To: [Name of course] Students
From: [Name of instructor]
Subject: Online Course Preliminary Information
Date: [date of this letter]
Address to Stakeholder
Dear Student,
This is a preliminary, brief overview of the [name of course] course. This course is a fully-online, Internet-based course. The course will meet [dates of course].
Please read the following carefully, as it will address common concerns and questions. It may even determine whether you decide to stay enrolled in this course.
- This is an entirely web-based course. You may complete all course
work from your home as long as you have an internet connection and are
able to master the features of Desire2Learn (D2L), the university's
online course management system.
Please note that this is not an online, self-study course with a due date of the last day of scheduled class. This course includes FIRM weekly deadlines scheduled throughout the semester. Again, although we (students and the instructor) are not tied down to specific times of day, we will adhere to a weekly schedule that includes many activities, including discussions, assignments, quizzes, etc. Please review the schedule, and please pay careful attention to deadlines. Due to the nature of this course, deadlines will not be extended for any reason, so please do not ask for an extension. If you miss an assignment or activity, work very hard to earn the maximum number of points on all subsequent activities. Extra credit is not available in this course. - Contacting the Instructor. While this is a web-based course, I am easily accessible. You are welcome to contact me by email, chat or phone.... [include contact information, preferred method of contact, office hours, if applicable, etc.]
- Course Technology. You must use your UW-W email account for communicating with me and with other students in the course. There
are many technical reasons for this email policy. Please manage your
campus mailbox to ensure it does not become full.
I normally check email several times per day, and I will respond to your email as quickly as possible. I will, at a minimum, make every effort to respond to email within 24 hours.
The Desire2Learn (D2L) course management system is a CRITICAL component in conducting the course. All students are expected to regularly use and monitor the D2L site in order to participate in class activities. Unless otherwise noted, all materials submitted to your Instructor will also be done via D2L. A word of caution: those using a dial-up modem may find Internet-based courses particularly challenging/frustrating due to the slowness of the technology. If you are using dial-up, I suggest you try out all the features of the site to see if the Internet class format will work for you.
Beginning on [starting date of course], you should have access to the course's D2L site. Check the Content area at least two to three times over the next several days, before the class begins. At present, there are three items available: 1) a copy of this memo, 2) a copy of the syllabus, to give you an idea of the topics and readings, and 3) a list of students in last semester's course who would like to sell you their lightly used copies of the required textbook at reasonable prices. I will continue to add course information between now and [date]. - Textbooks. You must rent one book [name of text] and purchase one book [name of text]. They should be readily available at the bookstore. [further info on obtaining the textbooks]
- Course Content. The course content will consist of: 1) PowerPoint lectures, 2) readings (a chapter a day in the text, a chapter or other reading in [another text], 3) online discussions, 4) five online quizzes, and 5) two formal 5-page essays drawn from the lecture and readings.
- Grading. Your grade will be calculated roughly as follows: one-third for the quizzes, one third for the discussions, and one third for the papers.
- Review the course Syllabus. The Syllabus is attached to this email and available on the D2L Content page.
- Perform
a System Check, as described in the course Syllabus. The system check
link is below the user name and password fields on the D2L log in page.
The system check will make sure your computer and web browser meet the
requirements for using D2L and viewing course content.
- Make
sure you have a basic understanding of D2L. If you have not previously
used D2L, please visit the following website and familiarize yourself
with the information provided by the Helpdesk and D2L Support (http://d2l.uww.edu/students).
- If
necessary, take a look at the online demonstrations available from the
above website. The demonstrations will show you examples of how to
navigate through D2L (http://d2l.uww.edu/support).
- The course schedule will be released via email and on the D2L site on [date]. Once the schedule is available, review and print the course schedule. Place the printed schedule on your refrigerator or some other location that you will see frequently. It is very easy to forget deadlines when the deadlines are viewable only in cyberspace. The schedule may be modified as the course progresses.
With best regards,
Source: http://www.uww.edu/icit/instructional/teachingonline/welcome_letter.html
School Policy on Communication Example
Newport Free Grammar School
Communications Policy
Aim:
At NFGS we aim to have clear and effective communication among staff and with
pupils, parents, governors and members of the wider school community. We need to
ensure that communications between all members of the school community are clear,
professional, timely and appropriate.
