ANGEL Tip #1: Personalizing Your Announcement in ANGEL

Okay, here is my first attempt at blogging.  Whether we like it or not, technology is here to stay and trying new things with technology can enhance our way of communicating.   I work in the Academic Technology department at North Shore Community College and have been asked to help “blog” about what I consider important things concerning academic technology at NSCC. You will occasionally see blogs from all of us.

I thought I would introduce an “Angel tip” segment for this blog.  I will attempt to have a new one every month. As you probably know ANGEL is our Learning Management System (LMS) here at North Shore Community College and everyone at NSCC has an ANGEL account.  All credit courses offered here have an ANGEL shell and faculty use these shells in a variety of ways.  Some use ANGEL for their online courses, others may use it as a supplement to their onsite course.

Typically, when I conduct a “New to ANGEL” workshop I will talk about the importance of posting an announcement on the ANGEL course homepage.  When students log into their ANGEL course it is important for you to have a message welcoming them, directing them or updating them on the course.  Personalizing your course is a great way to make the student feel as though you know them. You can do this by having the announcement begin with their first name.

  

Now, here is Angel Tip #1 for you: 

You can use an “agent”  to add a student's first name to an announcement. 

To do so just add the following   $FIRST_NAME$    into the announcement text box.  Add it exactly as I have written it.  This will enter the student’s first name on the announcement page.  It will also work using course mail.

I am hoping you enjoy this tip and if you have any you would like to share, please feel free to comment.