Last May, I ran a workshop for faculty called Introducing D2L to Your Students which asked “Using D2L, but not sure how comfortable your students are with it? Come and find out what other faculty at Camosun are doing to introduce D2L to their students.” The workshop outcomes invited participants to:
- Decide how best to talk about D2L with your students
- Rethink the assumptions we make about what students do or don’t know about D2L and accessing online resources
- Integrate strategies for introducing D2L and referring to it throughout the term
During the workshop, participants discussed how they introduce, or might introduce, D2L to their students. Expanding on their discussions, I shared what I have learned what faculty across the college are doing to introduce students to D2L, which ranges from nothing (typically assuming students will be able to figure it out for themselves), all the way to full scavenger hunts, and regular sessions in the lab using D2L.
So, here in this post, I now share with you the strategies which have been shared with me. Faculty at Camosun who are introducing D2L to their students in some way are:
- Providing students with information about D2L prior to the first class, typically via email (and in some cases via a physical letter). I have seen this being done at a Program level, as well as by individual instructors.
- Creating handouts (or using the ones created by eLearning) to support students in their use of D2L.
- Giving students a tour of D2L and the D2L course site on day one, for example,
- Showing them how to log in;
- Showing them how to set email forwarding and/or notifications;
- Showing them all the tools that will be used during the course (or introduce tools throughout the term when they need to be used);
- Showing them what specifically will be in the tools (content pages, dropboxes, etc.);
- Showing them how they will see things like quizzes, dropboxes, and grades (using Preview or View as Student options); and
- Explaining how the various tools, and D2L in general, will be used (what can they expect – for example, how often will News items be posted, or Email checked, or how long it will take to grade a Dropbox assignment).
- Having students complete a D2L scavenger hunt either in a lab, using laptop carts in a classroom, or asking them to use mobile devices (for example, having them complete one activity (i.e., discussion or dropbox) or multiple activities in your D2L course site).
- Pulling up D2L for your students at different points throughout the term to remind them to access D2L, or refresh their memory of how a tool works (for example, show them where to find feedback for their assignments, quizzes, in grades, etc.)
- Giving students a quick survey asking “how’s D2L going” after 4 weeks or so.
After talking to faculty and surveying students, I was surprised that some faculty and students don’t know where they can get help with D2L. Because students don’t always know that there is help available, they often either ask other students or don’t ask anyone at all, which can lead to frustration, and to students giving up on using D2L. Here are some of the places students can (and do) get help with D2L – please make sure to let your students know them!
- The D2L Student Guide (screen cap) which is available as a link on the main D2L homepage
- eLearning Support (desupport@camosun.ca), available 8:30-4:30, Monday-Friday.
Finally at the end of the workshop, participants shared what they were going to try with their own courses, either to enhance what they already do, or as a first step. Consider trying some of these, or some of the strategies mentioned above, yourself and let me know how it goes!
- Including News items around where to get help, or tips on how to use different tools, how to login, using email, etc. (and creating ongoing News posts to help remind students that they need to go to the Dropbox to submit an assignment, or go to Content to view a video).
- Providing students with a Checklist in the Content area. A checklist can provide students with more clarity around what tools they are supposed to be accessing, what needs to be completed, and by when.
- Staggering the D2L intro so students don’t have to learn everything at once. This can help students learn how to use the various tools WHEN they need to, so they don’t forget everything after Day 1.
In the end, I can’t stress enough how important it is for instructors using D2L to take the time to show students D2L on a regular basis. If students are continually reminded (visually!) that they need to go to D2L to read content, complete quizzes, submit to the Dropbox etc., they will be assured that using D2L is an important component of their learning and of your teaching. It only takes a few minutes at the beginning of class to call up D2L and give a quick reminder/refresher, so please take the time!