Supporting Students

An inclusive learning environment is established when all students are supported in adapting to the structure, schedule, expectations, and technologies used in the course. Supporting students requires thorough communication about how the course is set up, what they have to do, how the course is run administratively, and what resources and services are available to help them succeed.

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Recommendation 2.3: Course Orientation & Syllabus

Provide resources that help students orient to your course successfully.

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Synopsis from Self-Review

Including an orientation (or Start Here) module in your Canvas site is one of the best ways to organize introductory information. Your syllabus is also an important resource for students, and your Start Here module can include this.

How to Put into Practice

Developing a structured orientation module for your course pays ample dividends. You will save time fielding basic questions, and students will embark on the semester feeling confident that they are on a solid foundation with course logistics, technology, rhythms, and processes. A course orientation reduces the cognitive load associated with navigating new environments and schedules. You may want to publish a course orientation module a week or more in advance of a semester, building interest and allowing students to work at their own pace to engage with the course.

While many students are accustomed to navigating a range of digital tools and environments for a variety of purposes, the Canvas environment is distinct as an instructional space. It is therefore an important practice of equity and inclusion to treat your course’s structure and its particular use of Canvas or other technologies as something students will need to learn, together with course-specific content and skills. A course orientation module offers a low-pressure opportunity for students to practice important Canvas skills, such as completing a quiz, posting to a discussion board, or submitting a formative assignment.

Your course syllabus is a great supplement and complement to your course orientation in Canvas. The syllabus is a great place to inform students of key course policies & requirements, student support & resources, and university policies & guidelines.

What follows will outline what to consider including in a course orientation module. You can use the CITL Course Template so that you don’t have to start from scratch.

Conceptualizing the course orientation module

When conceptualizing a course orientation module and page, it can help to start with the basic questions of “Why, What, When, Where, and How?”

• Why should students care about the course topic and learning outcomes? Why might these be important and valuable to them?
• What does the course ask students to do?
• When will they be required to engage and submit work? (rhythm of key activities and due dates)
• Where will they access the information and tools needed to be successful? (For example, where to log on for any synchronous sessions or faculty contact information)
• How will they navigate the course?

A course orientation module can be understood as an expanded syllabus that includes the commentary that you might introduce if you were talking to students about your course and syllabus face-to-face.

What elements to include in a course orientation module

A course orientation module organizes introductory materials in your Canvas course: where to ask questions, how to get help, when to expect communication from the instructor, what format the course takes, when major assignments are due, and other essential information. Consider offering a variety of media—text, visuals, videos, activities—to help students engage. For instance, you might include:

Instructor introduction.

A narrative about yourself so that students can get to know you. Consider doing this by recording a video! It’s a great way to connect with your students. Consider including a bit of personal information, your education/research background, your teaching/work experience, an invitation for students to connect with you (along with contact information and office hours), and anything else you feel comfortable sharing with students.

Course Learning Outcomes and overview.

The broad learning outcomes that we hope all students will achieve by the end of the course, along with a brief description of the course.

The syllabus

Note that it is often helpful to repeat or elaborate on information from the syllabus in the orientation module as well as other relevant locations on the Canvas site. Repetition helps students receive key messages, even if they may feel redundant to you.

The UWSP course syllabus template provides a comprehensive template that identifies syllabus components required by UWSP policy, meets current accessibility standards, and includes many campus resources to support students. All faculty and instructors are encouraged to use the template as they work to develop their own syllabi.

A walk-through video or demo of how to use the Canvas site.

A walk-through video is typically a screen-capture video in which you introduce the course’s Canvas site and demonstrate how to navigate to key resources and activities. You will want to include information like: course format (online, hybrid, etc.), location of important information, and brief explanations of the main types of course activities.

Description of learning activities and student expectations.

A summary of the different types of activities/work students will be doing in the course and the intent/purpose of that work. Include a brief explanation of the expectations. You’ll give more detailed information within each assignment description/rubric.

A schedule or weekly course rhythm map.

A list or accessible chart showing topics and due dates.

Tips to be successful in the course.

Tips like reviewing the course syllabus, asking questions, and more that apply to your course.

Instructions for using any course technology and seeing feedback.

You may include links to tutorials on how to utilize different Canvas features, information on how to view assignment comments from the instructor, how to view rubrics for assignments, and more.

Student Engagement with your syllabus.

The Faculty Focus article, Beyond Syllabus Week: Creative Strategies to Engage Students from Day One, offers five creative strategies that can promote student engagement with the course syllabus. Note that the article mentions several learning technologies that may not be approved for use at UWSP. Before using any technology for instruction, please ensure it is approved and listed in the UWSP IT Software Catalog. Faculty and instructors are encouraged to reach out to CITL for instructional technology support.

Community building activities.

A student self-introduction forum is a good example of a simple activity you can use to break the ice. For broad sample prompts for a self-introduction forum, see this guide to Course Introductions from UNC-Charlotte.

A course FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions).

You could use questions asked by previous students, or more generic questions such as:

• Can I switch sections?
• What is the policy on absences?
• How many grades do you drop?
• Can you explain my grade?
• Can you round my grade up?

Add questions as they come up over the semester, and remind students to look in this specific location for answers.

How to create a course orientation module

Course orientation module materials can be created quickly using the CITL Course Template. You don’t need to start from scratch. Note: Before using these templates, check with your School/College since they may have others they recommend you may also use.