What to do Midway throughout the class
You are now midway through your online class, and you have gotten to know your students. By this time, you know your students interests hobbies, and you know your students work habits. You know which students like to be challenged in the forums, and you know which students need extra help. You know which students are weak in writing skills, and you know which students have strong writing skills. Knowing your students habits will help you tailor your forum questions and your assignments to your students needs. But now that you are midway through your class it is time for you to reach out to all your students to ask how they are doing and also to ask how the class is going so that you can make improvements to your teaching as well as to your class material.
Students love it when you send them a " How are you doing" email where you ask students how they're doing, and ask them about the progress in their work, and you asked them how they like the class, and you asked them if there is anything you can do to revise the class for future students. I always get many positive comments from students when I ask how they are doing. Students are touched when you show concern. I have gotten statements like, "I can't believe you care, Prof.!" or "None of my other professors wrote me an email asking how I am, you are great, Prof. Ho!"
In the "How are you doing mid-class email?", you can also congratulate students who are high achievers or who have high grades and who have been participating a lot in the forums. In addition, if a student is doing badly in the class, you can offer to help them by giving them your teacher contact information. You can offer to set up a time when the two of you can meet in real time to discuss any problems the student may be having in class. Always have a welcoming tone so that students feel comfortable asking you questions especially for lower grade students who really need your help in order to pass the class. I get rave reviews for my "How are you doing?" emails. Students who are high achievers tell me "I love taking your class. You participate so much in the forums. You really care!" and from the low achievers, "I can't believe you noticed my low grade Professor. I am really having a hard time because of all the family emergencies I have been having. My husband divorced me. I have been evicted from my house. It is nice to have somebody to talk to."
You can also give hints on what the second half of the class will look like so that students know what to focus on. At this point congratulate students that they are halfway through the class and that they have survived half the class successfully. Students love to have something to focus on. This is especially true for students who like to plan ahead. Students say, "Thanks for telling us what to focus on. Now I know what to study for when I take the quiz!"
These how are you doing emails gives you a chance to build connection s with your students because the most important component for an online teacher to be successful is to build a relationship with her students. On the student evaluation when I ask students what they liked best about the class, they would tell me that the best part of any online class is that I was a caring online teacher.
Do you give weekly emails or 'How are you doing?' emails? What reactions do you get from students?
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