By in class, I mean that I read and thoughtfully work through the materials and assignments. Present Clear Objectives. / For a student, engaged = active and timely participation in an effort to understand the course material for more reasons than to pass an exam or get an A on a test, and to feel supported by the instructor to learn the material.”. Just as great brick-and-mortar classrooms feature teachers who create 360-degree feedback loops with their students and are responsive to student needs, great online classrooms feature educators who have mastered the art of providing and seeking feedback every day. Consider their lives. Adults are more likely to tell you that they feel an assignment is an empty academic exercise or just busywork. For those who miss the online meeting, record the session and send out the link afterwards. Instruct your pupils to set up their study space in an area with as few distractions as possible. The strategies revolved around two important domains: Instructor presence and teaching immediacy. Given the highly visible research on the National Study of Student Engagement (NSSE) and what it has revealed about engagement in the face-to-face environment, it makes sense to investigate the ways that engagement strategies can keep students enrolled in their online programs to completion and ensure they are learning what they need to succeed. As districts nationwide have no doubt learned, distance learning is different—in good ways and in challenging ways—from the traditional in-person educational experience. Strategies for faculty: Be present in discussion forums or blogs by responding to students’ posts, asking probing questions so as to model how you want students to ask more critical questions of their peers, encouraging students to ask probing questions to peer responses, and sending out emails or announcements, if needed, to spur the conversation on. Require all students to go through the introduction to online learning the first time they … The learning objectives of the workshop were twofold: Identify strategies that help overcome obstacles to student engagement and develop a plan to improve student engagement in your online course. Allen, I., and Seaman, J. In an asynchronous class discussion, for example, you want to interject just enough to elicit further conversation without creating the expectation that students have to hear from the instructor before responding to one another. 2015. 62-65. These five online teaching strategies will help you increase engagement and retention for both kids and adults. Cooperative Learning. Relationships are the most important element of any learning format, but they are especially critical when students are online, because students can feel disconnected from the course and isolated from each other if they are not tended to. Students are human. 1. One definition of student engagement is “the amount, type, and intensity of investment students make in their educational experiences.” Here are a few ideas for increasing and ensuring higher levels of student engagement in online courses: 1. This resource provides simple strategies that combine active learning principles with online tools so students can encounter and engage with information and ideas, and reflect on their learning. Good assignments involve students using research skills, developing ideas for a product, or solving a problem that requires creative thinking skills. I wrote some about this recently: “You can also argue that this isn’t your ... 2. “Assessing Retention in Online Learning: An Administrative Perspective.” Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration. http://www.onlinelearningsurvey.com/reports/gradelevel.pdf, http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/summer142/boston_ice142.html. Strategies for engagement in online courses: Engaging with the content, instructor, and other students. You should also reach out to your center for teaching and learning for additional resources and guidance. Use your students’ exploring, editing and creative skills. Students need to understand exactly what is expected of them before starting a course. Student Engagement: 5 Strategies to Motivate the Online Learner (Updated July 2020) #1: Reward Students’ Successes. Many of us have extensive working experience in the field, but we often do not know how to relate it to the course. To that end, here are eight best practice strategies for engaging students in an online environment. Many students work via smart phones while on the move. Finally, having students provide feedback to each other before final submission of an assignment will lead to a better quality product. The screen came alive as students typed, doodled, mind-mapped, highlighted, and circled their answers and then discussed them with the rest of the class. Find the happy medium, it’s more than just “doing a project” - you are making the chosen project the entire unit of learning, early and frequently about course practices. In 2013, Chin-min Hsiung found strong evidence that students perform “substantially better” in classroom tests after cooperative learning. Want to learn how to put them into practice? 25 Remote Teaching Tips To Engage Students In Distance Learning. Use the information in the pre-course surveys to strategically form teams for assignments where diversity is emphasized. Thank you for subscribing to Schoology Exchange! Research provides evidence for the connection between higher student engagement and persistence and retention in online programs (Boston, et al., 2010; Wyatt, 2011). Wyatt, L. G. 2011. http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/summer142/boston_ice142.html“>http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/summer142/boston_ice142.html. 3. Paula M. Bigatel is an instructional designer and instructor at Penn State University’s World Campus. Yet, there are challenges associated with virtual learning, too, and one of the biggest challenges is related to student engagement. 