Managing your course

Students who develop a strong sense of belonging at UQ are more likely to enjoy and succeed in their studies. However, as we responded to the pandemic and modified our teaching to new modes, many students did not feel as connected to the UQ community as in previous years. A DVC(A) team has been working with experts across UQ to identify ways to nurture students' sense of belonging.

View examples of small but powerful changes you can make within your courses to foster belonging.

Communication is essential for creating an effective learning environment. Regular contact and an appropriate two-way communication channel help develop a sense of community and belonging in a course.

Students can experience stress, fear and uncertainty at any stage during a course. Effective consultation with teachers is the most frequent request from students who are feeling isolated. Consequently, providing clear and timely guidance and responses can help students engage consistently and productively in your course.

Be proactive

Proactive communication and planning can also help manage your communications workload. Students are more likely to know what is expected of them, what they can expect of you and the best way to resolve their problems if you have clear processes ready for them.

It's important to keep students informed as to how the course is progressing. Carefully plan how you will communicate with students and create a detailed communication plan for the semester. For most courses, a weekly email or Learn.UQ (Blackboard) announcement will help manage expectations and build trust and confidence in your students. Designate a regular day and time for your communications and stick to it. For some, Monday morning works well. For others, Friday afternoon.

Try to limit the number of communications to students as they will also be receiving other emails from other Course Coordinators and UQ organisational units. However, there will always be essential communications that need to go out at different times, e.g. lockdown communications, examination information, etc.

Be explicit and consistent

At the beginning of the semester, communicate the details of how the course will proceed to students, along with how and when they can contact you (email, teams, online office hours, on-campus office hours etc.).

As these channels change, it's important to outline which approach is right for each situation. For example, you may have an Ed discussion board as the main place for student questions with emails for personal questions, and choose not to use teams at all. Being explicit and consistent with these expectations will reduce the load on you and frustration for students.

Contact method and details can be included in the Course Staff section in the course site. Students will likely have some questions, so let them know how and when they can expect to receive a reply from you.

Common student questions

Some common questions from students to consider include:

• Can you provide details of the assessment processes?
• How should I engage in this class?
• What aspects will be online and on-campus?
• How do I organise my learning online and on-campus?
• How should I be communicating with my tutors, and what are their expectations?

Depending on your course and the student, you may also receive questions about Disability Action Plans, changes to enrolment modes, group/team work, laboratory work, practicums and professional experiences.

Providing consistent and clear advice about how to communicate in your courses can make a big difference for your experience and the experience of your students.

Communication tips

Professor Kate O'Brien recommends managing communication to help you and help your students, with the following tips:

• Work out appropriate communication system for your course (take advice from colleagues).
• Make it easy for you, easy for them.
• Ensure your students know how the system works.
• Set clear boundaries, but don’t be mean with information.
• Check to see that it’s working for you and them and adjust as needed.
• Teach your students how to communicate effectively 

Resources

• Example Blackboard announcement (DOCX, 57.9 KB)
• Communicating and connecting (source: Faculty of Business, Economics and Law) (PDF, 128.2 KB) Evaluating and promoting student engagement (source: Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences) (PDF, 107.9 KB)
• Dawn Gilmore's (2020) Tips for Engaging with Students

You will need to think about how students engage, participate, communicate and meet assessment requirements and deadlines in different delivery modes. As you plan your course delivery with your course team, keep in mind the different impact contexts may have on your students' ability to meet those expectations. These might include access to working devices or internet connections, digital skills and time zones. Be ready to handle requests for support and extensions in an equitable way.

See student support services and exams and assessment information for students.

When setting up course expectations, think about what you expect from your students and what they can expect from you. By setting up these reciprocal arrangements, you begin to build a culture of trust and respect.

Student feedback has highlighted that some students find it challenging to maintain their study motivation online. Managing student motivation can be challenging for teachers. There are a few things you can do to help build student motivation: 

1. Set clear goals for your students each week for what they need to do in your class. Keep the tasks concrete and provide information on how to get started. Weekly Blackboard announcements released at the same time each week have worked well for course coordinators.
2. Provide your students with clear guidelines of where to get support and assistance.
3. Provide some time for students to talk to each other in your online and on-campus classes if appropriate. Discussions in breakout rooms in Zoom online or Think-Pair-Share in on-campus situations work well for this. Otherwise, encourage them to engage with each other on your class discussion board or another forum.
4. Begin your on-campus or online class with a welcome and a quick summary of where the class has been and where it is going. You may choose to ask them how they have been or if they have any comments to make. Online or on-campus, you could ask for a thumbs up/down. Your best guide is your knowledge of your students and the feedback they give you.
5. Consider that students are not always going to be productive and may face more technology issues now that some of their course is available digitally.

Professor Blake McKimmie has developed a series of study motivation tips (PDF, 150.1 KB)and short videos for students to help them stay motivated. Feel free to share these resources with them.

Resources for teachers

• Supporting student attendance
• HigherEd Heroes podcast "How to grab and hold the attention of students in large first year lectures" 

Resources for students

• 6 short video tips
• Study motivation tips (PDF, 150.1 KB)