“Melt” traditionally refers to the phenomenon of college-intending students that fail to matriculate. These students have completed all the necessary steps to attend: They have applied, been accepted, completed financial aid, and have even paid their deposit. However, they never make it to your classroom, or they start the course and drop before census. By reaching out to students early and often before a term begins and throughout the first week of class, online faculty can make a major impact on their students’ success. This practice of intentionally building community and making connections with students is the best way to keep students engaged with you and the course.
Your goal by the end of week one is to speak with each student individually. Review some of the checklists, templates, and examples to learn more about how you can reduce student melt. For strategies that extend past week one, please check out our Student Success Guide and Worksheet.
Week Zero: Student Outreach
Week zero, or the week prior to the beginning of the term, is a critical time for student success. During this week, you can begin reaching out to students to offer your support, encourage their engagement, and schedule a time to connect one-on-one with them to connect through phone, video chat, or text. Welcoming emails and text messages provide you with scalable and intentional opportunities to reach out to your newest cohort of students with proven results for persistence.
Contact 1: Initial Outreach Email
Prior to the course start date, send a warm and inviting email to students welcoming them to the course. This email should express your commitment to their development as well as a details about support including:
- An invitation to connect one-on-one via phone, text, or video chat to get to know students individually
- Encouragement to check out their student orientation and other support resources at your institution
- Instructions on how to log into the LMS and access the course
- Your contact information and directions to your faculty introduction page
- Directions and due dates for participating in the course introduction activity
- Information on required textbooks or materials and how to access them
- Communication about your excitement for the term and a request for questions
Hello <Student’s Name>!
I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself. My name is <Your Name> and I am your instructor for <Course Name>! I’m so excited to get to know you during our <Course Length> <Semester>. Just as a reminder, our course kicks off on <Date, Time, and Time Zone>.
It’s my privilege to thank you for choosing <Institution Name> to continue your educational journey. Because you are joining a community of online students, you are part of our university family. I am here to support you as you stay engaged with our course, so don’t be afraid to reach out for anything. In fact, I’d love the opportunity to chat with you one-on-one during the first week of class. What is your availability to connect through phone, text, or video call? I’d like for us to get to know one another before we begin our journey through the course. We’ll only need about 15 minutes!
Before the course begins, you should test your access to our learning management system, <University LMS>. Think of this as our online campus where you can connect with me and your classmates and access all your online classrooms. You can also access your online student orientation, which will introduce you to support services and some key strategies for being a successful online student! I recommend bookmarking the LMS login page to your favorite browser to access it easily.
Once you’ve logged in to our LMS, click on <course access instructions> to access our course! Once inside the course, you can <information on getting started and viewing instructor contact information>. If you’d like to begin preparing yourself for upcoming assignments, learn about important course details, or review resources available to you, you can access our course syllabus.
As a student, you also have access to an amazing network of university support staff who are here to help you succeed. We are committed to your successful graduation! If you have trouble logging into the LMS or accessing our course, please contact the <technology support office>. You can contact them <contact information for technology support>.
I’m so excited to get to know you in the coming weeks and explore <Course Name> together! If you have any questions, the best way to contact me is through <contact preferences>. I respond to students within <communication turnaround time>! I’d love to help you get started and get settled, so please do not hesitate to reach out with questions or provide me a few times you’d like to get together for chat!
Looking forward to our time together,
<Your Name>
Hello Jane!
I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself. My name is Dr. John Doe and I am your instructor for BUS 500: Business Writing! I’m so excited to get to know you during our 7-week Fall semester. Just as a reminder, our course kicks off on September 1 at 8:00 am Central Time.
It’s my privilege to thank you for choosing AP University to continue your educational journey. Because you are joining a community of online students, you are part of our university family. I am here to support you as you stay engaged with our course, so don’t be afraid to reach out for anything. In fact, I’d love the opportunity to chat with you one-on-one during the first week of class. What is your availability to connect through phone, text, or video call? I’d like for us to get to know one another before we begin our journey through the course. We’ll only need about 15 minutes!
- Access Our Classroom: Before the course begins, you should test your access to our learning management system, Canvas. Think of this as our online campus where you can connect with me and your classmates and access all your online classrooms. You can also access your online student orientation, which will introduce you to support services and some key strategies for being a successful online student! I recommend bookmarking the LMS login page to your favorite browser to access it easily.
