▢ Do you reach out to students first before the semester begins?
▢ Do you send a welcome email outside the course, perhaps to college email or another email provided by the student?
▢ Do you post a welcome message for students inside the course?
▢ Do you use an enthusiastic, encouraging tone in early correspondence?
▢ Do you offer collective feedback to inform the class as a whole about their progress at regular intervals?
▢ Do you follow up outside of regular grading to connect with students?
▢ Do you intervene with communication when a student stalls out or seems to be struggling or absent from the class?
▢ Does the course content connect with life outside the classroom—for you or for them? Is the relevance apparent?
▢ Do you offer an end cap to the course?
▢ Do you use a positive, supportive tone in your final correspondence?
For more on instructor presence, read Brainstorming Questionnaire for Designing or Improving a Course with Increased Faculty Presence.
Excerpted from the supplemental materials of the 20-Minute Mentor titled How Can I Keep Students Engaged with Instructor Presence? (2016)
