Due to our recent trip abroad, a substantial amount of time has passed since I've had a class. I am looking forward to a new group of 18 students tomorrow on the Burnaby Campus of the BC Institute of Technology. We will meet in our department's computer lab in NE1.
I remember when most all of the initial materials could not be provided until the very first day of class. Now, I have already set up a course homepage. I can do that as soon as the students are enrolled. I just sent a welcoming email letter to each one via this resource. In addition, I have made sure they can access the course outline before I meet with them. There is even a little work via a message-board topic that I will expect them to complete before we have class. I like the idea of a "pre-assignment" a lot.