- Where to Start: Once you’ve logged in to our LMS, click on the BUS 500 tile to access our course! Once inside the course, you can click on the Start Here link on the course homepage to view the course introduction video and review my contact information. If you’d like to begin preparing yourself for upcoming assignments, learn about important course details, or review resources available to you, you can access our course syllabus.
- Technology Support: As a student, you also have access to an amazing network of university support staff who are here to help you succeed. We are committed to your successful graduation!If you have trouble logging into the LMS or accessing the Start Here or Syllabus areas of the course, please contact the Technology Support Help Desk. You can contact them 24/7 through their website chat, call them on their helpline at (555) 555-5555, or send them an email at [email protected]. They are very helpful and should be able to walk you through any issue you may encounter.
I’m so excited to get to know you in the coming weeks and explore Business Writing together! If you have any questions, the best way to contact me is through email or my personal cell phone (located in my email signature!). I respond to both within 24 hours! I’d love to help you get started and get settled, so please do not hesitate to reach out with questions or provide me a few times you’d like to get together for chat!
Looking forward to our time together,
John Doe
Contact 2: Follow-Up Text
Follow-up on your kick-off email with a short text to students prior to the first day of the course. This is a chance to informally share your contact information and check-in on any issues the students may be experiencing. This text message can be succinct and reference your previous kickoff email.
Hi <Student’s Name>! This is <Your Name>, your instructor for <Course Name>. Just checking in to see if you have any questions about the email I sent earlier this week. I’d love to get together for a quick chat to get to know you better before our term starts. Let me know what time you have available next week for a quick 15 minute chat. Really looking forward supporting you in this course!
Hi Jane! This is John Doe, your instructor for BUS 500. Just checking in to see if you have any questions about the email I sent earlier this week. I’d love to get together for a quick chat to get to know you better before our term starts. Let me know what time you have available next week for a quick 15 minute chat. Really looking forward supporting you in this course!
Week One: Making Connections
Now that you’ve reached out to each student individually and the course start date has arrived, continue building on your initial connection with your students. Get to know what brought them to your university, program, and course; understand why this educational journey is meaningful to them; and identify any additional resources they need to be successful.
One-on-one meetings with individual students is a great way to build those connections, but don’t forget to actively participate in a student introduction activity and share information about yourself on a “Meet Your Faculty” page in the course. Sharing photos of you, stories about your own educational journey, positive affirmations, and your favorite motivational quotes can help humanize you as an instructor and make the first week of class more personalized for students.
Contact 3: Day One LMS Announcement
On the first day of the course, send an announcement to all students using your LMS announcement functionality. Like with your kickoff email, this message should reiterate your excitement about this new learning community and share that you are looking forward to each student’s success. The announcement can reiterate some of the information sent in the kick-off email, but it should also include additional course details such as:
- A reminder about connecting 1-on-1 with you via phone, text, or video chat
- A clear statement about how to get started in the course
- Directions to the course syllabus
- A description of that week’s activities and deliverables that highlights the introduction activity and your own introduction page
- Links to relevant campus support offices that will be key to student success
- Details on your “open-door” communication policy and your grading turnaround time policy
Hello <Course Name> Students,
Welcome to <Course Name>! Welcome to your community of online students and your family at <University Name>. Today is the first day of our <length> <semester> course. I’m really looking forward to your educational journey, and the most important thing you can do for your success is stay engaged with the course, with one another, and with me! Please reach out for anything that you might need. I’m here to help you reach your goals and see you through to graduation, so never hesitate to ask for help.
This course will move quickly, so it’s important to get familiar with our course and one another as soon as possible. To get started, log in to our university LMS, <university LMS>. As a reminder, our LMS login URL is <LMS login URL>. Please bookmark this page to your favorite browser as soon as possible. You will then need to <login instructions>. If you have trouble accessing the LMS or our course, please contact the <technology support office> as soon as possible (<technology support contact information>).
Once you have accessed the course, please visit <where to get started>. <Description of these course items and information on why they are important>.
This week, we’ll spend some time getting to know one another and begin our coursework, activities, and assignments. Please note the following activities and due dates. All dates and times are <time zone>:
- <Activity, Due Date, Time>
- <Activity, Due Date, Time>
- <Activity, Due Date, Time>
Remember, if you have questions about the activities or due dates this week, please do not hesitate to reach out to me. I’m available by <contact method> and will respond to student questions within <communication turnaround time>. You are also welcome to visit me during my office hours (<office hour details>).
