InterPro - Teaching Resources for Instructors - Online Course Pre-flight Checklist
In preparation for the start of an online credit course, complete the following checklist.
As soon as you have the information
- Enter textbook information into Faculty Center; see Textbook Information and click the link for Faculty Instructions for Entering Textbooks
Approx. 2-weeks before course start
- Verify the setup and accuracy of all course site components, including:
- Module titles, sequence of content, and release conditions (if implemented)
- Course files, readings, and videos
- Assignment instructions, due dates, point values, and submission details
- Discussion forums
- Quizzes
- Grades, grading scheme, and grade weights
- Web conference room(s)
- Team/Group setup
- Signup sheets
- Make note of anything that is missing or incorrect, and contact InterPro Online Support, if needed.
- Set up Zoom conference.
- With the adoption of Zoom as UW-Madison's official web conferencing tool for online courses, instructors in credit courses are now responsible for setting up their Zoom conference for the semester. LDT will add the Zoom tool to the navigation and course homepage to ensure it is ready for instructor use.
- For additional instructions on setting up a Zoom conference, see Creating Zoom Sessions using the Canvas Integration. For guidance on course settings, see InterPro - Online Learning - Teaching Resources for Instructors - Suggested Settings for Canvas integration Zoom Conferences and Importing Zoom Meetings through the Canvas-Zoom Integration
Approx. 1-2 weeks before course start
- Sometimes instructors want to communicate to students before the semester begins and the course site published. This can be useful to provide students with pre-course information and announcements. The WiscList Classlist Utility provides an email listserv to communicate with all the students who have registered for the course. We have linked to the WiscList Classlist KB page for more information on how to enable and use this handy tool.
Approx. 3-7 days before course start
- Publish your course site; for Canvas, see How do I publish a course?
- Post a Welcome Message to students; for Canvas, see How do I add an announcement in a course? Also see InterPro - Instructor Welcome Message: Creating a Positive Presence in Your Online Course. It includes a welcome message template you can customize and use for your own course. Include anything that is relevant and useful for students to get a strong start in your course. Be sure to publish your course site first, or students won't receive a notification of your announcement.
During the first week of class
- Add your own introduction post to the announcements or discussion forum, and review introductions posted by your students. Consider responding to each or respond to the entire class in a single note as another way of welcoming them to the class.
- Watch the People (class list) to make sure all students have logged into the course site; contact any students who have not.
- So you don’t have to spend your time providing tech support, remind students of how to access our technical support. The Help & Support link on the course home page provides direct access to our online support team.
- Contact our online support team if you have any questions about the course site or facilitating your online course.