Remote Communications with Students Quick Guide.

Erica Venton is a Marketing Manager for the Office of the Provost Communication Team. Their team works to develop and deliver daily content and communication strategies for the units we work with under the Provost Office umbrella. They collaborate university-wide, including with University Communication, on various large scale planning and projects. While our objective is to collaborate, strategize, and consult, we are committed to execution and implementation.

Erica and I have a network of relationships and resources across the university. Though our experiences and skill sets vary, we both find enjoyment in helping and encouraging people. Whether you are struggling, striving, or just searching for a great group to plug into, we can help you along the way. And hey, I’m sure you have a few ideas and bits of information to share with us too. Please feel free to add your own tips for us or others to utilize.

If ever you have utilized a collaborative approach in your courses, you might be familiar with the following. Sometime just after the middle of the semester, a student contacts you complaining about various problems and/or people within their team during the first nine or ten weeks of the term. Typically, it is clear from the language of such emails that these young adults want someone else to step in and address the litany of issues described. Yet a large part of student-centered learning is providing young minds with the tools necessary to help them navigate our courses with a reasonable amount of success as well as the skills necessary for our students to address any related interpersonal challenges. For many undergraduates in 2022, learning to manage the latter, in particular, is one area where guidance is often necessary. Here is the language I now use to provide helpful suggestions that keep students in the driver's seat without helicoptering in to the rescue myself:


Thank you for your email X. Your frustration is certainly understandable. The issue(s) you describe are something that the entire team should address together in order to determine a concrete and efficient way forward. Communication, problem solving, conflict resolution, and revision of team work habits or processes are all part of effective collaboration.

With that in mind, take a proactive approach to the points outlined in your email. That means ALL of you should collaborate to identify the exact problems hindering the team. A passive ‘wait and see’ approach will not change the situation. Neither will a round of strident text messages or email back and forth between team members. What will help is for all team members to prioritize a meeting in real time plus their direct involvement in making concrete decisions to improve the dynamic and move ahead in the most efficient way possible.

Whether your team meets online or face to face, have an honest yet civil discussion to determine and implement the changes team members deem necessary. This is not easy, but it is vital for improving the situation. Positive change in a team setting comes through strategic, organized, and well-executed plans with specific goals identified and carried out in an orderly manner.

Beginning this sort of conversation might feel uncomfortable, but it is necessary. Contact your other team members right away. Arrange a meeting in real time to pinpoint and address the ongoing issues within the team. Brief explainer videos, part of each course module, provide tips for effective collaboration, but here are three for review that are most relevant:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDX61xCHN74&t=58s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BghSivQlhVY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIuTi83L0vE


It is also beneficial for the entire team to revisit its list of values developed early in the semester plus the specific member roles determined at that point. These tasks were part of Week Three team activities when weekly collaboration began. Likewise, have a look again at your collective responses to questions on the team assessment worksheets, part of the collaborative work for Week Six and Week 11. On those, your team took stock of its processes and work habits followng completion of Project #1 and Project #2. Your team also identified collective steps it could take to improve collaboration as part of that work.

Keep in mind that active collaboration to address team issues is solid practice for life in the globalized digital economy of the 21st century where 'teams' are the norm. In most fields now, no single person is responsible for project research, development, and completion. Cohesive teamwork is the name of the game.

Careful attention to the guidance above will help your team have a productive discussion, pull together, and move forward more effectively in the time remaining this semester. Your student learning team is in the driver’s seat and has the power to do this.

Kind Regards,

Prof. Y



Keep in mind that the intent is to guide and empower young adults in navigating their own lives. The language offered above might be too forthright for some, but it gets to the heart of the matter and communicates to students that their interpersonal issues are something they must learn to handle now if they have not already done so. After all, the adult world following graduation is not that far off, and we do our students no favors by taking care of their problems for them.

The language presented works for individual queries but can also be sent to the entire student learning team as a reminder with appropriate changes made. If this idea sounds like something you might like to try yourself, feel free to tailor the reply above to your own needs.

