I plan to establish the expectation of contact from the beginning of the course. I won't tacitly dare them to prove me wrong, but I will find a way to say that if they don't know how to get in touch with me and haven't talked with me via email or LMS in weeks, chances are they will not be successful in the course. We need to encourage contact -- not in a parental manner -- but in a manner that allows students to see us as vital resources for reaching their goals. That requires connecting their goals to the content.
