Introductions: Getting to Know Your Students
What and Why of Introductions
You need to get to know your crew. Building a community of learners begins on the first day of class. In a classroom you need to put a face to a name on the roster. You can call roll, but that is very impersonal. Introductions are a more personal way of learning who is in your class. In an online/remote environment you must be very intentional about building the community of learners and keeping them connected.
Help your students know there are people behind the screen and that they aren't learning alone.
It is important that students get to know you and each other as people they can relate to, connect with, feel comfortable asking questions in front of, and ultimately work with to solve problems and master the content and skills you are teaching.
How to: Online in Canvas (Asynchronous)
Use the Canvas Discussion board to have students post their introductions. Give a deadline of one to two days and encourage them to respond to others about interests, experiences, or to learn more about something they shared. Use the completion of the assignment as a participation grade / attendance marker.
Icebreakers
A Google search will provide many examples of engaging icebreakers Links to an external site. for online courses. Try one of these or create one that introduces a topic you will be studying during the term. Here's an example from a Risk Management class:
Your assignment is to identify one risk in each of the three categories (known, known/unknown, unknown/unknown) relative to you submitting an assignment as an online student. What could happen; might happen; you haven't even thought of! Provide a brief explanation as to why the risk belongs in the assigned group.
Video introductions
Move beyond text and let students see and hear each other. Have your students make a short video using their cell phone or computer webcam. They can post the video into the discussion forum [Canvas guide for students on how to post a video - computer Links to an external site., iOS Links to an external site., Android Links to an external site.] You can have them do a simple introduction or give them a specific icebreaker prompt.
Interview and present
On the first day of class assign students a partner via an announcement. They have to interview each other and post what they learned in the discussion forum. This has the benefit of immediately connecting students to each other. You can provide guiding questions or provide a focus for the interview, like this example:
For our icebreaker, I will assign you a classmate who is your new client. You will interview your client offline, then introduce them in a way that will help the rest of your team (our class) work with the client.
How to: Live Sessions (Synchronous)
You could hold a live session for the first day of class using Zoom or Microsoft Teams. If you have never done a live remote session, we recommend Zoom. It is quick and easy to set up and learn. Our fully online students have been using it successfully for years. Check our our Zoom Resources page for guidance.
Basic introductions
Go around your virtual classroom and give each student a chance to "take the floor." This is a great way to associate faces and/or voices with names. Instead of going around the room, select a name from the participant list.
Tips:
- Mute everyone except for the student speaking.
- In Zoom you have two view options. In Speaker view only the person speaking will show on your screen. In Gallery view everyone will be on screen and the speaker will be highlighted with a box. Try Speaker view to really focus on each student.
Show and tell
Remember how you loved show and tell in Kindergarten? It can be just as powerful as an activity done in a remote session. Give students a prompt before class via an announcement so they come prepared to share, or pause your live session for 5-10 minutes while students scramble to complete your activity and then come back to share.
Here is an example in the very first course of our Master's in Public Health, where the instructor provided a prompt, a 45-second video example, and then provided time in the live session for students to find and share their own examples.
Each week during the course we will embark on a mini adventure to ignite your intellectual curiosity as we explore the dimensions of Public Health and its impact in the world. This week we will do this online together and you will be turning the lens to yourself and your own life as you answer: How does public health touch your life?