Welcome Letter / Instructor Website Checklist

Welcome Letters

Prior to the class finder becoming available for students to view classes you need to prepare your welcome letter and post it for students to review. The purpose of the welcome letter is to help them start planning schedules, understand the course start and end date, how to contact the instructor, how to log into class, course requirements, time commitment, necessary hardware / software they need to have or purchase, links to student support / tutorials, as well as any mandatory online or on campus meetings they need to attend or proctoring information.

Use the Welcome Letter Checklist: Necessary items that need to be included on your course welcome letter.
Obtain your course section number CRN from your division assistant, chair or dean if you don't already have it.
Download a template Welcome Letter as an easy to use document includes items from the welcome letter checklist. Easily, update the necessary sections to include your course specific information, course design and preferences.
Review the Posting Instructions and then use the Welcome Letter File / URL Collection Form

Ensure your letter meets ADA / 508 Compliance since these letters are available to the public and all users should be able to view / read your letter with accommodations built in. Review the resources available in the accessibility modules and contact defaculty_support@cuesta.edu if you need additional assistance with ADA formatting.

If you are not using the welcome letter template provided above, please note that the welcome letter is not an advertisement but rather a tool to identify important course requirements. 

Also please make sure all your links are validated and accurate, and that welcome letter helps students locate resources that are available to them on the Cuesta home page such as:

STUDENT RESOURCES!!

Share with students how to use Canvas if they are new. We have a self paced tutorial that students may access now to get introduced to the learning environment. It walks students through a typical course layout and the common Canvas tools. The tutorial also provides resources on how to download applications, working with browsers, and more. Please include this link in your welcome letter and recommend they complete the tutorial before the semester starts. This tutorial will ensure students are ready to go: https://www.cuesta.edu/academics/distance/survey.html

Additionally, you might consider using an orientation module in your course to welcome students and introduce them to your learning environment. You may import a sample course tutorial from Canvas Commons. Click on Commons on your Global Canvas (left menu), type "Cuesta College Course Tutorial" in the search box, click on the link for the tutorial, on the right side click the "Import / Download" blue button, then check the box(es) for the courses you wish to add it to. Open your course(s) to verify it imported, then view each page, click edit and update the information to fit your needs and course.

Here are additional resources that will be helpful to include in your welcome letter:

- Canvas Quick Reference for Students
- Distance Education Home Page
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- Online Student Readiness Tutorials
- Academic Honesty and Standards of Conduct