ELLIE - I had an amazing experiential learning experience (HA) as an undergrad at MSU, but I lucked into it. It just so happened to be amazing (but I didn't sign up for it because I knew it was experiential). Do you have suggestions for A) educators to communicate if/how their offerings are experiential or B) how learners can find such offerings?

MSU University Communications has posted a great resource on guidelines for using generative AI. This guide is a great place to start exploring potential uses of AI in your instructional practice. Further, this guide offers some descriptions and explanations of terms you may have encountered, but are not fully sure of the meaning. You will want to keep this guide as a resource to share with others who are interested in AI, but don't know where to begin -https://comms.msu.edu/resources/use-of-ai -

AI Commons Bulletin 1/27/2025
Human-curated news about generative AI for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education.

🎭 AI Can Role Play with Students
Creating AI-powered personas is now easier, enabling students to practice communicating with specific individuals like a boss, client, or even an injured person requiring emergency medical assistance.
Learn More: https://teams.microsoft.com/l/message/19:mPsjLgF9cSWjMOuyq4MgyL7R3OZR2BetLpENn7G0N5k1@thread.tacv2/1737984638529?tenantId=22177130-642f-41d9-9211-74237ad5687d&groupId=518d739a-4a75-49d3-bff7-a0be2e362aab&parentMessageId=1737984638529&teamName=AI%20Commons&channelName=AI%20Commons%20Bulletin&createdTime=1737984638529&ngc=true&allowXTenantAccess=true

💬 Breaking Down AI Controversies
This resource explores the major debates surrounding AI, including its ethical implications, impact on creativity, and potential for misinformation. Use it to spark meaningful classroom discussions or build critical thinking assignments.
Learn More: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qesxRSOZSlECOWvFJX-XOBuXL3iTmMnTHKihz4-81TY/edit?tab=t.0

✔️ Try This: Use AI to Check Your Grading
Grading essays can raise consistency concerns. Upload papers and grades, and AI can check for consistency. Use MSU’s CoPilot for secure student record handling.
Learn More: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2501.06461

🗺️ A Custom AI Chatbot Can Help Incoming Students Navigate Student Services
The University of the South Pacific (Fiji) offers new students an AI chatbot for orientation, answering service questions and helping with literacy, numeracy, and digital skills for their courses.
Learn More: https://jehe.globethics.net/article/view/6867/6023

Bulletin items compiled by MJ Jackson and Sarah Freye with production assistance from Lisa Batchelder. Get the AI-Commons Bulletin on our Microsoft Teams channel, at aicommons.commons.msu.edu, or by email (send an email to aicommons@msu.edu with the word “subscribe”).

Hello and welcome all!

The 2024 Educator Developers Network (EDN) is shaking and baking, moving and quaking!

This is a collaborative space for anyone passionate about improving teaching through effective design, pedagogy, and technology, and anyone who provides training, consultation, instructional/learning experience design, or other learning and development support to instructors on campus. Here, anybody with an interest in enhancing education can come together, share their experiences, and mutually learn from one another. Our synchronous meetings are the 1st Tuesday of every month, were people share their department’s work, ask for advice, or celebrate success. We also communicate asynchronously in our Educator Developers Network channel.

The goals of the network are to provide a dedicated location for people to share ideas and ask questions around instructor support, learning and development, promoting useful practices and ideas to campus at large, foster community through regular meetings that highlight accomplishments and central services, and archiving and externalizing conversations. Our asynchronous discussions occur in Microsoft Teams, where we have an initial structure of channels for members to explore MSU’s Learning Management System (D2L - Brightspace), discuss course design, or seek out technology recommendations and tips. Ultimately, EDN is a place to source answers to your questions or ask for help, participate in the community, and share what you know with others!

Come share your work and ideas! Be part of a learning community with other professional in learning development, training, design, pedagogy, technology, and anyone who provides consultations and instructional/learning experience design. Come join the network!

Join the Educator Developers Network

https://teams.microsoft.com/l/team/19%3ae51cb2ed28a14bee8346fa507cff42ad%40thread.skype/conversations?groupId=13506591-8eca-4a14-a674-69a08dfd6020&tenantId=22177130-642f-41d9-9211-74237ad5687d