It's a good idea to contact your students before your first class meeting and include any
details they might need to know. You can send this via email or if your course has been published to students, you can use the Canvas Inbox or Announcements.
MyMCAD Email
To send your whole class an email, log in to MyMCAD, and go to your Faculty Info tab. In the Faculty Course Center, go to the class you want to email, and choose Class List. Email everyone on this list by clicking the checkbox at the top here to select everyone, then choose Email Selected Students below. You can fill out your email right from here.
Canvas Inbox and Announcements
When a Canvas course is Published, it is visible and accessible to students. Your course will be published automatically on the Sunday before the first day of class, but you can choose to Publish your course to students sooner. Simply click on the Publish button on the course Home page. Once a course is published, you can send out Inbox messages to your students. Just select the course, and who you’d like to message from that course. Fill out the message, and hit Send.
Posting an Announcement after the course is published also sends a notification to students as soon as the announcement is posted. Be aware that embedded media like video, attachments, or images won’t go out through the notification, only text and links.
This has been an overview of some ways you can use to contact your students before the first day.
Below is an example message that you might send a few days before the semester begins:
TO: The Class
FROM: Teachy McTeacherface
SUBJECT: Our First Class Meeting – Tuesday, Sept 1, 1pm CT
————
Hi Folks!
Next week our class begins and I'm excited to meet you all online.
CLASS MEETING DETAILS
Tuesday, 1pm Central
We will be using Canvas this semester. You will have access this Sunday, Aug 30. There’s a link to our class meeting in Canvas.
TENTATIVE AGENDA
Hello and Pod
Syllabus and Course Overview
Demo: Setting up your Development Environment
Stretch Break
Pair Exercises: Our First Webpage
Assignment 1
WHAT TO DO? WHAT TO BRING?
Please be prepared to share and discuss your work.
Read the syllabus: <share link to syllabus Google Doc here>.
Order the required textbook and materials.
Please wear headphones to the meeting. We have a large group, so headphones will help reduce echo.
I’m looking forward to seeing everyone soon! Please let me know if you have questions before then.
Best,
Teachy McTeacherface