Keeping Students Motivated in a Remote Environment: A Guide for Online Educators
Boost online class motivation with strategies that keep students engaged, on track, and connected in virtual learning.
Driven by technological advancements and the demand for flexible learning schedules, online education continues to grow as an option for individuals seeking to expand their knowledge. Despite this growing interest, maintaining student motivation in online classes can be a unique challenge, often differing from traditional face-to-face settings. As an online teacher of both asynchronous and synchronous courses, I've faced the challenge of keeping students engaged and motivated. Below are some tips I've used over the years to increase motivation in my online classrooms.
Overlapping Fundamental Elements to Keep Students Motivated in Online Classrooms
While asynchronous and synchronous online courses have different delivery mechanisms, their core principles for effective instruction and student motivation often overlap..
- Clear and User-Friendly Learning Platform: The learning management system (LMS) is your virtual classroom. For students to want to participate, your LMS must be well-organized and easy to navigate. Students shouldn't struggle to find essential information like the syllabus, lecture materials, or a link to submit assignments. A seamless user experience reduces frustration, allowing students to focus on learning rather than figuring out course essentials.
- Strategic Assignment Spacing and Consistent Scheduling: A well-structured course schedule is a foundation of student success and motivation in both synchronous and asynchronous classes. At the beginning of a course, review your schedule with students, highlighting the consistent patterns for each week. This predictability helps students manage their time and reduces anxiety.
- Clear Communication of Delivery and Deadlines: Use announcements, the LMS calendar, and even brief video updates to reinforce the schedule and deadlines. Send a beginning of the week reminder followed up with a mid-week schedule reminder. Make it difficult for students to miss important dates.
- Show Students How to Turn ON Notifications: By showing students how to receive announcements and updates, this will ensure students receive real-time information on crucial course information.
- Avoid Overwhelming: While consistency is crucial, avoid assigning too many tasks or multiple-step assignments in a single week (especially in asynchronous classes). Students are more likely to stay motivated when they feel they can realistically meet expectations without feeling swamped with class assignments.
- Relevant and Current Content: Make the content feel applicable to students' lives by using current events that directly connect to the course material. This makes learning more meaningful and memorable.
- Visual Engagement and Instructor Presence: Use your camera! No matter the classroom style, seeing your face helps build rapport and creates a more personal connection. This humanizes the online experience.
- Virtual Office Hours: Even if not mandatory, offer scheduled virtual office hours. This provides an opportunity for students to connect with you live if they have questions or need clarification, fostering a sense of support.
Increasing Motivation in Asynchronous Learning
Asynchronous learning offers flexibility, but it requires intentional approaches to prevent isolation and maintain engagement.
- Engaging Online Lectures with Built-in Interaction: Pre-recorded lectures must be more than static presentations.
Check-Ins: Before students watch a video, include simple prompts for reflection or questions requiring a brief response in a discussion forum related to the topic.
Embedded Polls: Integrate poll questions directly within the video platform (if supported). Hiding when these questions will pop up can encourage students to watch the entire video rather than just fast-forwarding to the questions.
Manageable Chunks: Ensure lectures are not too lengthy. Break them into smaller, digestible segments of information.
- Proactive Instructor Presence: In an asynchronous environment, the instructor's presence can easily fade without conscious effort.
Regular Announcements and Updates: Send out weekly announcements summarizing content, reminding students of deadlines, and offering helpful tips.
Participate in the Discussion Forum: Don't just post prompts; actively participate in discussions. Offer insights, ask follow-up questions, and connect student responses to broader course themes.
Personalized Feedback: Provide timely and constructive feedback on assignments. This shows students you're engaged with their work.
- Interactive Activities: Use collaborative document editing for group submissions. These activities foster peer-to-peer learning and engagement. Make sure to include a small peer evaluation to avoid one student doing all the work.
Increasing Motivation in Synchronous Online Classrooms
Synchronous sessions offer real-time interaction but demand intentional strategies to prevent passive participation and maximize engagement similarly to a face-to-face class.
- Lively and Interactive Chat: The chat box is a powerful tool. Ask open-ended questions that encourage students to share thoughts or initial reactions. Encourage students to drop questions in the chat throughout the lecture, which you can address at designated times. Remember to keep the chat open so you can see questions as they appear. For more personal questions, consider switching to a private chat view where only you can see responses and share anonymously what students have mentioned.
- Strategic Polling for Active Participation: Polling tools, such as those available in McGraw Hill Connect®, are invaluable for gauging understanding and fostering engagement.
Check for Understanding: Use polls throughout the session to see if concepts are landing. This allows for immediate adjustments and clarifies misunderstandings in real time. Why use polls over chat? I've found that students sometimes copy other students' answers in the chat. Polls offer a more realistic assessment of understanding.
- Interactive Activities: In synchronous classes, incorporate breakout rooms for small group discussions. Make sure to monitor student participation so students don’t go silent in the breakout rooms.
By implementing these strategies, you can cultivate a motivating learning environment, ensuring that students, whether learning asynchronously or synchronously, remain engaged and thrive in their online education.
Dr. Melissa Gutierrez is an Assistant Teaching Professor at The University of Southern Mississippi, where she is dedicated to enhancing teaching methods and creating student-centered learning experiences. Her work focuses on active learning (flipping classrooms), fostering collaborative learning, and employing innovative instruction both in traditional and virtual classrooms. By utilizing the full range of features available in Connect, she aims to increase accessibility and engagement for all students in both traditional and virtual classrooms.
