Introductory Email to Students (Part Two)

I routinely send an email to students prior to the start of my course. Here's the thinking that goes into developing and sending this message. 

I time my email to arrive when students can give it their full attention. That's typically after they finish their coursework from the previous quarter. It's also before I meet them for the first time. 

By way of the content of this email, a link to the syllabus is most important. Students want to review it as soon as possible. And I want to them to understand my plan for the course and expectations for them.

Many students want to get started on the assigned readings. So I direct students to them in my introductory email. In this course, I've compressed assigned readings into one zipped file. That makes it easier for students to access all of them. That's as opposed to providing PDF versions of the individual readings. In addition, students will need to purchase readings from the publisher. I've highlighted their need to do so in my email.  The sooner they do, the more quickly they can access them when they are assigned.

In my OB course, students will spend a lot of time working in teams. I usually randomly assign students to teams. Most students are new to the school. Therefore, they don't know their classmates well enough to self-organize into teams. This summer, I've set up the teams in advance of the first meeting and included them in the syllabus. By doing so, I've preempted questions about team formation at our first meeting. (A popular question is: when will we find out what teams we're on?). Even better, students can connect with their teammates immediately. That means they can get started on their assignments right away.

I also always ask students to create name tents when they arrive to class on the first day. I go to great lengths to memorize my students' names, and associating a name with a face helps me with that effort.

There's a whole lot more thought and intention that inspires this initial email. You can read about it here and elsewhere on my main blog. And stay tuned for new insight I gain as a result of teaching the OB course this summer.