Welcome to the subject

How to do this 

When building a welcome message for a subject, we recommend using a video format so students can see and hear their teaching team.

1. Write the script for your video covering the points below. We have provided a template to get you started.
2. Create a short trial video before you record your welcome message to get you comfortable – this will save you time!
3. Film your welcome video using the built-in video recording tool in Canvas Rich Content Editor, Zoom or any other video capturing tool.
   • Look at the camera as if you’re talking to student, but feel free to glance away from time to time. If you need a prompter you can copy and paste your text into Easy Prompter – an auto-prompter website.
   • Convey your message in a clear language and motivating tone. Remember to project your voice as you talk to your students.
4. Host the video on Kaltura (“My Media” in Canvas) or YouTube.
5. Embed your video into the Get Started module in your Canvas course.
6. Encourage students to view the video before the beginning of the academic session.

Points to cover in your welcome video

Introduce yourself

Briefly introduce yourself and your academic and professional background, keeping it to 1-2 sentences. Students need to know who will be managing their subject and the expertise of the teaching team. This can include talking about your qualifications (e.g. academic degrees), work experience, projects, publications and other achievements. Emphasising this area for students can lead to improved student-teacher relationships.

Explain the subject

Briefly explain what the subject is about and provide students with a quick overview of the main topics that will be covered during the academic session.

Link past and future knowledge

Link past and future by explaining to students what previous knowledge they need to review for this subject and where this subject will take them. This helps students logically construct their knowledge.

Clarify student responsibilities

Clarify to students their responsibilities (e.g. assessments, attendance, etc.) so they know how to succeed in the subject and achieve the anticipated learning outcomes.

Establish the value of the subject

Establish a key value of the subject by emphasising the importance of the subject in their professional career.

This short template incorporates all these elements and shapes them into a script for you.

Pre-work

Explain whether there is preparation work for Week 1, or anything students need to do (e.g. read the intro to Module 1).

What tools can you use? 

The following technologies are tools supported by UTS:

• Canvas Rich Content Editor
• Kaltura (“My Media” in Canvas)
• Zoom

If you would like to experiment, try the following tools (please note, they are not officially supported by UTS):

• iMovie (Mac software)
• Windows Video Editor (Windows software)
• Clip Champ (Windows software)
• YouTube

When and where to use 

This activity is suitable at the beginning of the session (in the Get Started module), for the following types of subjects:

• Online learning
• Any cohort size

How long will it take? 

* The learning time is based on the video content.

What research tells us 

Welcome messages in online learning environments help students get to know their teaching team before the session even commences. The video format is recommended as it provides a more personal approach, creating a better opportunity for engaging students and making an early connection. The significance of the online social presence of a teaching team in improving the learning experience has frequently been reported (Richardson & Lowenthal, 2017).

Lee (2014) states that social presence correlates with successful learning outcomes. Social presence is defined as ‘the ability of learners to project themselves socially and effectively into a community of inquiry’ (Rourke, Anderson, Garrison & Archer, 2007). Social presence supports cognitive objectives through the ability to instigate, sustain and support critical thinking in a community of learners, and is linked to the ability of learners to construct and confirm meaning through sustained reflection and discourse.  However, it remains the teacher’s responsibility to establish and mediate social presence to optimise the learning experience and sustain the learning environment.

Best practice in subject site design is to include an introduction that humanise the online experience for your students. You can help students realise that their teacher is a real person with enthusiasm for the subject matter and expertise in profession, teaching and/or research.

References

• Richardson, J. C., & Lowenthal, P. (2017). Instructor social presence: a neglected component of the community of inquiry. In The International Scientific Conference eLearning and Software for Education (Vol. 2, p. 531).
• Lee, S. M. (2014). The relationships between higher order thinking skills, cognitive density, and social presence in online learning. The Internet and Higher Education, 21, 41-52.
• Rourke, L., Anderson, T., Garrison, D. R., & Archer, W. (1999). Assessing social presence in asynchronous text-based computer conferencing. The Journal of Distance Education/Revue de l’ducation Distance, 14(2), 50-71.