There are also support offices available to you this week to help you start off on the right foot:
- <Support Office Name, Description, Contact Information>
I’m here to support you and help you be successful in this course. If I don’t have the answer, I will help you find someone on campus who does. I’d love the chance to speak with you one-on-one this week, so look for a message from me scheduling some time together. If you run into any questions or issues during our first week together, please let me know. Best of luck this semester!
Talk soon,
<Your Name>
Hello BUS 500 Students,
Welcome to BUS 500: Business Writing! Welcome to your community of online students and your family at AP University. Today is the first day of our 7-week Fall term. I’m really looking forward to your educational journey, and the most important thing you can do for your success is stay engaged with the course, with one another, and with me! Please reach out for anything that you might need. I’m here to help you reach your goals and see you through to graduation, so never hesitate to ask for help.
- Access Our Classroom: To get started, log in to our university LMS, Canvas. As a reminder, our LMS login URL is www.universitylms.com/login. Please bookmark this page to your favorite browser as soon as possible. You will then need to enter your email and password to access your courses. If you have trouble accessing the LMS or our course, please contact the Technology Support Help Desk as soon as possible ([email protected]).
- Where to Start: Once you have accessed the course, please visit both the Start Here and Syllabus pages. Each of these are linked in the Course Homepage. The Start Here area of the course will give you a checklist for success and the course syllabus will provide information on course policies, assignments, and due dates.
- Our First Activities: This week, we’ll spend some time getting to know one another and beginning our journey into Business Writing. Please note the following activities and due dates. All dates and times are Central Time:
- Login to the course by 11:59 p.m. today
- Review the Start Here & Syllabus areas of the course 11:59 p.m. today
- Complete the Course Introduction Activity by 11:59 p.m. Tuesday
- Complete the Introduce Yourself activity by 11:59 p.m. Wednesday
- Complete the Module 1 Comprehension Quiz by 11:59 p.m. Friday
- Respond to peers in the Introduce Yourself activity by 11:59 p.m. Friday
- Complete the Module 1 Assignment by 11:59 p.m. Sunday
- Respond to peers (2nd round) in the Introduce Yourself Activity by 11:59 p.m. Sunday
- How to Reach Me: If you have questions about the activities or due dates this week, please do not hesitate to reach out to me. I’m available by LMS Message, email, text message, or phone call and will respond to student questions within 24 hours. You can find my contact information in your course syllabus, or you can respond to this announcement directly. You are also welcome to visit me during my office hours (Wednesday from 2-6 p.m. in Zoom) or schedule an appointment as needed.
- Available Support Offices: There are also support offices available to you this week to help you start off on the right foot:
- Office of Disability Services: If you require an accommodation in this course, please reach out to this office as soon as possible. (Website | (555) 555-5555 | [email protected])
- Academic Advising: Are you worried that you may have enrolled in the wrong course, or do you have more questions about upcoming terms? Reach out to your advisor (Website | (555) 555-5555 | [email protected]).
- Writing Lab: This course will ask you to complete quite a bit of writing. The Writing Lab is available to you at any time to help you improve upon your work. For additional support, you can reach out to them as soon as possible (Website | (555) 555-5555 | [email protected]).
I’m here to support you and help you be successful in this course. If I don’t have the answer, I will help you find someone on campus who does. I’d love the chance to speak with you one-on-one this week, so look for a message from me scheduling some time together. If you run into any questions or issues during our first week together, please let me know.
Best of luck this term!
Talk soon,
John Doe
Contact 4: One-on-One Student Check-Ins
Students will now be working actively in your course, but some may struggle to stay engaged. Engagement during the first week of the course is critical to your students’ success, especially in an accelerated program. Keep up to date with data on your students’ logins and their completion of assignments, especially during this first week. No matter their performance, engaging with students one-on-one can help them better understand the expectations for success in your course and feel supported. If there are students at the end of week one that have not yet logged into the course or responded to your outreach, engage their academic advisor for support.
Dear <Student Name>,
Hi there! How are the first few days of class going? I was hoping to meet with you this week for no more than fifteen minutes to get to know you better and understand how I can best support you. I’d love to chat either through video chat or phone call, or we can even schedule some time to text!
Can you provide me a few times this week that you have 15 minutes for a quick get-to-know-you?
Let me know!
<Your Name>
Dear Jane,
Hi there! How are the first few days of class going? I was hoping to meet with you this week for no more than fifteen minutes to get to know you better and understand how I can best support you. I’d love to chat either through video chat or phone call, or we can even schedule some time to text!
Can you provide me a few times this week that you have fifteen minutes for a quick get-to-know-you?
Let me know!
John Doe
