7 Pro Tips on engaging students in Online Courses
Carly Walton wanted to start her own online music venture The first step was to go to a Facebook group for fellow piano instructors. They wanted to learn the online teaching method, so Carly decided to launch a beta membership site and miniature-course. She had the course sold out prior to the start of the course and taught in the course as she went.
The course was performing very well. However, when the epidemic hit, there was a sudden need for everyone to give online classes. Also, Carly transferred her community as well as courses to a single platform to replace the scattered bundle of programs she had put to make before.
When you read Carly's story, you can see the way she succeeded in integrating course and community together and making courses come alive to the participants.
Creators know how crucial it is to build the thriving communities that is a place where students are engaged, committed and enjoying themselves throughout the process.
There is immeasurable value in having students who are not simply active participants, but fully engaged community members. It is a challenge to figure out what to do to engage students in online courses.
What's good? There are so many things you can do to boost student engagement with learning via online. Let's first look at how student engagement is vital, then we'll go through seven ways to motivate students to take online classes.
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This piece...
1. What does good student involvement be like?
2. Tips for boosting student involvement
2.1. Be clear about your objective and objectives
2.2. Make it fun
2.3. Determine the ideal length
2.4. Let your students feel as if they are VIPs
2.5. Choose the right platform
2.6. Be personable
2.7. Discussions on the monitor for a more supportive space
3. Wrap it up
What does good student engagement look like?
Your course not only involves the learning process but also actions goals (steps that members have to follow to achieve their objectives). They're coming to you for information, resources to develop their skills and knowledge however, they're also coming into your program to feel a the sense of community that is accountable, and a sense of belonging.
It's easy to learn, but putting it in practice is the tough portion. It is the reason it's beneficial to have other members who are learning the same similar thing. People want to feel that they have a place to get help when they've come across an obstacle or are uncertain of the next steps.
Community engagement should be a space where members are contributing regularly. There are many elements that comprise the student's engagement. These include how members interact with you, how the members are interacting with each others, and the way in which users are engaging with the information.
Engagement may be higher in one place, such as members engaging in the material, however it is not so much in the other -- users not sharing their thoughts with each other. Assessing and measuring what aspects of engagement need improvement will help you to plan in a way that is appropriate.
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Tips for boosting student participation
Engaging students in your course doesn't need to be difficult, which is why we've put together tested and tried-and-true strategies that you can try out for your own course. Similar to marketing, it's important test a number of methods and determine which will work for you and your students.
Let's explore some of these strategies so you're aware of how best to boost student engagement with online learning, so they keep coming back to learn more.
Have a clear objective and targets
If you do not have clearly defined objectives and concrete goals for your course, your students are going to feel lost and disengaged. You don't want your students being unmotivated; they want to feel confident and determined.
Be clear on the "big objective" is. In other words, you want to determine what your community will master in the coming years and what tangible results that your participants will leave from being part of the community.
If you've got the goal of your project in mind , along with strategic steps on the way, your students are likely to be thrilled when they've accomplished these steps (small wins) and will feel proud when they've reached their goal at the conclusion.
With a comprehensible objective and actionable goals laid out, your members will feel engaged with one another, the content , and with you!
Combine it all up
It is tempting to present course content in one format, however this can be boring quick! Maintain the content fresh by testing out different kinds of information. This keeps the content fascinating but can also be helpful to understand how learners learn differently. Many are visual learners, while some are auditory learners. The content you choose to use will be appealing to different types of people.
Here are some ideas to provide content to your community:
- recording of videos
- Live streaming
- slide presentation (this can include graphs, diagrams, texts)
- audio recordings
- discussions board postings
- virtual meetings
- polls
If possible, provide content in multiple formats (e.g. the transcript and video). Students will appreciate having a choice in their approach to the information, and it helps to make the course more accessible for everyone. your course.
Perhaps you can even engage an outside speaker for the purpose of switching the conversation. You can surprise, delight and stimulate your members, which will make them want to interact with content, other members, and the organization.
One final thing, you can mix it up in terms of the course methods of delivery. Courses that are synchronous can be found all over the web, and although there's nothing wrong with them, what about trying a live course? It will help you stand out and help students engage!
Find the ideal length
A course that's too long can leave students feeling bored and stressed. They'll drop off sooner or stop participating with the content and ignore other members. They'll offer excuses like "I'm working too much" or "This course takes all my time" if your course is too long for the topic or goal.
