Introduction Email Assignment
Overview
This is an introductory assignment for the first week of a new semester. This assignment involves students sending a properly formatted introduction email to the professor of the class, answering several questions within the body of the email (e.g., which topic from the course schedule are they most excited to learn about).
I use this Introduction Email assignment with almost all my classes. This achieves many goals at once: 1) it's a great way to open the lines of communication and help students feel more comfortable reaching out via email, 2) it helps me get to know my students better (and they get to know me better as well, because I respond to every intro email), and 3) it offers a way for students to practice good email etiquette (and to know that email etiquette is a thing that matters). Please feel free to adapt any part of this assignment for your own classes!