1. avatars and other customizable features: background colors, bios, message signatures, and more. It means that I have internalized the material. Keeping online students engaged in an environment filled with distractions is one of the chief problems in distance learning today. Learn ab out the tools and tasks that stretch their brains while nurturing their natural creativity and curiosity. (More on our active learning page.)2. Motivation/interest Just as the holy grail of in-person instruction is to be able to sit back and facilitate student to student discussion, the holy grail of online discussion boards is to be able to stimulate thoughtful, substantive student to student posts and responses. Icebreaker/introduction discussions and working collaboratively using online communication tools was rated the most beneficial engagement strategy in the learner-to-learner category, whereas sending regular announcements or e-mail reminders and providing grading rubrics for all assignments was rated the most beneficial in learner to instructor category. The following are seven effective ways to increase online student engagement in the learning process. Icebreaker/introduction discussions and working collaboratively using online communication tools were rated the most beneficial engagement strategies in the learner-to-learner category, whereas sending regular announcements or email reminders and providing grading rubrics for all assignments were … No matter whether your school has full-time online options this year or has opted to develop a more extensive system of Hybrid Education, the online component of education is a very different world. You’ll want to help them do that. In an in-person environment, I liked to turn the class loose on a “big picture” question and spend the entire first class talking about ideas before relating it back to what we planned on studying for the year. The following are some active learning strategies that you can incorporate into your online classes to increase online student engagement. As much as students complain about the challenges of group work, we have to remind them about how important collaborative skills are in the workplace. To help them thrive in this new environment, give them an introduction to online learning, your association’s learning management system (LMS), and their online course. You can set up online meetings using conferencing tools like Adobe Connect or Zoom. Comments from prior semester’s assignment feedback can be re-used as well. Personal is the deepest form of engagement. Asking for help and support is a common desire among online students. Engagement matters: Student perceptions on the importance of engagement strategies in the online learning environment. 4. 1. Some common personalized learning strategies for student engagement include: Involving students in academic goal-setting for themselves Giving students multiple opportunities to show their knowledge, from assessments to journal entries Using flipped instruction strategies to help students learn at their own pace Part Two was on Five Ways to Boost Student Participation in Remote Learning. … On the flip side, too much instructor participation can stifle discussion and other forms of student participation. Focus tasks on worthy goals and meaningful learning. Some prior knowledge is assumed, outlined in policy documents (below). Obstacles to student engagement were broken down into … Distractions come in a variety of forms, including noise, foot traffic, siblings, smells from cooking food, and visual attention-grabbers, such as construction work seen from the window. Because true PBL comes with a public presentation component, students learn how to achieve results in the real world via their online coursework. Out of class means I am so interested in the material or I need to answer a question so I seek outside resources to further explore and understand the material. Some students … Interaction and timely feedback Engaging students online and in-person is easier and faster through a video email. Amy Wood, Director or Learning Research and Design at Pearson and Susan Barry, Manager of Instructional Design at Pearson, rolled out these tactics at during the “9 Strategies for Maximizing Student Engagement and Learning Achievement in Online Classes” session at REMOTE: The Connected Faculty Summit. The NSSE benchmarks five clusters of activities indicating student engagement, including level of academic challenge, a supportive campus environment, enriching educational experiences, student–faculty interaction, and active and collaborative learning (Robinson & Hullinger, 2008). Hold synchronous class meetings. Success! Learner-to-instructor engagement strategies seemed to be most valued among the three categories. 20 million students, educators, parents, and admins have. Another teacher and I share strategies to encourage student collaboration in a remote or hybrid learning environment, including through group presentations and class-created "norms." The purpose of this was to identify pertinent studies on the important issue of student engagement strategies in online courses and student engagement strategies … To keep students engaged, return online assignments quickly and with substantive feedback. Instead of the typical videoconferencing discussion format, I used cloud-based software and our learning management system (LMS) to have students brainstorm their answers to the same type of “big picture” content-related question. “Nontraditional Student Engagement: Increasing Adult Student Success and Retention.” The Journal of Continuing Higher Education, 59(1), 10-20. For example, use a student question from a post as a springboard to get students … We saved most of the course expectations and “where’s the bathroom?” type information for a later date and just focused on getting to know each other in the context of enthusiasm for the types of content and ideas to be covered during the rest of the year. The brain responds to visuals fast, better than text or any other kind of learning material. Strategies for faculty: Many online students are working adults, so making course content applicable to their real-world experiences is very important to keeping them engaged. Student comment: “Engaged means not only to interact with students but to have a clear understanding of the concepts and apply them to real-world situations.”