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| Five Essential Emails for Online Students 1. First Response ... 2. Welcome ... 3. Status ... 4. First Week ... 5. Weekly Dr. Patricia Delich |
Communication with students at the beginning of an online course is critical. Studies have shown that frequent contact in the first few weeks of an online course helps with student retention and course success. These five essential emails can help instructors help their online students succeed.
1. First
Response email
Be ready to respond to requests
when the class schedule comes out.
It is especially important to give an immediate response to newly registered
students or prospective students making first contact with you. If you post an FAQ (frequently asked questions) on your web site (NOT in your LMS*), many of the questions students have can be easily answered, saving both you and your students time.
Some ideas to include in a First Response email:
- Thank them for their interest in your course.
- Let them know what they need to do next and the date the course starts.
- Provide a direct link to the page on your web site about the course. This page can include information such as:
- Course description and policies
- Course prerequisites
- Orientation information: when, where, if mandatory or not
- Best ways to contact you
- FAQ (frequently asked questions)
- Your syllabus
- Any special software or hardware needed for the course and where they can get it
- Books and materials they need to purchase.
Tips: Check your email daily and respond to requests promptly. Follow up on individual questions as soon as possible.
2. Welcome
email
Send this the first day of
class.
Some ideas to include in this email:
- What they can expect the first week of class.
- When the course starts and how to log on.
- General structure of the class, projects, assignments, exams, etc.
- What assignments will be due the first week.
- Next steps you will take communicating with them.
- Include your contact information so they can easily reach you.
3. Status
emails
Send as needed if problems
or issues arise.
- Ask whether he/she is having problems logging in to the course.
- Ask how you can help or provide resources.
4. First
Week email
Send during the first week.
Some ideas to include in this email:
- Goals for the class.
- First week assignments.
- Ask them to introduce themselves in the class discussions.
5. Weekly
emails
Send every week during the course.
Weekly emails can help motivate students and provide
focus. To capture their attention, provide specific information in the email subject line, such as: "FILL IN YOUR COURSE
#: Week 4 Lab 2 due by 2/10."
Some ideas to include in this email:
- Class announcements
- Policy reminders
- New content announcements
- Structure of course (reminders)
- New assignments and/or quizzes
- Changes or updates
- Collaborative projects
- Deadlines
- Status
- Expectations
- Kudos
- Midterms and Finals notices
If you aren't using your LMS's mail tool, ask your students to put your course number in the subject line when writing to you. This will help you manage student email. Ask them to include their name at the end of their message so you can quickly identify who they are.
* LMS: Learning Management System (such as Blackboard, Moodle, Desire2Learn, Angel, etc.)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.
To find out how we can create custom elearning solutions for you, contact Patricia: pdelich @ elearningnetworks.com
