Communication Plans
Designing Your Course
Communication Planning
With so many forms of communication vying for your students attention, it is critical for you to design a clear and effective communication plan for your course using a variety of strategies. (Fashant, Z., Ross, S., Russell, L., LaPlant, K., Jacobson, J., and Hutchinson, S., 2020, p. 61)
Communicating Through Canvas Tools
Using Canvas tools can have advantages as they serve students who can work independently and need a flexible course schedule. Paying greater attention to communication can help ensure that students don't feel disconnected in the virtual classroom environment. By using the Canvas tools such as announcements, chat, discussions, Canvas inbox (email), and automated messaging you will increase student engagement and build community within your course.
- Make announcements viewable for students as the log into the course pertaining to each new unit with corresponding outcomes and upcoming assignments and assessments.
- The chat feature can be used to answer questions and clarify information.
- You can design a discussion area for students to ask questions and for clarification with threaded or guided discussion opportunities, as discussed previously.
- Examine the effective use of automated messaging tools. (Fashant, et al., 2020, p. 81).
Effective Communication Strategies
"Here are some strategies to be effective in communicating with students on a weekly basis:
- Send course announcements with reminders about upcoming work or events and other course-related information.
- Participate in course discussions. Students enjoy seeing your comments in the course discussion. It builds the course community so there is a feeling of everyone working together rather than learners completing assignments on their own.
- Provide feedback to assignments and assessments to the entire class and individually. Compliment students as a group when some start to turn things in early and when the group has done outstanding work. Frequent feedback to individuals keeps students motivated and connected to the course content and to their instructor.
- Use automated LMS tools as reminders. Setting up automated messages provides communication with students about course progress, freeing up your time to provide unique, individual feedback to improve student performance.
- Send encouraging emails about progress and assistance. Automated messaging can encourage participation and assistance and allows you to communicate with students who need some additional or more extensive help.
The final time to communicate with your students is at the conclusion of the course. This is an opportunity to remind students to provide feedback using the course survey evaluation or one last course reflection in an email or in a discussion question." (Fashant, et al., 2020, p. 84)
Course Communication Plan
"Hume said, "The art of communication is the language of leadership." Implementation of a course communication plan is critical to promote significant learning and deliver student success. As you think about a broader blueprint to course design, we expand on the alignment of course elements to include communication. The table pictured here is an example of a course communication plan that you can use to begin to develop your plan for intentional course communication.
| What (Purpose) | Who (Sender) | To Whom (Receiver) | When (Schedule) | How (Tool) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Course welcome and syllabus | Instructor | Students | Upon entering or logging into the course | Announcement tool and Canvas Inbox tool |
| Announcements to inform the progression of the course | Instructor | Students | Weekly or more often as needed | Announcement tool in Canvas |
| Topic discussions: interaction with course materials | Instructor and students | Other students and returned to instructor | Weekly | Course discussion tool in Canvas |
| Group course assignments | Instructor and students | Other students and returned to instructor | By topic throughout the course | Course discussion tool or group discussion tool |
| Absent | Instructor | Students | Weekly or more often as needed | Canvas Inbox |
| Missing work | Instructor | Students | Weekly or more often as needed | Canvas Inbox |
| Completed work | Instructor | Students | Weekly or more often as needed | Canvas Inbox |
| Grade concern | Instructor | Students | Weekly or more often as needed | Canvas Inbox |
| Impending instructor withdrawal due to lack of attendance | Instructor | Students | Near the date of withdrawal | Announcement tool or Canvas Inbox |
A tip for your communication plan is to keep track of the various items students have asked you about. Decide in your plan the most efficient and easiest method to facilitate future communications to save time and improve the flow of information for you and your students." (Fashant., et al., 2020, pgs. 84-85).
References
- Fashant, Z., Ross, S., Russell, L., LaPlant, K., Jacobson, J., and Hutchinson, S. (2020). Designing Effective Teaching and Significant Learning. Sterling, VA: Stylus.