Reasonable workloads

In a 3 credit hour course, it’s reasonable to expect students to spend around 6-9 hours a week on coursework. As you design assignments, assign readings, and post other content, keep that ballpark in mind for workload.

Later in OSM when we discuss course structure and design, there will be a strong recommendation that you structure your course by week using the Modules tool. One of the best reasons for that is you can more clearly see how much work is expected of students each week, and can easily make adjustments to spread out the workload evenly throughout the course.

Communication Channels

There are so many online tools for communication that you need to define the channels of communication you and your class should use. For example, Canvas has a built-in Inbox for messages, as well as an Announcements tool and Discussion Forum tool. Will you rely on announcements and individual messages to communicate with students, or will you use your university email? Will you set up specific Canvas discussions to collect and answer questions for the whole class (e.g. “Week 2 questions?” discussion forum)? Or will you use a completely separate online tool to stay in touch with class? Do you want your students calling you?

If you aren’t clear about communication channels, then conversations in your course may be chaotic and scattered and harder to follow. This can waste time and lead to frustration. Don’t be afraid to specify preferred communication channels and even name channels your students should avoid.

Example Syllabus Statement

"The best way to reach me is by Canvas message, and I will always do my best to respond within 24 hours (not including holidays and Sundays.) Phone calls can be set up by appointment only. I have also set up a discussion forum for general course questions that is available to students, our TA, and myself that we should all participate in and keep tabs on throughout the course."

Expected response times

One of the best ways to avoid frustrated students is to clearly define the amount of time in which they can expect to receive a reply. If you specify multiple methods of communication (such as Canvas messages and an office phone) that have different response times, let your students know. This not only helps to set student expectations about your availability, but also helps direct them to your preferred method of communication.

What's due, when, and how will it be submitted and assessed?

Clearly communicating to students what is expected of them, when it is expected of them, and how they will submit their work, is crucial. Most modern LMSs, including Canvas, allow due dates to be attached directly to discussions, assignments, quizzes, etc.

Thankfully, Canvas has excellent functionality for communicating this information to students. Manually typed due dates, giant tables of assignments in your syllabus, and lists of accepted file types are unnecessary in Canvas. We will go into the specifics of the pedagogy and Canvas functionality in the relevant modules.