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University of Tennessee

About ITC

Newsletter: Spring 2004

Extended Communications: Reaching Students
Before and After the Semester

by: Michael Burke

There are a number of compelling reasons, at all levels of the university, for enhancing our ability to communicate with students before a semester begins or after the formal course of instruction has ended. Examination of stated reasons for desiring extended communications reveals some common themes.

Themes for pre-course communications
Pre-course assessments
Use pre-course assessments to conduct a pre-semester assessment of student skills or experience or a body of knowledge review for courses with prerequisites. Accessible online surveys or email minimize the obstacles of time and place while accomplishing these goals.

Orienting functions
A well designed Web site that can provide detailed information, maps, contact information, or other appropriate resource materials will help orient students to a department, degree program, or individual course.

Community building functions
The number and quality of student “connections” may play an important role in student persistence, retention and progression toward a degree. The Online@UT system (http://online.utk.edu/) provides a flexible, convenient, accessible means for organizations to provide information and communications capabilities to students.

Themes for post-course communications
Tracking functions
Post-course communication can help track students’ progression to a major or toward a degree. Current methods include mailing out grade summaries, providing for academic advising, and providing transcripts. Making this information available online encourages students to be more proactive in their academic planning, and may reduce advising demands on faculty and staff.

The mentoring function
Mentoring often receives insufficient attention due to the time intensive nature of the work. Using current technologies, it should be possible for us to develop and implement online mentoring programs that effectively distribute the mentoring load among faculty, staff and student mentors.

Networking/professional development
Ongoing commnication provides opportunities for developing mentoring relationships between practicing professionals and students still in the program, facilitates internship opportunities, and aids in soliciting feedback to improve the quality and effectiveness of courses and programs. Email, online surveys, and Web sites offer a wide range of options for achieving these goals.

While our desire to communicate with students before and after individual course or program completion is not new, the tools available to us today certainly provide effective, efficient methods of accomplishing our goals. Using available, accessible tools like websites, online community tools (Online@UT) and email, we have the means to reach most students at any time that it is reasonable and appropriate to do so. If you’d like to discuss applicable communications tools for achieving your own instructional or program development goals, contact the ITC at itc@utk.edu or call 974-9670.