It is a good idea to include a statement in the course which introduces the student to the course and to the structure of the student learning.

The instructor's statement gives the new student an idea of how the learning process is structured including schedule, communications modes, types of activities, and assessments. These features are often found in the course syllabus, but may be in an orientation module also.

Since some users prefer to read hardcopy, consider dividing the content into printable sections.