With campuses being closed much of 2020 across the world, many institutions are preparing for an influx of both new students and new faculty members. It is important to provide the support necessary to help this new group of students and faculty be successful and engaged on your institution’s LMS.
Using an LMS for the first time can be a daunting task. With the help of EesySoft tools, you can help send both targeted messaging and context specific support to custom user groups of students and instructors, including new-to-the-institution individuals. You can now create your own custom user group by uploading a CSV list to the Custom User Group section of your EesySoft Dashboard, making it easier to get your targeted messaging and support out to the individuals that need it most.
Here is a video from our Customer Success Manager, Katie, explaining how to set up your own Custom User Groups. https://share.vidyard.com/watch/XckVQTAwnJRgQ2AmFWB927?
Ready to start an EesySoft campaign targeted to your new students, faculty, or transfer students who are not new to college, but new to your institution? Here are some EesySoft Universe examples to help inspire your future campaigns!
Transfer Student Welcome Checklist
The Transfer Student Welcome Checklist campaign is a messaging campaign designed to welcome new or transfer students to the university. These tips can help students feel prepared for the new semester at a new campus. This messaging campaign can be tailored to your institution's needs and be used in Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, or D2L.
Campaign to Design and Prepare Your Course in Canvas
New faculty, especially those new to your LMS, may need some additional support getting their course materials ready for the start of term. In the Campaign to Design and Prepare Your Course in Canvas, you can send a message encouraging faculty to register for a webinar on designing an online course or sign up for a 1:1 training session using an embedded Calendly link. This campaign also provides an example hint message kindly reminding instructors to ensure that they publish their course. While both of these message examples are done in Canvas, they can be easily tailored to work for your LMS.
Inform Students of Course Information at Start of Term
Students new to your institution can become anxious thinking about what is to be expected from them in their courses. Some students may wish to log into their LMS prior to the start of term and become worried when they may not see their courses listed yet, causing an onslaught of support tickets. A campaign to inform students of course information at the start of term is a proactive approach to reducing support tickets from students not able to see their courses prior to the intended release date.
Targeting New Students in Need of Support Services
Messaging through EesySoft does not need to be LMS specific. The campaign Communicating Resources to Meet Student Basic Needs serves as a great resource for new students and a great reminder of resources available for existing students. This campaign informs students of the various places they can go if they are facing housing, food, or childcare insecurities. It also provides resources to mental health, physical health, and financial support services.
Creating campaigns with a targeted audience can allow LMS support teams, and universities as a whole, to create new communication channels to answer questions your users are struggling with. Make the start of semester even easier with EesySoft campaigns. If you’re ready to start a campaign and need some assistance putting it all together, or maybe some additional inspiration, please reach out to your CSM. We are always happy to help!
Melissa McClelland is a Customer Success Manager at EesySoft. Melissa has a Bachelors of Science Degree in Education. She has worked in all aspects of education from Early Childhood through Higher Education with roles as teacher, trainer, and director of education.