Give several dates at the time the course meets so that your class can be accommodated. When you set up a course Web page on CourseTools all the students enrolled in the class have access to the site as soon as you have published it, usually within a day. The COW can be open or closed. Setting up a class email list The two technology basics of online collaboration are setting up a class email list and making sure students know how to copy and paste a response or draft from their word processing program to the list and thus to everyone in the class. If you use CourseTools, students should have these skills as well, and you may also want to have a class email list.
Many students check their email more frequently than they get on the Web.
The easiest way to make and manage email groups is through the university directory. Click on the YOU button and log in with your uniqname and password. Follow the user-friendly directions for creating a group. Students should be given guidelines on using an email group. When groups post their work on a Web-based course discussion page, each student sees a variety of responses to an assignment or a reading.