Objectives:
All communications at NFGS should:
o
Keep staff, pupils, parents and ot
her stakeholders well informed
o
Be open, honest, ethical and professional
o
Use jargon free English and be easily understood by all
o
Be actioned within a reasonable time
o
Use the method of communication most effective and appropriate to the
context, method and audience
o
Take account of relevant school policies e.g. Equal Opportunities
Communication with
colleagues at NFGS
Meetings
There is a programme of meetings set out on the school calendar. All formal
meetings should be minuted and members invited to contribute to the agenda. It is
important that time is set aside for structur
ed opportunities for sta
ff to engage in team
working and to contribute to the department’s reflection on priorities, activities and
future plans.
For all formal meetings, notes should be taken, action points progressed and feedback
given to staff.
Minutes of meeting should be copied to relevant staff, SLT and saved on staff shared
area on the faculties drive, in a subject folder.
E-mail
The school gives all staff their own email account to use for all school business. E-
mail can be an efficient way of communicating with colleagues and passing on
information, however, it should not be used as a substitute for face to face contact and
staff must consider whether it is the best way to communicate in each situation.
Teachers should ensure that :-
They do not engage in private/personal corre
spondence with a student or pupil. (This
includes texting and Media messaging e.g. MSN Messenger.)
Under no circumstances should staff contac
t pupils, parents or conduct any school
business using personal email addresses.
the sending of attachments should be limited;
the sending of chain letters is not permitted;
embedding adverts is not allowed;
Written communications
These are placed in pigeon holes in the
staff room, which staff should check on a
daily basis. Phone messages taken by office staff will also be placed in pigeon holes
except in cases of emergency.
Staff Briefings
Staff Briefings take place at 8.25 on Mondays, where the weeks events and
information is shared. Minutes from the briefi
ng are sent to all staff via parent mail.
There is also a weekly Staff Info sheet, which is put into staff pigeon holes every
Friday.
Staff Info
This is published once a week on a Friday, distributed to all staff and outlines
important information and upcoming events for the following week.
Staff Handbook
A copy of the Staff Handbook is saved in P:\handbook and a hard copy is given to
every new member of staff. It is updated at least annually and the updated sections
are given to staff. This handbook contains essential information for staff.
Notice boards
Staff notice boards are located in the staff room. These are maintained and updated by
relevant senior staff and DoLs.
Communication with parents an
d other important stakeholders
At NFGS we aim to have clear, effective communications with all parents and the
wider community. Effective communications enable us to share our aims and values,
through keeping parents well informed about school life. This reinforces the
important role that parents play in supporting the school.
Whilst staff will always seek to establish open and friendly relationships with parents,
it is appropriate that relationships are pr
ofessional and parents are addressed in a
formal manner.
NFGS aims to make our written communication as accessible and inclusive as
possible. We seek to avoid
bias, stereotyping or any form of discrimination. We wish
to celebrate the contributions made to our society by all the groups represented in our
school.
Letters
Staff will endeavour to reply to parents’ lett
ers as quickly as possible. Letters will be
acknowledged in 3 working days and a reply sent within 10 working days. Letters
must be approved by a member of SLT before posting. Copies of correspondence
with parents will be placed on student files.
E-Mail
Email is a quick, effective way of communicating information however it does not
replace face to face meetings where some discussion
is required.
All e-mail should be treated as letters and
should be checked caref
ully. Staff should
acknowledge e-mail as they would a letter, within 3 working days and send a full
reply within 10 working days. E-mail sent should be written carefully, in the same
way as a letter written on school headed paper. It should follow the school ‘house-
style’. Staff sending emails to external orga
nisations, parents or pupils must cc. to
your line manager in the first instance.
Under no circumstances should staff contac
t pupils, parents or conduct any school
business using personal email addresses.
Telephone calls
Staff should take notes about the content of telephone calls, as they would with
meetings with parents. Deta
iled notes from telephone calls, including main points of
discussion and action required/taken
should be kept on student files.
Meeting with parents
Any parent wishing to meet with a member of staff should contact the school in
advance and request a meeting with the member of staff. This request should be
responded to within the usual communications protocols and in a timely manner.
Parents should not come to the school to talk to a member of staff without an
appointment. If a parent comes to the school without a prior appointment, the member
of staff may still choose to meet with them, but there is no expectation to do so.
Parents (like all visitors) should report to re
ception prior to meeting with a member of
staff. If the meeting is due to take place outside office hours, separate arrangements
can be made.
A member of staff may ask for thei
r line manager to accompany them.
If a meeting with a parent is taking place outside normal school hours, the member of
staff should try, where possible, to ensure that another colleague is nearby.
It is perfectly acceptable to call a meeting to a close in order to allow time for further
investigation.
