I use activities and digital tools to build community with and amongst students.
As a teacher, there are a few things you can do to facilitate cohesion and connect with your students. For example, be available and accessible. Start your online classes a few minutes early and welcome your students by name as they enter. Stay around for a few minutes after class to give students the opportunity to ask questions.
Check-in Activities
You can also start your online lessons with a check-in. A check-in is a fun activity that involves everyone and gets everyone ready to engage in the lesson.
Check out lots of ideas here:
- Schoolmakers: 15 manieren voor een online check in.
- This book, available online for a few euros, is another rich resource: msteeneveld.nl – online-werkvormen
During the Lesson
Also consider how activities during class can contribute to cohesion. Organize changing groups so students interact with more people in the class, have activities where they share their opinion, or work together to give peer feedback.
Release Conditions
Via release conditions you can automatically send students emails based on the completion of selected criteria, such as a completed activity or assignment. This increases your presence and opportunities for connection. For example, you can make an announcement or email message that acknowledges receipt of an assignment and gives information of what feedback will be ready when. You can personalize the message by using strings such as {firstname}.
Intelligent Agents
Intelligent Agents are also available in Brightspace. Like release conditions, you set the criteria for an automatic action to happen. With Intelligent Agents, you can organize emails to be sent to students who haven’t logged on in a certain number of days or who haven’t completed any tasks. In addition, you could send automatic reminder emails about upcoming due dates or you could send yourself an email when students have or have not submitted work. At the moment, Intelligent Agents are available for Faculty Admin, so ask your icto collaegues about the possibilities.