Participation in Online Courses

Strategies to Boost Participation in Online Courses

Creating online courses isn't just about uploading videos to your site and getting registrations. As an online educator, you need to make sure that your students actively participate in your course and get real added value. It will pay off in the long run when people recognize that your course is the most valuable on the market. In this article, online education expert Dr. Eileen McGurty shares her strategies for boosting participation in online courses.

We've all been there. You work like dicks to create course content and market it like crazy. Registrations are starting to pour in. And you are delighted with the figures! You are expecting a group of enthusiastic students who lead an incredible community of learners through conversation and discussion.

The course begins, and the discussion bins.

What went wrong? You provided exceptional content. You asked the students to connect online and submit their ideas.

Does anyone learn something?

All educational research shows that greater participation in discussion leads to better learning outcomes. Specifically, increased participation in an online course leads to -

• Greater student satisfaction
• Higher levels of perceived learning
• Higher levels of real learning

The higher the participation, the more likely students are to complete the course, have a deep learning experience that accompanies them longer, and feel satisfied and filled with the learning experience.

Strong participation in discussions is also essential to the success of the company. In the crowded online learning market, providing information alone is not enough to be successful in online education businesses. In order to carve out a profitable place in the market, distinctive courses that create vibrant communities of learners with dialogue, conversation and discussion are necessary to get repeat students, fantastic testimonials, an increase in referrals and an increased revenue.

Marketing Daddies News has a great tool for incorporating discussion into lessons. When used well, you can take your courses out of the mediocrity of the sea and in the field of exceptional courses that offer distinctive value.

You can also add a Discus discussion board to your course, just as you would add any other content. This means that your course can have as many discussion forums as you want in as many lessons as you want. Here's an easy-to-follow tutorial for adding Discus to your online course.

Keep in mind, however, that software is just a tool. The truth is that student engagement begins with your leadership. You need to plan for it and integrate it into all aspects of the program. While the tool does not create leadership, you can harness the transformative power of the marketing news discussion board feature by applying proven teaching strategies to your use.

Create purpose-driven engagement

If students know why they are participating and can see how they are going to learn, they are much more likely to get into the conversation. Whenever you ask students to participate in the course or with each other, clearly state the specific purpose of the activity and connect it to the course's learning outcomes.

Learning outcomes are learner-centered statements about what the student will be able to do through teaching. Emphasis is placed on how students will act on what they have learned. By focusing on measurable actions that show learning, you divert attention from yourself and what you are going to teach and place it in its place: on the student and what he will learn. A learning outcome base gives you a point of reference for determining whether each discussion activity is useful.

Now for an example. Suppose you teach an online anatomy course for movement specialists (yoga, dance, or pilates teachers). Your overall learning outcomes could be:

• Teach effective, safe and dynamic classes to a wide range of students
• Deepen and broaden your personal practices
• Cultivate a community of dedicated and loyal students
• Build a successful career as a movement specialist
• Notice that there is no mention of what the teacher is doing, presenting or talking about.

A discussion for a lesson focused on developing a dedicated and loyal student community might ask students to describe what their idea of ​​a “dedicated and loyal student community” would look like - how would they behave, how would they interact, which is fair? Or dedicated?

To be clear and direct with students about the purpose of the discussion, tell them that their conversation about these ideas will help they identify the type of active community they want to cultivate.

Provide clear guidelines for participation

Online course instructors often hesitate to be too specific with students about expectations. After all, the students are adults and the lessons are not "school". However, providing direction on work, time, commitment and effort helps students to structure their learning - sometimes we need someone to give us some limits so that we can really thrive.

Present your guidelines as suggestions on how to maximize learning. Be sure to emphasize that it is not necessary to exercise judgment if the guidelines are followed properly. You provide a map for the simplest path to success.

Some examples:

Tell them in advance how much time they should spend on the course (3-5 hours, perhaps).

Provide an estimate of the time they could spend each day, if applicable (in the case of 3 to 5 hours per week, this could be 25 to 40 minutes per day).

Suggest how often they should engage in discussions and other collaborative activities. A good rule of thumb is to ask students to log in and contribute to the discussion at least 3 days a week if your course is organized into weekly lessons.

Encourage them to serve their classmates by following the “Post once, respond twice” strategy.

You can also ask students to commit to respecting these schedules and activities. In reality, they are committed to themselves, so you don't have to make it seem heavy. Keep in mind, however, that the moderate amount of stress that could come from this type of engagement can actually facilitate learning.

Prompts – ask good questions

Building useful and effective questions is both a science and a craft. Don't worry if you have a hard time with this; everyone does it. Here are four characteristics of "good" questions.

A good question is open

It elicits more yes / no or “I agree” responses. However, you also don't want these! Find a specific balance that encourages dialogue.

Example - A wellness coach can offer a class with a unit on morning routines. Students have been asked to get up earlier in the morning than usual to do the routine, and now you want to have a discussion about their experience.

Not so well: were you able to wake up earlier in the morning this week?

Better: Share with us your experience of waking up earlier in the morning than usual this week?

Best: If you woke up earlier than usual this week, we'd love to hear your thoughts -

Identify at least one practice that helped you in your commitment and explain why it was useful OR

Describe how you felt in your body, mind or heart: when you woke up, after morning workouts or in the middle of the afternoon.

If you weren't able to wake up earlier, we also want to hear from you. Identify at least one obstacle to your progress in this area and explain how exactly the obstacle bothers you.

The first is not open. The second is a little too open. The third does two things: allows and affirms the student who could not complete the change and gives a specific framework for the students to articulate their experiences. A good question provokes reflection / action / reflection of a higher order.

