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Remote Communication With Your Students
This quick guide provides an introduction to communicating with your students as you move to remote teaching. It outlines key steps to Plan, Modify, and Implement when making this move to optimize student learning. As with any steps you take in moving to remote teaching, it’s important to anchor your decisions in course learning objectives and to be transparent, flexible, and generous with students.
Plan
Michigan State University has shifted to remote teaching, which means your course will be moving to a digital environment. Remote teaching is a way to continue instruction when face-to-face meetings are disrupted and you are not able to meet in person. When planning for remote teaching, it’s important to develop a communication plan for helping students transition to a remote environment.
Modify
It is important that you develop a communication plan for maintaining ongoing contact with your students about the course. Consider the following:
- Clarify your modified expectations and course elements:
- When your class will meet. Schedule any virtual sessions during the time your course already meets. This guarantees that students have the availability.
- How you will deliver content (e.g. Zoom, recorded lectures, etc.).
- How students will engage with one another.
- How students will be assessed moving forward.
- Changes to assignments.
- Tell students how they can contact you and how soon they can expect a reply from you.
- Consider using the D2L announcements and discussion board tools to push out course-level communications.
Even if you have not yet finalized all the changes to your course, it is important to send a message to your students so they know how to reach you. To get started, here is a sample email you might send:
Dear [insert course name here] students,
I’m writing to let you know that the University is implementing a remote teaching strategy in response to the novel coronavirus. What this means for you is that we will not be meeting at our normal class location. Instead, we will meet online at the same time our class normally meets. However, I will be hosting the class through Zoom. We will also be using our D2L course site to deliver and collect materials for the class. To access the course, go to https://d2l.msu.edu/. Once you log in with your NetID and password, you should see our course listed under “My Courses”.
Over the next few days, I will keep you informed about how our course experience will change. Know for now that we are planning to move forward with the course, and please be patient while we get things shifted for this new mode. I will be back in touch soon with more details.
Best,
[Insert your name]
Implement
As your initial form of communication with students, it is important to inform your class often about course changes and expectations. To send emails, you have several options:
- D2L email classlist function
- The Instructor Systems email tool from the Registrar’s website
- Spartan Mail for individual and small group communications
Additional Help
For additional help and support, please check out the other Remote Teaching articles here, or contact the MSU IT Service Desk at local (517) 432-6200 or toll free (844) 678-6200.
