Engaging Learners When Transitioning to Online Teaching
When I think about developing my own courses – either face-to-face, blended, or fully online -- student engagement is the cornerstone of that process. When students are engaged, they are more motivated to think critically and deeply about their learning which promotes a more meaningful and effective experience (see Biggs, 2011, Carter, 2009, Schneider & Preckel, 2017 for a synthesis of the research). I try to adopt a learner-centered approach when I consider my course content, teaching strategies, and assessments, so that I can capitalize on student engagement in ways that help my learners successfully achieve my learning outcomes.
So how might you engage students? Well, I like to go back to Michael G. Moore’s foundational work on self-directed and transactional distance learning (Moore, 1997). Even though it is written about the distance education landscape, his three fundamental principles are relevant to any learning environment and are great rules to think about when moving your course online. Below is an outline of the principles and some tips on how you can apply them to your courses.
Where to Begin
Before thinking about how these principles apply to your online course, first go back and review your learning outcomes. This is even more important if you are embarking on a transition from a face-to-face course into an online environment, since student outcomes may need to be revised based on what is achievable and realistic for that learning context. Once you have identified what skills, competencies, and knowledge are most important to the success of your learners, you are now ready to explore how you can best engage them in an online learning environment.
PRINCIPLE 1: Learner-Content Engagement
This principle is at the heart of much of our teaching, regardless of subject. It is important to think about how students interact with the subject and course content, and how learners engage with the concepts and ideas in ways that identify any knowledge gaps. This is often seen as a very didactic – or one-way – interaction, where learners listen to our lectures, read from course texts, watch a video clip, or perhaps listen to a podcast. But this also includes the types of assessments and activities we offer students, such as low-stakes quizzes, written reflections, or virtual simulations.
A key to this principle is to think about how you’re balancing this engagement throughout the course. Ensuring multiple ways for your learners to engage with the content provides ample opportunity to not only reinforce the learning, but also incorporate fundamental principles of universal design for learning.
Tips:
Create a “Start Here” spot on your Brightspace page and use this as a way to orientate learners to the course space. Include what students will find on the course site, where they will find it, how they should be working through the material, and why this material is important for their learning. Providing this structure with clear instructions will help students begin their interaction with the content in a productive and positive way.
Include a variety of short and manageable pieces of content for students to engage with. Videos (ideally between 5 and 15 minutes), news articles, audio clips, blog posts, and even diagrams and infographics are all excellent sources of content for students.
Incorporate regular opportunities for reflection and in-the-moment feedback for students so they can assess their understanding of the content. This could be quick journal prompts, embedded quizzes in a video, or a polling question at the end of a content module.
PRINCIPLE 2: Learner-Learner Engagement
When learners engage with each other through informal collaborative and social interactions, or more formalized responses through discussion boards or group/pair work, social bonding and community begin to develop. Like Principle 1, learner-learner engagement should be structured throughout the course using a variety of different methods. For example, how are students using technology to collaborate on a group project? Are there opportunities for peer feedback and instruction in the course? Will students have an opportunity to engage in synchronous and asynchronous discussions or debates? And when will these interactions occur during the course?
Think about the various modes of social interaction that you can incorporate into your online course for learners from the first week to the last, because this will support relationship development for the students. Depending on the size of your course, you can encourage this engagement through class-wide, group, or pair interactions, and through low-stakes activities, or larger-weighted assessments. Make sure that these interactions are meaningful and valuable to learning; otherwise, the motivation for students to engage might be low. This means that it’s necessary to be clear about the purpose of the peer interaction, and how it contributes to their success in the course. Building a sense of community in your course will encourage learners to participate and support the creation of meaningful learning.
Tips:
Encourage students to share their own experiences and provide insight to who they are – they’re not just an avatar!
Offer learners the ability to interact with each other even when you’re not online. Social collaboration tools in Brightspace like discussion boards, Collaborate, Teams, and other chat platforms will allow learners to discuss their interests and develop autonomy with their social interactions.
Consider both individual and group contributions when facilitating group engagement, and how peer assessment and feedback can be integrated into course assignments.
PRINCIPLE 3: Learner-Instructor Engagement
In a typical face-to-face course, this type of engagement happens organically through instruction and informal conversations. However, in an online course, instructor presence must be constructed through regular, substantive, and authentic interactions. Don’t assume that students will automatically reach out to you for help or support, be proactive in your course and make sure students know you’re there learning with them.
Tips:
Create a welcome video and tell the students who you are. If you want them to share their own experiences and engage in honest interactions, you must model this from day one.
Provide clear and detailed information to learners throughout the course and with every step of interaction, engagement, and instruction.
The announcement tool on Brightspace is a great way to regularly summarize and connect with your students. Make it a habit for both you and the learners to use it as a formal communication strategy. For example, in your syllabus tell learners that every Monday morning they can expect an announcement providing a short summary of the previous week’s engagement, and an overview of the content and engagement expectations for the current week.
Participate in the learner-learner interactions as a learner. Being engaged and participating in group discussions or course-wide discussions shows learners you’re invested in their learning and allows you to model the engagement you expect from students.
Offer timely and prompt feedback to questions, assessments, and engagement.
Think about how students will be able to reach you for one-on-one help. Will you hold online office hours? Will they be able to call you? Or will email be the primary mode of communication? Be clear about this and have the information readily available on Brightspace. Remind students of where this information exists regularly.
Where to Go From Here
It’s important to think about engagement through these three lenses, but you also should be realistic about the current context. Now that you’re starting to consider the ways you can engage students, ask yourself other important questions that can begin your transition to an online environment. What are your comfort and experience levels working in an online learning environment? What are the students’ abilities and needs in this transition? How do you typically engage your students in your course, and how might this change if you’re going to teach your course online?
Remember it’s not about doing everything, rather think strategically about what you and the students can do given the current circumstances.
References
Biggs, J. B. (2011). Teaching for quality learning at university: What the student does. McGraw-Hill Education (UK).
Carter, M. (2009). Visible learning: A synthesis of over 800 meta‐analyses relating to achievement.
Moore, M. (1997). Theory of transactional distance. In D. Keegan (Ed.), Theoretical principles of distance education (pp. 22–38). New York: Routledge.
Schneider, M., & Preckel, F. (2017). Variables associated with achievement in higher education: A systematic review of meta-analyses. Psychological bulletin, 143(6), 565.