Connection to instructor: sample strategies When you teach online, it is critical to developing strategies to discover the rich, diverse realities that each student brings to your course. Without doing so, you will lean more heavily on your implicit biases and make up what you don’t know about your students. Give your students the agency to speak for themselves and let you know how you can help them.

One helpful way to do this is the have your students complete a Getting to Know You survey in week one (and give them points for it – small successes like this are confidence builders). Be sure your students know their responses will come only to you and will be kept confidential. Assure them that you will use the information to support them throughout your course.

After your students complete the survey, review their responses. Enable the Notes column in the Canvas Gradebook and write brief notes about each student next to their name so you can refer to them throughout your course. The Notes column is only visible to you. This helps you identify your high opportunity learners and adapt your teaching to ensure they receive your high-touch communications.

View the following 2-minute video to learn how to import a sample Getting to Know You Survey from the Canvas Commons into your course.