Staff should call a meeting to a close in the event of the parent becoming angry or
abusive. The member of staff should report such an incident to their line manager and
seek further advice. The line manager should either accompany the member of staff to
a further meeting with the parent or hold it without the original member of staff
present.
Parentmail
We encourage all parents to inform the school of their current e-mail address, to allow
them access to parentmail, which is a quick and efficient method for the school to
communicate with parents. Those who do not have access to parentmail will receive
a paper copy of any correspondence.
Parentmail is used to send out a variety of information, either to a targeted group, or
to all parents on parentmail. The newsletter, information about whole school events
and all letters relevant to the whole school
are sent out to all parents on parent mail
and in addition, some specific communications
regarding trips and events are sent out
to the relevant groups of parents.
We aim to have 100% of parents signed up to parentmail to facilitate paperless
communication.
Social Networking Sites/Blogs etc
Staff will not communicate with parents or
pupils via social networking sites or
accept them as their “friends”. The except
ion is networks or blogs set up specifically
for the purpose of teaching and learning.
Written reports
Once a year a full written report is sent
to parents on their child’s progress in each
subject. The report identifies areas of st
rength and areas for further development.
Students are also given the opportunity to comment on their own progress and parents
are invited to make a comment. Each student is also issued with two Interim Reports
per year, which give grades for effort and progress.
In addition parents meet their child’s subject teachers once a year, at parents evening.
When students have special educational needs or if they are making less than
expected progress or experiencing behaviour
al or disciplinary difficulties, we would
expect to meet with parents more regularly.
School Prospectus
The school prospectus contains a range of specified information to give parents a full
picture of provision at NFGS. This is
updated every year. The prospectus
information is also available on the school website.
School Website
The school website provides information about the school and an opportunity to
promote the school to a wider audience. It also has a regularly updated area for
information for current parents
Public Access Documents
Curriculum information, policies and copies of recent letters will be available on the
school website.
Home-school Communication
All students are issued with a planner. This enables parents to record a wide range of
information that they wish to share with the tutor and for teachers to communicate
with parents. Most importantly, parents should use planners to check homework and
communicate day to day issues with the tutor. Parents and tutors should check and
sign the planner at least weekly.
A calendar of school events is available on the website, and is updated on the
newsletters and issued to parents.
The school’s newsletter is published twice termly and is sent to all parents, it is also
available on the school website. Members of the school are encouraged to contribute
appropriate items to the newsletter which should be e-mailed to the AHT
(Community).
We encourage parents to contact the school if issues arise regarding their child’s
progress or well-being. For everyday issues
parents should contact their child’s form
tutor. If there are specific subject problems, parents should contact their child’s
subject teacher, or the subject leader. For issues that are persistent or serious then
parent’s should contact the relevant leadership link.
There will be Parent Forums every term to discuss current issues of importance to
parents. Meetings are held prior to any residential trip to inform parents of planning,
content and arrangements.
A meeting for new parents is held in July each year. Additional meetings include a
Year 7 Settling in Evening, Year 9 Options Talk, Year 10 GCSE evening, Sixth Form
information Evening, Year 12 Higher Education Evening.
If a child is absent from school and we have no indication of the reason, the
attendance officer will contact a parent on the same day, to find out the reason for the
absence.
Communication with other
schools and outside agencies
Before joining Year7, student
s are visited in their prim
ary schools to support their
transition to NFGS.
Child Protection
We are supported and regularly communicate
with various agencies and groups of
professionals who keep us informed on ways to meet students needs to ensure that
students can participate fully. Support comes from such services as Educational
Welfare, Educational Psychologists, Social Care etc.
We recognise that children have a fundament
al right to be protected from harm, that
their protection is a shared responsibility,
and that our school should provide a safe
and secure environment. We are the people most in contact with our children, and we
are therefore in a unique position to identify and help abused children. So when any
member of staff has concerns about a child, these will be passed on to the Child
Protection co-ordinator, who may share this information with the Social Services.
(See Child Protection Policy).
Confidentiality
We hold information on pupils in our school and from time to time we are required to
pass some of this information to others for educational purposes. Details have
been
sent to parents about the types of data we hold, why we hold that data, and who we
may pass it on to. This is a requirement und
er the Data Protection Act 1998. Parents
have a right to view the information we
hold, and we have contact details of the
agencies to which our information is passed.
Policy Links
Child Protection
Confidentiality
Assessment Policy
Source: http://www.nfgs.essex.sch.uk/portals/nfgs/docs/policies/Communications%20Policy.pdf
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