Topic B1.3: Orienting Students to Online Learning

Sample Orientation Materials
Instructor-Generated Orientation Materials: While the amount of orientation information provided to students varies widely, most online instructors provide their students with a basic memorandum or letter that goes into some detail about how their courses will be run, including the rules and procedures students must follow to be successful.

Example 1: Professor Drew Habermacher of Prince George’s Community College (Largo, Maryland) gives his students a detailed Student Orientation Letter Online Anthropology 103 for his Introductory Cultural Anthropology course. One of the requirements of his students is that they participate in online discussions, so Dr. Habermacher sets forth the protocols for such conferences, as well.

Example 2: In addition to an online syllabus containing general class information and an orientation letter, Margo Chaires, professor of Economics at Prince George's Community College, provides her students with extensive online orientation materials, available at her course homepage. Dr. Chaires also provides several helpful links, including one to Survival Tips for Online Students, a tip sheet that gives students pieces of advice, such as to Stick With It, Don't Try to Go it Alone, and Don't Drop the Course without talking with her first. How easy is it for students to get from the homepage to other parts of the course?

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