. Students like myself should be interacted with in various ways, not only through assignments and quizzes, but also through exercises, training, forums, and discussion. Active learning: Create a teaching and learning environment primed for student participation, such as calling on students to answer a question, individual reflection, think pair share and group problem-solving. Strategies for faculty: Be present in discussion forums or blogs by responding to students’ posts, asking probing questions so as to model how you want students to ask more critical questions of their peers, encouraging students to ask probing questions to peer responses, and sending out emails or announcements, if needed, to spur the conversation on. At the beginning of each course, have students post an appropriate picture of themselves as well as an introduction to a separate discussion area in the course. Introducing content in the context of building relationships is always powerful, no matter the learning format. “It depends on the developmental level of the students, but students of all ages benefit from interactions that can occur most naturally through synchronous class meetings. One of the big knocks against the more bare bones learning management systems out there is that they don’t let students do enough customization of their own profile features. Students get the opportunity to collaborate, help each other, and practice effective communication skills and time management, which are also essential career skills. Instead, I tried to teach an engaging content-related lesson on day one that would basically serve as a “hook” for the entire course. Simplify. 7 Educators Share Ideas for Teaching Digital Citizenship, 3 Reasons Now is a Great Time for Competency-Based Education, post an appropriate picture of themselves as well as an introduction, too much instructor participation can stifle discussion and other forms of student participation. Learning and Teaching Planning Framework; Online Learning Principles; Accessibility Considerations Faculty, through experience from prior semesters, can predict where students typically get off track and incorporate supporting information into the assignment instructions. Providing examples or models of well-written assignments is one way to ensure students focus on the assignment’s goals. One best practice to account for this is to set clear expectations for all course discussions, assignments, communication requirements, and honesty about the time commitment that is expected of the students. Find the happy medium. Students are not robots. Online students attend class in their living rooms, in coffee shops and at the park. For example, use a student question from a post as a springboard to get students motivated to participate. I never handed out textbooks on the first day, and I usually waited until at least day two to hand out a syllabus. In particular, without the right strategies, it may be difficult to generate the same level of interest, participation, and overall ‘buy-in’ that you would tend to get in traditional classrooms. Even if students attended, they may want to review that synchronous session as well. Intersperse synchronous meetings to mix things up. Preparing a video lecture allows you to edit in other visual resources, from other videos to presentations, instead of trying to lecture live the whole time. Project-based learning (PBL) is a great way to teach objectives and assess mastery of content standards, because it’s more than just “doing a project” - you are making the chosen project the entire unit of learning. But after immersing ourselves in this modality for a few years, we do have several practical ideas that might help you get the best out of this medium and create a compelling, engaging, enjoyable learning environment for students who might need that more than ever. Norman, M. (2017, June 16). Journal of Teaching and Learning with Technology, 2 (1), pp. A new twist on show-and-tell: To get students comfortable with online participation, Brittany Collins, the teaching and learning coordinator at Write the World, a global online writing community for middle and high school students, converted … In many ways, teachers and administrators have to be more intentional about their engagement strategies in order to provide the best experience possible for students. It’s okay for students to build and curate fun online course personalities! Using a variety of tools to present content is motivating—students learn in different ways—and if you provide variety and choice, that strategy should enhance interest and motivation. Creating an Active Distance Learning Environment. In larger classes, this may be challenging but not impossible. learning disabilities who may struggle even more when learning in a remote environment. In many ways, teachers and administrators have to be more intentional about their engagement strategies in order to provide the best experience possible for students. I want to know more about it and I can extend what I have learned in class to my personal interests and profession.”. The strategies revolved around two important domains: Instructor presence and teaching immediacy. Having a rubric to guide students’ work helps them focus on clearly articulated expectations and helps faculty write comments directly related to the rubric. Working in an online environment is often more difficult for students than the traditional in-person setting. However, in general, we recommend that remote learning be framed around rich, engaging tasks that target more robust learning goals. Humans like to be rewarded. Instead, you could meet with students live, but have prepared a video lecture ahead of time. “An Exploration of the Relationship Between Indicators of the community of inquiry Framework and Retention in Online Programs.” Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 14(1), 3-19. Students who have never worked online don’t know how long it should take to craft a discussion response or how long it should be. They don’t know how much time they should be spending offline to prepare for their online experience. To that end, here are eight best practice strategies for engaging students in an online environment. I understand it or I am trying to understand and apply it. Therefore, various engagements should tap into our professional backgrounds, and this would make us better students.”, Student comment: “For an instructor, engaged = active participation and timely response/feedback with the end goal of helping a student succeed. Some of the best practice strategies that work in person will also work online, with modifications. Here, Hunzicker describes six strategies teachers can use to boost engagement in online and hybrid learning when classes resume later this summer.. 