Getting students to enroll in your online training course is only half the battle. Now that you have their attention, you have to ask yourself how you are going to keep it. The answer is: by making sure your learners are engaged. That way, they will get value for their money. While there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to increasing student engagement, there are things you can try.
Here are six of them.
1. Create content with a purpose
It is not unheard of for instructors to include a bunch of videos, slideshows or PDFs in to the course content thinking that is all it takes to engaged learners. Unfortunately, students can tell when content has been added for the sake of adding it, which can significantly harm engagement levels. So make sure all content in your course is geared towards student engagement and positive learning outcomes.
2. Make the content easily digestible
No one likes to read hundreds of pages or watch hour-long videos just to understand a topic. Not only does this make it harder to keep their attention, they will also find it hard to retain or recall information when it is rolled out in such large chunks. Rather, break the content down into smaller and more easily digestible pieces.
3. Deliver content in multiple formats
Learners respond differently to the material depending on how it is presented. While others are engaged by text alone, others find visual content to be more their speed. If you make your course all text, you risk alienating visual learners. So be sure the content is presented in multiple formats, from text and audio to video and interactive media.
4. Make it social
Have a discussion forum where students can interact with each other and their instructors. That way, you create a community that can help students grasp concepts through social learning. One way to make your course social is by creating a Facebook group or page and putting a badge on your website that will direct learners to the discussion.
5. Gamify the learning experience
Gamification makes your online courses fun, which can boost engagement. At the same time, the students can dive deep into the subject matter while they complete the games. And by adding in a reward system of badges and certificates as well, your learners can feel a great sense of accomplishment.
6. Provide feedback regularly
A sense of progression can keep students engaged since they know how well they are performing. This is why giving them constant feedback can help in that respect. It also makes them feel less isolated from their activities and assignments since instructors can keep them interested and on track should their performance start to decrease. All it takes is a detailed email providing positive or constructive feedback.
By trying these eight things, you can go a long way towards keeping your online learners engaged. Student engagement is one of the indicators of a quality course. It encourages and motivates learners to achieve their learning outcomes, meaning it should be treated with the highest level of importance.
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