Overview
A powerful way to help students get comfortable with Harmonize—while also building community—is to start with an introductory video discussion that connects the course to their real lives. Think of it as a “mini authentic assessment”: they introduce themselves and show how the course matters to them.
Goal
The goal of this assignment is to give students a low-stakes opportunity to practice:
- Recording a short video or screen share in Harmonize
- Watching and responding to classmates’ posts
You might also ask them to tie an early course idea to their own experience, so each introduction is unique, relevant, and interesting.
Step 1: Create a Harmonize discussion assignment
- Create a graded Harmonize discussion
- Title your discussion something like “Introduce Yourself and Connect to Our Course.”
- Make it low-stakes (try completion-based auto-grading with a low number of points).
- Optionally enable Milestones:
- Milestone 1: Post your intro by mid-week.
- Milestone 2: Reply to at least two classmates by the end of the week.
Step 2: Include a course-tied, real-world component in the prompt
Here is an example you can use:
Welcome!
Before we jump into the course content, let’s get to know the people behind the names on the screen with a video introduction. At the same time, we’ll be learning how to use some of the fun and useful features that are available in Harmonize discussions.
For Your Post
Create a video introduction. To do this:
- Click “Create Post.”
- Title your post.
- Scroll down below the text box.
- Click the video camera icon.
- Give Harmonize permission to record.
- Go!
In your post, share:
- Your name and anything you would like us to know about you.
- Where you are joining from.
- One real-life connection to this course. This could come from your job, family, community, hobbies, goals, current events, or something you have always wondered about.
- Why that connection matters to you, even a little.
- Optional: Upload one or more images to help tell your story (for example, a photo or a favorite meme).
For Your Comments
After you post, visit at least two classmates’ introductions. Reply to each person with:
- One thing you learned about them.
- One friendly question or follow-up based on what they shared.
Resources
Harmonize is pretty intuitive, so you may find you can just dive in and get going. If you want some additional resources, check out the following:
Have fun!
See an interesting tool in Harmonize? Try it out! Run into problems? Contact me for help. I can forward you to Harmonize support if necessary.
Step 3: Decide how public you want it to be
- Most courses use a class-wide (Visibility = Everyone) discussion so everyone can see each other’s stories.
- For very large sections, consider small groups (Visibility = Students in Same Group) so students introduce themselves in a smaller community.
Because the stakes are low and the topic is personal, students can focus on learning the tools and making a meaningful connection to the course, not just “talking about themselves.”
Benefits
- By the time you assign higher-stakes presentations, students already know:
- How to create a media-rich post
- How to watch and respond to others’ presentations
- You start the course with:
- A stronger sense of community
- A clear signal that this course connects to their real lives, not just to quizzes and exams.