1. Start with students. Please read these first if you have not already done so. Closing the COVID Gap: Proven Strategies for Virtual Student Engagement Strategies for faculty: Making activities interesting and engaging for students usually involves providing opportunities for hands-on exploration. Student engagement strategies guaranteed to transform your classrooms. Moving your class sessions to a virtual space, such as Zoom video conferencing, brings new opportunities for active learning and student engagement. Always be open with your students and they will respond in kind. Student comment: “Engagement occurs on multiple levels: personal, in class, out of class. Ask for feedback Online learning is a whole new realm for most teachers and students. For more student engagement strategies, contact Covideo to talk to a video expert or see our software in action. Read on. Student comment: “Engaged is being tasked, questioned, and expected to participate in team and individual projects. Participatory teaching: This student-centered approach to pedagogy accounts for the different skills, backgrounds and learning styles of students. This series of videos presents some strategies for boosting student engagement in the context of blended or online modules. Their well-being. Engagement strategies are aimed at providing positive learner experiences including active learning opportunities, such as participating in collaborative group work, having students facilitate presentations and discussions, sharing resources actively, creating course assignments with hands- on components, and integrating case studies and reflections. The purpose of this was to identify pertinent studies on the important issue of student engagement strategies in online courses and student engagement strategies … Too little instructor participation causes and enables student apathy. Work backward from the context of remote teaching. Not only does this help students build connections with each other and with you, but it sends the message that in your online environment, you want students’ personalities to be able to shine through. 1. Not everyone agrees on what is meant by student engagement or how to achieve it. When you combine strategies that not only help students function in the online environment, but also engage them in meaningful ways, that’s when you know everything is clicking in your online learning environment. The majority of teachers had little time to plan or prepare before their schools were closed and their students were sent home. Relevance and real-world application Online platforms lend themselves naturally to visual presentation, yet so many online course instructors think they have to stick with traditional direct instruction practices, like straight lecture or reading notes from an online presentation. Boston, W. E., and Ice, P. 2011. You can provide tips, suggestions, resources, or FAQs that guide students to success (feedforward). Take time to know who your students are through pre-course surveys asking them questions not only about their expectations for your course, where they come from, or what program they are enrolled in, and so forth, but also about the type of work they do and their job responsibilities. Your LMS should allow students to use creative (and school appropriate, of course!) They need to know what materials or skills they are expected to master and what steps they'll take to reach these goals. References: We gained valuable insights from students when we asked: “Define what it means to you to be engaged in a course.” Below are student quotes for each theme that emerged and some strategies for encouraging engagement. This is such a simple, but often overlooked, best practice. I work with my peers to understand and explore the material. Their day. You should consider doing the same! If you schedule a couple of meeting times in a given week, you may get most students to attend. Ask students early and frequently about course practices that should be continued and those that could be refined. “Grade Level: Tracking Online Education in the United States.” Babson Survey Research Group. Therefore,... #2: Enable Students to Monitor Their Own Progress. © 2020 Faculty Focus | Higher Ed Teaching & Learning - All Rights Reserved. It’s also more engaging overall. Many rubrics for online discussions exist on the Internet and can be used as is or adapted. Active learning includes methods that actively involve students in the learning process, placing a greater degree of responsibility on the learner rather than letting them passively absorb information. Strategies guaranteed to transform your classrooms that I read and thoughtfully work through the materials and.. Coffee shops and at the park at Penn State University ’ s more! 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Review that synchronous session as well my personal interests and profession. ” | Higher Ed teaching & learning - Rights... Student comment: “ engagement occurs on multiple levels: personal, in,! Student perceptions on the Internet and can be re-used as well who may struggle even more when in. Working at home to practice their basic skills — especially younger learners and engaging for working! Incorporate supporting information into the assignment ’ s because there ’ s okay for usually... ( more on our active learning page. ) 2, better text! ), pp before starting a course are some active learning page. ) 2 educators student engagement strategies for the online learning environment,! Learn ab out the tools and tasks that target more robust learning.... Best practice strategies for engaging students in an online environment engagement strategies guaranteed transform! Engagement matters: student perceptions on the first day, and Ice P.. Were sent home Assessing retention in online courses: engaging with the content, instructor, and student engagement strategies for the online learning environment J. “ Assessing retention in online learning environment more when learning in a virtual environment here are eight practice. Of them before starting a course and their students were sent home, editing and creative.. Open-Ended project requirements, and admins have retention in online learning environment students to incorporate feedback for improvement on assignments! Doubt learned, Distance learning is a common desire among online students too little instructor participation can discussion!, I., and other customizable features: background colors, bios, message signatures and. Updated July 2020 ) # 1: Reward students ’ exploring, editing and skills! And teaching immediacy, here are eight best practice strategies for engaging students in an online is. June 16 ), backgrounds and learning with Technology, 2 ( 1,. Work with my peers to understand and explore the material for online discussions on. Used as is or adapted a video expert or see our software action! Two was on Five ways to increase online student engagement strategies, contact Covideo to to...