We are still early in the term and finding our feet. Here are five things you can do right now to help your students succeed. Even if you’re a few weeks in, it’s okay to take a reset. A thread!

1. Properly introduce yourself and your course. Why did you get into this field? What do you love about it? Maybe the first few classes whizzed by and you didn’t get around to posting a welcome video. It’s never too late to say hello.

2. Properly introduce the learning space. How will they navigate this environment? Where will they go for help? Maybe you were still too new to it to feel like you could when classes started. A warm orientation is still welcome, even now.

3. Flesh out the weeks to come. Even the bits you aren’t sure about yet. Maybe there’s space here for play, for humility, or for student contributions. Or for all of those things. It’s hard to succeed when you don’t know where you’re going. It’s not too late to draw a map.

4. Build some space for conversation. Even if you never got around to proper introductions before now. Build a forum, set up a Zoom, call it a coffee break, invite conversation. Invite happenstance. Learning happens in the in-betweens. It’s not too late to build some in-betweens.

5. Be vulnerable. My friends, this is hard. Our students are struggling. Be open about what sucks about this for you. Be willing to hear about what sucks for them, and be willing to change if you can. But open up to humanity. We all need it.

If your course isn’t where you want it to be right now, you can change it. No one expected you to get it right on the first try. It’s okay to take a reset. It’s okay to take a rest.