Hit the Ground Learning on the First Day of Class with these Preview Week Tips

For many years, a customary practice in online classes has been to provide students access to course materials one week before it officially begins in order to help orient them to the course. More recently, recommendations for leveraging the week before classes start—also referred to as preview week or week zero—have expanded to hybrid, remote, and in-person courses to give learners time they need to familiarize themselves with the course, prepare their schedule for important deadlines, and purchase or access course materials. Preview week can also be a valuable opportunity for instructors to set a positive tone in the course, establish productive communication expectations, and facilitate more significant learning experiences on the first day of class.

While official teaching and learning activities and assignments should not be conducted during preview week, below are a few tips for making the most of this important time.

1. Create a “Start Here” module in your Blackboard course

This section explains how to begin the course, where to locate materials and information in the course, and a few tips to help students prepare for learning. Often instructors will post a brief video introducing themselves, the course and/or the syllabus.

2. Send a welcome message

Post an announcement with a welcome message to students that includes the purpose of preview week and instructions on how to get started. This is also an opportunity to set the tone for the course. It is important to select the option to email this announcement to students so that they know to visit the Blackboard course during this time. Adding this message as an announcement also ensures that students who may enroll after the email is sent can still access the message in Blackboard.

Examples

Welcome to the course!

Classes begin on [start date] however, you have access to our Blackboard course now.  While the course is now available, I will not be active in the course until classes start. Please review the instructions under "Start Here", view the welcome video, review the syllabus, and take some time to explore the course. If you have any questions, post them on the Q&A Discussion Forum.

Sincerely,
Professor Y

Welcome to Preview Week Researchers! My name is Dr. X and I will be facilitating [course name] this term. I am so excited to work with you, learn more about your thoughts on research, and find out more about your plans moving forward! This week, be sure to review the syllabus overview in VoiceThread found in the "Getting Started" section in the Blackboard course menu. The course syllabus and the schedule are available in the Course Info section. You may want to take a look at the Course Reserves. Here you will find the articles we will use for some of our work in this course.

The Weekly modules will be available to you beginning Monday, [insert Term Start date], the first day of Week 1.

Looking forward to working with all of you!

Dr. X

3. Add your updated Syllabus

It’s important to make sure students have access to the most up-to-date version of your syllabus during preview week. This may help them plan for important deadlines or make difficult decisions about workload before the drop/add period ends. The course syllabus can be linked within the “start here” module or added as a link to the course navigation menu. You may want to review Drexel’s Syllabus Check List and some recommendations for designing an inclusive syllabus before you post the final draft.

4. Clarify course expectations

Communicate expectations regarding the course format (e.g., in-person, asynchronous discussions, synchronous virtual meetings, or other requirements for attendance/interaction/participation). Provide information regarding required course technology and how to access it and check that it is functioning. Add links to IT for troubleshooting problems.

Lastly, consider adding some specific guidelines or expectations around communication on Blackboard to let students know when and how they can ask you questions and when and how they can expect to hear from you. Be as specific as possible with timeframes.

Examples

“I will typically respond to emails within a 24-48-hour time period, excluding weekends.”

“Feedback about written assignments will be provided within a week after the due date and can be found within the assignment.”

As you prepare for the upcoming term, it’s helpful to give students a chance to preview the course and your approach to teaching. This can increase transparency in the learning environment, ease students’ nerves and support them to come to class ready to learn on day one.