Teaching Resources
This resource page houses materials for semester-prep, ready-made student resources, and quick-start guides for frequently asked questions.
Syllabus Resources
Get students started off on the right foot with a syllabus that provides all of the information necessary to be successful. See CELT's syllabus page
Welcoming students to your course
A "welcome" announcement in your course shell can help foster a sense of community and establish a positive learning environment from the start. Here are some elements to consider:
Introduce yourself. You are a vital part of your course! Students will participate more actively in courses where instructors are humanized.
Summarize your course. It can be helpful to personalize your course description beyond what is listed in the course catalog.
Provide information on required or recommended textbooks/course materials. This allows students to purchase items early.
Show one or more examples of assignments. Describe how the sample assignments connect to the course goals, to students’ lives or future goals, and why you include them in your course.
Give directions on how to access the course materials and on where the class will meet. You are not required to use Blackboard other than posting your syllabus, but it is helpful to post (in Blackboard) links to any other websites you use and/or room numbers so there is a consistent place for all UAS students to find directions to where they need to go.
- Record an introductory video. Letting students see and hear you before the first day of class is another way to humanize your course. Here is a guide to creating a short bumper video.
Student Tutorials
CELT has some videos that might be helpful for you to share with students:
- Navigating Blackboard - student tutorials - These tutorials show various tasks in Blackboard from the student perspective. If you have students who are new to Blackboard, these could be helpful. These are for the Original Blackboard interface, which is the default interface for Academic Year 2023-2024.
- Navigating Blackboard Ultra - UAS student tutorial. A brief tour of the optional new Blackboard interface with some changed menus and options. This video is customized for UAS with a sample course from the student perspective. For a playlist of general Ultra instructions from Blackboard, visit their student tutorial playlist.
- A video showing the student view for finding feedback in Blackboard Ultra.
- Formatting Guide for Students - These tutorials cover basic Microsoft Word formatting techniques used in formal writing. It does not discuss specific style guides (APA, Chicago, MLA), but mechanics that can be applied to any. We also have a printable formatting guide (PDF).
- Registration videos. These videos cover the basics of preparing for registration and using the UAS scheduling tool to register for classes. We also have a one page document with tips for applying and registering (PDF).