Instructional Design & Online Course Support

University of Wisconsin

  • Home
  • Contributors
  • Course Design
  • Online Teaching
  • Tools & Technology
  • Policies & Procedures

The Importance of Announcements

Posted: October 3, 2016 | Last Modified: June 3, 2020 Leave a Comment

news toolAnnouncements are a primary means of establishing instructor presence in a course. This is the place where you can bring in your teaching expertise–your personal flair–for the whole class to read. The most successful posts tie the instructor’s personal life or experience with the course material, or draw attention to the latest news on the topic. They circle back to the previous week’s assignments and better explain an exam question that many students got wrong. They summarize a discussion or point out something that the instructor learned from various written assignments. They look to the week ahead, reminding students of upcoming assignments and giving them points to look out for. They explain points of confusion or ask students to look at something from another perspective. In this way, even an instructor who didn’t design a course can make the course their own.

The important thing to remember with announcements is that they be topical and deepen student learning. This article from Faculty Focus, Using Announcements to Give Narrative Shape to your Online Course, contains some great tips for how to create a narrative around your class and help students make meaning.

Keep in mind that if you’re posting an announcement that should really be part of the course (even if another instructor teaches it), or something that the students need to successfully complete their assignments, then contact your instructional designer to discuss embedding that material in the course.

Filed Under: Online Teaching Tagged With: Announcements, Fundamentals, Instructor, Instructor Presence, Social Presence

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

About This Blog

Through the partnerships we form with our instructors, we develop engaging and interactive online courses. Here you’ll find ideas on course design informed by the latest research and teaching strategies that build community and instructor presence. We’ll also we share our experiences with technology, with Canvas, and with administering our online educational programs.

Affiliations



Tags

Academic Integrity Accessibility Announcements Assessment Canvas Copyright Design Fundamentals Discussion EDI Evaluations Extra Credit Feedback Fundamentals Grades Groups Instructor Instructor Presence Kaltura Kaltura Capture Learning Materials Learning Objectives Multimedia Notifications Open Educational Resources (OER) Quick Tips Quizzes Reflection Rubrics Social Presence Student Syllabus Troubleshooting Turnitin Written Assignments

iDocs · Schneider Social Science Hall 115 · University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire College of Business · BIZHELP@uwec.edu

Copyright © 2014-2023 UW-Eau Claire and the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System

Copyright © 2023 · Metro Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in