The flipside is that when your class is condensed, students might feel underwhelmed and unsatisfied. They might feel like they wasted their time, and be disappointed that they couldn't achieve their objectives within such a brief amount of time. If your course is too short, students might become completely engaged in the content but not with them or with other students (since they were so focussed on their material ).
It's the reason you'll need to strike a balance and decide on the best time frame is to run your course.
What can we do to accomplish this? Easy! Focus on the transformation you wish your students to go through instead of what you are teaching them. You probably know a lot concerning your field of study. Be careful not to share with your students everything you've discovered. Instead, be completely transparent with yourself regarding what you actually require them to know to get between A and B. This is how long your course needs to be.
This is why it's essential to think through who the ideal members are (their problems or goals, the things they are doing) and what will ideal for them and the amount of time they need in order to see real the results. In terms of your team members...
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Your students will feel like they're VIPs
Don't let your members feel like they're just a numbers (or more importantly, a dollar sign). Your success and financial success does depend on your members but you want that they feel special. Think about it. If you're treated as important, you're more likely to enjoy the process and , if you're having fun with the process, you'll want to engage.
A option to make your customers feel extra special is by offering your course in the early hours to a select few individuals (say the first 20 participants who sign up) that have personally reached out to. If they're keen on being "the first people to enroll in your course" and are interested in an early introduction to your course, they'll be quick to join your course. Give them a special rate, and ask them for comments.
You will certainly encounter a variety of students. There are always those who are eager to improve their knowledge, skim through the curriculum as well as participate in the discussions and are willing to ask questions. However, there will be students who need to take their time (maybe perhaps even more than the time limit or deadlines), occasionally engage with others, and never ask questions.
These levels of engagement is normal. Always check in with your students to see what aspects of their course are enjoyable and where they could improve (e.g. the amount of information offered as well as the type of objective set, allotted time given between tasks). Do they find the course too challenging or too easy?
It is possible to offer incentives for feedback and make it public to share their experience (if they're comfortable with this) for your viewers via webcasts, social media, your website, etc. Showcasing their accomplishments will help you build an even deeper relationship with them as well as a proof of how valuable your training course can be.
Ultimately, if you're looking to attract members They'll also be attracted to your company!
Choose the correct platform
The technology you use to create an online course is vital. In Carly Walter's story of the launch of Teach Music Online, she explained the effects of the different platforms she used in her achievement. It was initially making a jigsaw of an online group on Facebook, Teachable, Memberspace, and Squarespace and then trying to shift people between these groups.
She talks about how moving her body opened up new value for her and her community:
"When I'm talking about the benefits of membership, I'm actually promoting the flagship course and its value. It was a course that was previously $500 it was made available to members, however, now they can pay monthly to get access to it. In addition, they're getting a great community, workshops, and much more ."
If you're using the right platform to combine community and course effortlessly, you have an opportunity to offer next-level value to your members. That's why a good platform is a great partner for your online courses.
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Be personable
Let's discuss you- the creator. You may be employed to performing a number of the behind-the-scenes steps and if you're trying for students to connect more closely with you, then you have to be at the forefront. It's essential to not only establish a relationship with your students as well, but also to allow them to know you better.
It's possible to do this through live events, writing blog posts, and posting personal stories in the forum. Involve your followers in your personality, not only as a leader but also a human, and they'll become more inclined to participate and open up.
In addition to creating documents, like an article, or holding a live event in addition to your courses, you're showing a different side to your members by introducing new concepts as well as displaying new talents as well as promoting upcoming content and courses.
Essentially you are your brand and people connect with people and not businesses.
Discuss discussions in a more accessible space
The ability to get students to talk and express their opinions within a secure and supportive environment is important. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't be monitoring the content published.
If you're the instructor of a course, you're also managing a community. It's important to stay updated and active on not only how much the members of your course are participating but also what your members are doing/saying. By implementing proper moderation, you can keep the environment positive and judgment-free.
In addition, you'll be able to respond quickly in discussions that you moderate. Members will be impressed by that you are genuinely interested in the development of their lives and they will be eager to be more involved.
It's wrapped up
If you've been putting these suggestions into action then you're on the path to attracting students taking online classes. Also, and most importantly, all, it's important to mention the value of community in the online course. A lot of course developers have opted for an "build it and forget it" method, whereas we've seen first-hand the power of actually building a group of people to share your course with. Students will be more engaged, accountability, support, and eventually be successful regardless of the changes the course provides.
If you're in search of an amazing place to build this course online and the community associated to it, then take a look. It's free to try for 14 days.