With a new semester in full swing, there is no time like the present to start fresh and to create a welcoming virtual space. A thoughtfully designed online course can help students connect, engage, and navigate course content with ease. To ensure you are off to a strong start, NIU’s instructional design team has shared their top ten strategies for creating a welcoming, student-centric online environment. Their insight draws on years of experience and can assist you with creating an inviting course that is personalized and structured to support student success.
Begin the course by posting a warm, personality-infused self-introduction and encourage students to respond in a similar fashion. Incorporate pictures and multimedia that represent your unique personality (William Tozzi, Instructional Designer).
Post a syllabus that speaks directly to the students. Include statements such as, “By the end of this course, you will be able to…” (Dr. Kevin Forman, Instructional Designer).
Invite students to complete an interactive scavenger hunt. Ask students to locate key course elements such as important syllabus statements, links to resources, specific content items, etc. (Megan Holt, Online Teaching Coordinator).
Include the required Statement of Accessibility in your syllabus. Remember to provide the necessary information about requesting an accommodation through the Disability Resource Center (DRC) (Tracy Miller, Director of Instructional Design and Development).
Record a course tour video that demonstrates how to locate important information. Show students where to find folders, submit assessments, review grading rubrics, access their groups, and more (Diane Alberts, Associate Director).
Create an icebreaker activity where students reflect on their learning values and experiences. Ask open-ended questions about what motivates them to learn, what they hope to gain from the course, and what hinders their learning progress (Megan Holt, Online Teaching Coordinator).
Establish personal connections by requiring students to attend your virtual office hours. Even a brief, casual conversation can help students feel more comfortable to engage with you throughout the course (Dr. Cynthia Paralejas, Assistant Director of Instructional Design).
Host an open discussion about time commitment expectations. Instructors might also consider consulting a workload estimator and labeling weekly activities with an estimated amount of time needed. (Rob Piercy, Senior Instructional Designer).
Solicit student feedback by distributing routine surveys. Prompt students to discuss what is working well in the course and what could be improved. Highlight how you have incorporated their suggestions to help students feel valued and heard (Christiane Ong-McCarthy, Senior Instructional Designer).
Apply Universal Design for Learning (UDL) elements to your course design. Incorporating these principles will invite all learners, regardless of abilities, to participate in your course (Dr. Kevin Forman, Instructional Designer).
A new semester presents an opportunity for you to reimagine your online course, a space where students feel supported and engaged. By implementing strategies like posting video messages, inviting students to virtual office hours, and labelling time commitment expectations, you can help students acclimate to your course and prepare to meet their academic goals. If you would like to explore additional engagement and design strategies that could be tailored for your own course, we invite you to connect with one of our CITL staff for a consultation. Together, we can lay the foundation for student success.
