Why would I use Slack in my course?
Use Slack to:
- Create a digital classroom community, with students supporting each others’ learning
- Dramatically reduce email volume by communicating in open channels and building a shared searchable archive
- Alert your class about assignments and schedule changes, and share helpful tips
- Work with community partners and collaborators through shared channels or guest accounts
Slack Setup and Instructions
To learn more about Slack, read a complete instructor guide and request help, please see the Dartmouth Slack Knowledge Base.
How should I organize Slack for my course?
Create and set your default channels that all students should join.
At a minimum, you may want to create a #[coursename]-help channel in addition to #announcements.
Here are some additional channel ideas:
- #course-discussion. Slack is a great medium for sharing resources and articles with students as you came across them in your own professional reading. Most internet links will unfurl a helpful preview, and you can use threads to keep discussions about a specific topic organized.
- #office-hours: Your students want to communicate with you, and an “office hours” channel can facilitate quick communication with fewer barriers and more seamless mobile functionality.
- #project-xyz: Does your course have a group project component? Create a private channel for each group and invite students. Each group can have its own channel to collaborate and share files with each other. Instructors can post resources for groups in their specific channels and periodically check in or offer assistance.
- #lecture: Set up a live classroom channel to use during lectures or tutorials. Students can post clarifying questions or comments during the lesson, you can poll the class, or you can ask students to share their thoughts during break. Periodic check-ins over Slack can also add much-needed pauses into the instructional flow.
Please note: Students will not automatically be added to new channels created after they’ve joined the workspace, so set any default course-wide channels before the course starts.
How will my students know how I'd like them to use Slack?
Define and share your course policies and guidelines for using Slack. If possible, add this to your course syllabus. Post your guidelines in your #announcements channel before the first day of class.
Examples:
- “For this course, important course announcements will be made via Slack announcement channel.”
- “Post questions, queries, feedback and anything course-related via Slack”
- “The Slack #course-discussion channel is the best place to ask a question related to an assignment or a concept in the readings.”
- “Follow the channel-naming conventions if you create new channels”
- “I encourage you to introduce yourself to me and your peers via Slack if you like, and also invite you to post a picture of yourself, so we can get to know each other.”
Will my students expect me to be on Slack 24x7?
Define your policy for responding to Direct Messages. If it is your policy not to respond to direct messages from students, please state this. Your policy should be included on your syllabus and Slack profile along with your email policies. A response policy makes it clear to students what to expect from you.
Example Policies:
- “I am available for direct messages Monday and Wednesday 2pm to 3pm and will respond only to messages sent during that time,”
- “I do not reply to direct messages from students, please use email instead.”
Thanks to Laura Braunstein from Digital by Dartmouth Library for the excerpts here and the full instructor guide!