Course Roadmap

Sample Welcome Letter

Hello everyone and welcome to the course …………
My name is ………, and I will be your online facilitator.

My contact information is:……

I am very glad that you have decided to take this course with us. I hope that you will find it fun and enjoyable, and at the same time a very positive learning experience.

Those of you who have taken online courses before will be familiar with the format of the lessons, discussion postings, assignments, and quizzes. Those of you new to online courses will need to spend some time getting used to navigating through the various components of the course. Be sure to read all of the Start Up and Course Information sections. They contain essential information for your successful participation in this course.

This course is presented through a course managment tool called WebCT. If you are new to WebCT, make sure you complete the Student WebCT Orientation (link is on Homepage) before you begin the course.

Most of our communication will take place through the discussion group and WebCT mail. It is very important that you are able to access and use these tools, so please take the time to learn how to do so. You will have an opportunity to practice during this first orientation week.  Private mail will be used primarily for personal messages, questions etc. If you have a general question, please post it to the Discussion Forum called Frequently asked Questions (FAQ). Chances are, others may be wondering about the same thing, and posting to this forum enables everyone to benefit. This is also a way to provide support and assistance to each other.

I expect a high level of participation in this course, so try to check the course site every one to two days. This way, you will not feel overwhelmed by the volume of messages to read..  

Finally, I will challenge you to think critically about the course content, and underlying assumptions. I hope to approach this course with a spirit of enquiry in which we can all learn from each other.  I welcome feedback from you at any time throughout the course. In addition, you will have an opportunity to provide anonymous feedback both midway and at the end of the course.

I am very much looking forward to working with you, so let’s get started and enjoy ourselves along the way.