Ways to make online learning engaging

In today’s time, online learning has become an essential part of every student’s life. Engaging learners in online learning is one of the keys to ensuring they learn effectively and get the most out of what they are doing. One of the most effective ways to make learners more engaged in what they are doing is to make it interactive. With interactive online learning experiences, students get involved and take an active role in their learning. 

Online learning requires an engagement strategy, after all, if students aren’t paying attention during the class, they won’t be able to learn anything. This results in a vibrant classroom environment and encourages the students to be more active. With a fun-focused online learning plan, it creates an interactive learning session. 

 

Get creative and interactive

Discussion boards can make the online and hybrid class experience more interactive for much wider and deeper participation. In an online environment, teachers can structure their discussions so that everyone contributes, plus they will have more time to consider what they want to say before responding. 

Class size helps determine how to organize discussions. Teachers can set up smaller discussion groups of 20 so that students can get to know their fellow classmates.

 

Invite students to contribute

Helping the students contribute their knowledge by making them host online group study sessions is another way to empower them. Task-based learning can provide the students with a real, relevant outcome that can be shared with other students to inspire them and help with their studies.

Use technology for students’ growth

Teaching online comes with its challenges, but it also puts a whole load of great tools at teachers’ fingertips. Whether they use whiteboards, pointers, virtual games, text editors, drawing tools, file editors, or screen-sharing tools, teachers can use the technology they have to add variety to their lessons and keep students on their toes. 

Teaching how to use these virtual tools and taking time to explain them to students, makes the student feel interested and confident in using them too. Technology can also be used to drive self-exploration and creative expression among students which will also ensure deeper learning.

Give students a sense of leadership and ownership

Students are motivated and engaged when they know they have some say in what they are doing. Students should be given some choice in assignments. They may lean toward diving deeper into specific topics or may prefer one delivery method over another.

Providing self-assessments lets students pave the way for another opportunity for taking control of one’s learning destiny. If a student believes a lesson is too basic, allow them to skip over it or dive deeper based on their self-assessment or quiz results.

Students should be given an opportunity to make their voices heard by asking for feedback on the learning experience and content. Teachers should not wait for the end of the course to find out about adjustments they can make along the way.

 

Knowing what inspires students

Just like in any face-to-face classroom, the real key to getting online students involved is to find out what inspires them and gives them a reason to be engaged in the classroom.  Teachers should not be afraid to try different things with their students until they find something that works for them.

 

Making it interactive

Planning activities that keep your students actively clicking, typing, or talking throughout the lesson is the way to go. This can be done by asking lots of questions, including games, and making sure students must physically do things like use drawing tools or type in the dialogue boxes. And while taking the lesson, teachers can make sure that student has to say something every five minutes or so.

 

Be a storyteller

Storytelling always has an impact on a students’ memory. Stories tap into emotions and are sometimes relatable, so we are apt to remember information delivered through stories. While reading something difficult, you’re more likely to get it if the writer uses an example to illustrate what they’re trying to convey.

Storytelling opens the portal to dialogue and conversation during the class, which improves the levels of interactivity and excitement in the Virtual Classroom. Assign stories to read and have students watch someone tell a story about how they applied a principle or practice in real life. Using stories to illustrate the impact of what they’re learning is an additional motivator.

 

Adding a Fun Element

One of the easiest ways to make a class more interactive and engaging is through the inclusion of a fun element, something that would be completely unimagined by the students. This can be done through activities like class discussions, quiz and debates, or a painting assignment. This method always tends to pull in the students, those who may be not so inclined to the lesson.

 

Promote collaborative learning

This emphasizes on students working together in a group, making learning collaborative and interesting. Project-based learning is one such approach where through problem-solving children learn about various topics in groups.

It is important that the collaborative learning process is encouraged even in the virtual setting. Teachers can promote teamwork by allotting time for students to collaborate within groups, where they can discuss their assignments and interact with each other virtually.

 

Taking small breaks together can be fun

Taking small breaks can be crucial in the online learning process. Breaks can include some physical activity, getting up from a seat and taking a stroll, doing 10 squats, stretching a bit, taking a water break, or a snack break. These breaks help in processing stress and increase overall productivity.

 

Use rewards and scoreboards for motivation

Everyone likes a reward for their hard work. Rewarding students for their hard work gives them the motivation to perform consistently and attempt to overshadow their previous efforts. An evaluation every fortnight will keep students on their toes and drive friendly and healthy competition between classmates.

An online leaderboard of the best performers of the quiz in the class can be a starting point. This will motivate all the students to really work on the quizzes and complete assignments by the stated deadline.

The efforts that teachers and the institution make to improve the learning experience show students that they care about their growth and success. When students become more engaged in the learning experience, they will get more out of the course, and they are more likely to come back for additional education. Interactivity makes learning more interesting and effective.

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