The First Impression Protocol - Auditing Your Course for Student Success

You only get one chance to make a first impression. In the digital classroom, even the most pedagogically sound course will frustrate learners if they encounter friction the moment they log in. Too often, we get so bogged down in the "how" of the technology that we forget the "who"—the student. This session bridges the gap between a "built" course and a "ready" course by treating your course launch like a software release. We will discuss the First Impression Protocol, a practical mindset shift that reframes how you view your course to reduce student anxiety and cognitive load through a user experience (UX) lens. Attendees will move beyond theoretical empathy and into actionable empathy by practicing our "5-Minute Audit" on pre-built course examples. We will explore how to identify navigation dead-ends, accessibility hurdles, and clarity gaps that often go unnoticed by those who built the site. No matter what LMS you use, you will leave with a go-live checklist to ensure your students spend their brainpower on your content, not your container.