5 Ways to Improve Communication
The following tips and tools are already available through Canvas or Google Apps for Education.
1. Make use of UMN Gmail/MYU
- Prior to the start of the semester, email your class through MyU > Teaching Tab at the start of the term to ensure students receive communications even if they have not opened your course site.
- Gmail has multiple options to streamline emails.
- You can create Course Google Group through UMN IT to make it easier to email your entire class with one email address.
- You can also schedule emails to send at a specific time and date. Utilizing scheduled emails can make it easier to plan messaging proactively at the beginning and throughout the term.
- When using Gmail to send to large groups, be sure to use the BCC line to protect student privacy.
2. Plan out Canvas Announcements
Create Canvas announcements to notify your class of important and timely information. Announcements posted before a course is published will not be pushed to students’ notifications.
3. Remind students to set up Canvas notifications
Remind students that they can set notifications for individual courses or all of Canvas. When set to receive these notifications, students will get an email with Canvas Announcements.
4. Speedgrader Tips
- You can provide comments and feedback in multiple formats including text, audio, and video. You can also create a comment library to include the same language for multiple students.
- Be sure to let students know where to find feedback for annotations made in SpeedGrader. (It's not as intuitive as you might think).
5. Gradebook: “Message Students Who…”
You can bulk email students using “Message Student Who” to send targeted messages to students. Messages can be sent based on the following assignment statuses:
- Haven't submitted the assignment yet, even if a grade has been entered
- Haven't been graded
- Scored less than a specified number of points
- Scored more than a specified number of points
Special thanks to CLA LATIS for the inspiration for this article.