Welcome messages are not only a great way to introduce yourself to your students, but also present practical opportunities to clarify class expectations and provide essential information about your course. If you are wondering what information would be the most useful to students in your welcome message, consider including the following details in your introduction:
Contact Information. In this section, let students know the best way to reach you (e.g. phone, text, or email) and what their expectations should be for you to reply to their emails. For example, should students expect to receive a reply in 48 hours? Are you able to reply to students over the weekend or holiday breaks?
To-Dos Before Class. This is one of the most important sections of a welcome message. In this section you can highlight what tasks students should complete before the first day of class and important upcoming due dates.
Course Expectations. In your course expectations section of your welcome message, you can review the class meeting time and highlight reading materials and books that will be needed for the course. This section also provides a great opportunity for you to remind students about webcam and class participation expectations.
Course Technology. Outdated software and browsers can negatively affect an online classroom experience. As a result, you can use the course technology section of your welcome message to remind students to update Zoom and download the browser that works best with their learning management system (Chrome, Firefox, etc.). You can also encourage students to reach out to Student Support if they encounter any technical issues.
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