Course Announcements

Announcements Tool:

 The Announcements/News tool enables you to create class announcements that help communicate information to your students quickly and effectively. Since My Home or Course Home is the first page that students will see when they log in or access their courses, the Announcements widget is a good place for displaying important information and for welcoming your students to class.

What kind of information can be communicated through the Announcements Tool?:

 The Announcement Tool is best suited for information which is short, sweet, and to the point. For example, you might use an announcement to remind your class of an exam, or assignment due date that is approaching. You can use announcements to relay information that is pressing and important. For example, if you are using D2L with your hybrid or face to face course, you might need to tell your class you are running 10 minutes late, or that you would like them to read an article ahead of class.

 Additionally, the announcements tool is a great means of showing your presence in the class. Students want to know that there is an instructor reading and paying attention to class activities. Posting comments about the week’s activity, or a summary of the most important points raise in the discussion board is a perfect means of showing that you are there and listening.

Helpful Tips:

·        Announcements appear in the announcements widget, but you can also receive instant notifications about postings through email and text messages. Your students can receive these same notifications, by adjusting their personal settings.

o   To learn how to set up your notifications – click here.

·         You can even post images to make your announcements more visual and creative.

o   Posting images is just as easy as posting a written announcement! When you are ready to post your announcement, just click the “image link” on the tool bar.

o   Then, browse your computer for your desired image. It’s that simple!

       Sometimes students will “dismiss” your announcement after reading it. This means the information will no longer appear as a new announcement on their course home page. In some cases, you may wish to edit an existing announcement, instead of creating a new one. Upon editing your announcement, you can ensure all students (even those who have already dismissed the announcement) will see the update. By checking the “Major Edit” box, on the edit page, you will restore the announcement for all students to the top of the announcement list. 

Feel free to share the ways that you use the announcements toll in the comments below.