Learn How To Make Your Online Learning More Engaging
There are many challenges that students face when learning online, such as distractions when studying online, being out of one's comfort zone, and less personal interaction between teachers and students. Online learning also requires students to be highly self-motivated and have strong time management skills. So, how can you make learning more interactive? How can you create an enjoyable and captivating learning environment? Here are 5 practical tips to engage students in online learning amid coronavirus lockdown.
1. Give Some Ownership And Control
Students will get more motivated and engaged when you give them a sense of control and ownership. So, give them the choice to choose topics, units, and assignments. This will help them to select relevant content quickly, learn about specific topics, or pick the delivery method that they prefer. Let them select the order in which they want to learn some topics. This will empower and engage your learners.
Self-assessments are another way to let your students choose the way they learn. Let them skip lessons which they think are too basic. Or, allow them to dive deeper into some lessons. Make these decisions on the basis of their self-assessment results.
Also, get feedback from students on the course content and learning experience. Then make changes to your lessons, don’t wait for the end of the course to make these adjustments.
2. Interact With Students
Interact with your students as they learn. Acknowledge them in live classes or communicate with them in chat rooms. This will make your courses more interactive.
Another way to engage your students is to build strong relationships with them. Get to know them by making some effort to learn their unique personalities. Talk to them by name and tell them that you care. Get online classmates to know each other by letting them introduce themselves by sharing their interests and hobbies.
Ask your students if they have questions about recent topics or upcoming tests, as it is one of the best ways to create strong relationships with learners.
3. Encourage Students To Contribute
Invite your students to contribute their knowledge and learn from one another. Emphasize group projects or host online group study sessions. Such task-based learning will inspire students and help them with their studies. Enable learners to create resources and review each other’s work. This will strengthen their understanding and encourage a culture of sharing.
Also, think about which students perform well in online environments and give them work on those skills and behaviors. Then use this to plan their assignments.
4. Mix Content Delivery Methods
Use a mix of content delivery methods such as text, audio, video, and presentations. Have short video lessons of 10 minutes or less, as they are easier to watch. Break up long lecture recordings into bite-sized chunks. This will result in more video views and improved retention and engagement. Your students will also see videos at their own convenience or they can download them to watch later.
Quizzes or tests can also be added at specific places within videos to make them engaging. It’s a great way to gauge student learning and will help them retain what they have learned.
5. Encourage Accountability
Send automated emails to students who haven’t completed their assignments or who haven’t logged in for some days. Make study groups to create a sense of accountability. Do periodic check-ins to get feedback from your learners.
Regular student contact will help drive success in lessons. A sense of accountability will be created if students know that teachers are logging in, reviewing materials, and responding to questions. This will make them submit assignments on time and be more engaged in group discussions.
Final Word
So, there you have it. All the tips that you need to make online learning engaging during the coronavirus lockdown. The effort you put in now will enhance both the learning and teaching experiences. Students will get more out of online lessons and they are more likely to come back to you for more education. Comment below if you have any other tips or ideas.
