10 Tips for Engaging Online StudentsDr Helen DixonDigital Learning Team

1. Start making contact early

If possible, initiate contact before the course begins

Introduce yourself and encourage participants to do the same

Create a short introduction video to add a personal touch to your course

#hello

2. Create a ‘warm-up’ activity

Use a discussion forum to get the conversation started

Create an online poll to ask a simple question and discuss the results

Ask participants to choose a topic to be included

3. Encourage sharing

Allow students to use forums or social media to share resources that they have found online

Create a class wiki or database where participants can add their own content

4. Provide clear directions

Be concise and clear in your instructions and expectations

Use chats or forums to allow students to ask for clarification

Create worked examples or videos to show students how to complete a task

5. Present content in chunks

Breakdown large topics into more manageable chunks

Try to keep video clips below 5 minutes

Intersperse resources with activities to keep content engaging

6. Keep students informedUse announcements to post regular updates and reminders

Add activities to the course calendar to help everyone stay on track and meet deadlines

Use the course forum to answer any queries so that everyone can see the information

7. Include plenty of visual content

Use infographics, diagrams or charts to present data or clarify complex concepts

Create videos or animations to replace some text

Include relevant images to reinforce key messages

8. Encourage students to create digital contentAllow students to use wikis or blogs as an alternative to writing assignments or reports

Encourage students to create and share visual content such as infographics, videos or animation

Promote the use of e-Portfolios

9. Give timely feedbackGet involved in forum discussions, providing constructive critique

Use progress bars or activity checkboxes to help students track their progress

Use the feedback option in quizzes to direct students to useful resources

10. Reward effort and engagement

Make sure that activities are clearly aligned to learning objectives

Encourage participation in forums and respond to comments or questions

Use game-based learning to add a competitive element

Find out more

• Contact the Digital Learning Team at digital.learning@nrc.ac.uk

• Follow the Digital Learning Team on Twitter @NRCDLT