A good question provokes reflection / action / reflection of a higher-order

You want to create prompts that ask students to analyze, synthesize, evaluate, create, or implement.

Some possible sources of these types of questions: how, why, in what way, imagine, assume, predict ..., if ..., then ..., how could ..., can you create ..., what are the possible consequences ..., assess, weigh, what is your perspective….

Example: Back to the wellness coach course. Students were asked to follow a model schedule for their morning routines.

Not so good: is the model schedule useful to you?

Better: tell us how you use the calendar of the model.

Best: In what ways has the model calendar helped or limited you in meeting your commitments to yourself? Pick one and share your ideas on the benefits of this structure this week.

The first is closed and does not require much thought. The best option is open but does not require analysis. The third approach is an open question that asks students to rate their experience AND offers a slight limit to keep them specific.

A good question asks students to use the course content to formulate their answer

When you ask students directly to explain their response with reference to the content (in the broad sense), you are giving them another opportunity to digest it.

Here is an example of a course on writing a winning business plan. You asked students to critique several examples of mission statements.

Not so good: what do you think of each of these mission statements?

Better: Take one of the sample mission statements and explain why you think it works or not.

Best: We have deepened the 5 qualities of an effective mission statement. Choose one of the mission statements provided. Explain its effectiveness by examining each quality that we have studied. Use the course resources (readings, reading and examples) to formulate your answer.

In this example, the first option is very open but does not invite the student to look at the content you have provided. This invites the easy and immediate response: "Uh ... that's what I think ...".

The second approach is more specific and requires judgment but still does not lead students to use the course material significantly.

The third question becomes very precise, reminds students of important questions and directly asks students to engage with the content of the course rather than everything they think.

A good prompt creates a variety of activities (rather than simple questions and answers)

You don't just want to do something because you think it's cool or fun to try. Always ask yourself: is this the best way to achieve learning goals? Some possibilities for alternatives to the question/answer include varying the size of the group (large or small); case studies; problem-solving, etc.

Example - You teach a marketing course to online entrepreneurs. You have a complete module on the sales pages. You can use any of the student s drafts as a starting point for discussion.

Not so well: let's see how Mary can improve her sales page.

Better (but the same structure): Mary's did us the honor of using her draft sales page as a learning tool. Let us provide constructive feedback on each element of a fantastic sales page: the title, the problem, the solution, the benefits, the features, the social proof, the warranty and the rarity. Choose one of these elements and make a few suggestions to Marie.

Better (an alternative structure): Mary's did us the honor of using their sales page project as a learning tool. For each element of a fantastic sales page, two of you will work together to provide Mary with constructive feedback. Get together by email, phone or skype and report to Mary. Mary will take all comments and prepare a second draft. (Provide a list of two students for each of the items. Also, provide guidelines for constructive feedback and peer review.)

The first approach could turn into the Wild West. The second is not bad but has a familiar structure which can become tedious. In addition, the responses can be a little unbalanced, one element receiving more data than the others. The third approach would be the most impactful, despite the fact that it could be a little more work to set up. It could also be difficult for students, as it will take longer. Only use this type of alternative structure if you know that it will not be restrictive for students.

Provide effective feedback

A successful leader in a dynamic learning community provides effective feedback to individuals in the community. This is an area where you can really tailor your distinctive offer because you are involved in each student's learning journey.

Individual teacher feedback takes more time, but it will make your lesson stand out as a personal experience that maximizes student participation. Although your ability to increase the number of students may be somewhat limited, you can still grow your business because of your personal touch allows you to charge a premium.

Qualities of valuable comments:

Timely - You have to be there with the students. Regularly. A good strategy is to plan specific times during the week to start the discussion. Put it in your calendar and act as if it were a meeting with a client (maybe for an hour every Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday). You wouldn't skip a meeting with a client, would you?

Individual but universal feedback. You must answer each individual in the course in the first module. Give specific feedback that points to future efforts. Of course, if they shirk, you will have to bring them back. However, you should also think more universally about each of your public responses. A personal response can also help others learn from it.

Challenge students to go further. If you only answer with short, positive statements, "it's so good!" you will decrease the effectiveness in two ways. First of all, you are the model, the others will follow your example and publish brief answers without too much substance. Second, you will not build trust with your students. Students question the authenticity of the exclusively positive comments. They want you to help them grow, learn, develop, develop, improve in whatever you help them.

If you regularly ask students to add more to their answer (expand something) or if you ask them questions that address the underlying concepts and assumptions, or challenge them to go beyond their comfort zone, they will be up to par! Don't be afraid to ask for more.

Staff. Try recording your voice for comments and uploading the audio file to the chat. Keep it at 2 or 3 minutes. There is something magical about hearing your teacher's voice guide you on your learning journey. Your students will be totally delighted! (The technical part is very easy to do).

Provides a summary and points to the future - At the end of a discussion, post a summary of the main points of the conversation. You can take the opportunity to reinforce the content and create a supportive space for their contribution.

Use these guidelines and you will be well on your way to leading an incredible community of learners in meaningful dialogue and engagement. A course with active discussion at its heart is distinctive and remarkable, offering optimal value to students. With a higher value, your course will be more in demand, and students will love it. Write testimonials, post on social media and tell your friends about your leadership in promoting learning communities.

As another example of how to build useful questions, here are two prompts to encourage discussion of the ideas presented in this post. I would love to hear from you! And in a spirit of mutual service, I invite you to follow the principle "post once, answer twice" -

Tell us about an online teaching experience when you didn't get the participation you wanted in the course. How did one or more of these strategies improve engagement?

Share a moment when you have had great success with student participation! What did this success look like (how much, how often, how much)? What strategies did you use that led to this success and were they similar to the ones I mentioned?