No Spring shells yet? No problem with a Master shell.
Spring shells are usually planned for release 45 days prior to a new semester. With this in mind, Spring 2021 shells should become available by December 9th. To get a jump start on preparing your courses each semester, consider requesting a master shell that you have access to year-round! A master shell is a great place to make changes as the semester progresses and keep up-to-date so it's ready to roll into the next semester. Imagine the time saved!
Set the stage with the Instructor Profile Widget
Engaging students is the name of the game and a great first step is creating a welcoming environment. The Instructor Profile widget is a great way to introduce yourself to students as soon as they arrive at your course shell. This is the first opportunity to share a little about yourself and set the tone for the course, similar to how you'd introduce yourself on the first day of a face-to-face class. Though we have a great blog post about how to set up your Instructor Profile widget, here are a few reminders and best practices to keep in mind.
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
Add a picture of yourself to represent the human element - the course isn't running on auto-pilot after all! Depending on what's going on in the picture, maybe even a little bit about your personality can be shared to help create a more approachable and dynamic relationship from the beginning. Check out these fantastic examples from Dr. Ron Eaglin.
Color Contrast Caution
Feel free to switch up the colors but ensure there is enough contrast between the font color and background color as an accessibility best practice. Check out the WebAIM Contrast Checker where you can easily verify this using the code revealed when you pick a color while editing (for example, this is the code for DSC blue: #0079c2).
Social Sharing
Remember to update the social media buttons. Feel free to use the Daytona State College social media accounts, DSC Facebook and DSC Twitter, or to delete them by removing the URLs.
Roll With It
The Instructor Profile widget will copy over into new courses when you roll over from a course where this widget is already set up so you don't have to set it up every time.
As always, please reach out if you have any questions or feel free to schedule a one-on-one appointment for help. Also, if you haven't done so already please consider subscribing to this blog to stay up-to-date with the latest tips and news!
Jasmine Checchi
Instructional Designer, Division of Online Studies
jasmine.checchi@daytonastate.edu | 386-506-4278
Online Studies | Faculty Innovation Center (FIC)