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Contacting Students Before the Course Start Date (Instructors)

  • Updated

Important Change to Contacting Students

Instructors must now use Canvas to obtain an email list for the students enrolled in their courses. This information was previously available via InstructorLink, which is being phased out Fall 2026. You can bcc email your students using your UCSD email address. Read this article for full details.

Note: Email lists will be available in Canvas Course Analytics after September 1st, 2026.

At Extended Studies, we recommend that instructors contact their students about one week prior to the course start date to send a welcome message and PDF of the syllabus. 

Students do not have access to their Canvas course until the course start date, so they will not receive course announcements beforehand, which is why we recommend sending an email.

Instructors can obtain an email roster for their course(s) from Canvas and email their students (in the bcc field) using their UCSD email accounts.

Article Contents

1. Acquire CSV Email List via Course Analytics

2. Send your students a welcome email

3. Template Email

 

1. Acquire CSV Email List via Course Analytics

To obtain an email roster of students enrolled in a course using Canvas, ...

  1. Click the Course Analytics link in your course's navigation links. 
  2. Then, click the students tab (page top), and click the download CSV button. 

The CSV file contains student information, including email addresses off to the right in the data. Please store this file securely or delete it after use. You can copy the entire column of emails into the BCC field of a new email and send your welcome message. See the Template Email below for an example.

⚠️ If you do not use Canvas for your course, please contact your program manager for a student roster.

2. Send your students a welcome email

  1. Log into your UCSD email account to email your students. (Requires AD account access.)
  2. Start a new email, and copy all the student email addresses from the CSV you previously downloaded into the BCC line of the email to ensure student privacy. 
    • Include yourself as the recipient.
  3. Write a detailed welcome message in the email body and attach a PDF of your course syllabus.
    • You may use our template email in part 3 below to get you started.
  4. Click Send.
  5. Monitor your inbox for responses.

3. Template Email

Below we provide a welcome email you can customize with your personal information and instructional agenda. The email includes helpful links to get students into Canvas and their coursework quickly.

Subject: Welcome to [Course Title] – Getting Started for the Upcoming Quarter

Dear Students,

Welcome to [Course Title]. 

My name is [Instructor Name], and I will be your instructor. [Optional 1–2 sentence introduction: your role, professional background, or connection to the course topic.] I am excited to support your learning and help you achieve the course outcomes. Attached is the course syllabus in PDF. Please review it before the course begins on [DATE].

Before then, make sure you can log into TSS and also into Canvas, where all course materials, activities, and announcements will be located. Be advised that you won't be able to see my class until our official start date, but you should still make sure you have access.

To log into the Extended Studies instance of Canvas, visit https://extcanvas.ucsd.edu/login/saml/243. For help with your TSS login, visit https://extendedstudies.ucsd.edu/student-services/triton-student-system.

And I will reach out to you periodically, so make sure my messages are going to your inbox. You can also adjust your notification settings in Canvas so that you don't miss anything. Read Edit Notification Settings (https://extensionhelpcenter.ucsd.edu/hc/en-us/articles/360039298272) for instructions.

In the meantime, if you have general questions, please use Canvas inbox to message me directly. Read How to contact my instructor (https://extensionhelpcenter.ucsd.edu/hc/en-us/articles/360047250751)

For questions about enrollment or other student services matters, please visit the Student Services Overview (https://extendedstudies.ucsd.edu/student-services/student-services-overview)

If you experience problems using Canvas, you can search our help articles or submit a help request via the Extended Studies Online Learning Help Center.

I look forward to an exciting quarter of learning with you all.

Warm regards,
[Instructor Name]
[Instructor Title / Professional Role]
[Course Title]

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