13 Strategies to Boost Student Engagement in Online Learning

Student engagement is the key to your success as an online course creator. However, keeping students engaged is quite challenging, especially considering the short attention spans. 

In this article, we will explore 13 actionable strategies to boost student engagement in online learning. The strategies covered range from hosting interactive sessions to supporting community learning and many others. So, if you are ready, let’s dive into it! 

Understand the reasons for low engagement in online learning 

Before moving further into the article, let’s first understand the reasons for low engagement in online learning. These range from lack of interaction to unclear expectations. Ready to review everything in detail? Let’s go. 

Problem 1: Lack of interaction and connection 

The number one issue that decreases student engagement -is the lack of interaction and connection. Students can often feel isolated in an online environment. This, on its own, leads to disengagement and reduced motivation for active participation. You add oil to the fire by not focusing on building meaningful connections or offering interaction elements. 

So, make sure to focus on fostering a sense of community and incorporating interactive elements into the course. 

Strategies for student engagement

Here are a few strategies on how to increase student engagement in response to the highlighted challenge. 

Host Q&A sessions 

Start incorporating Q&A sessions. 

Q&A sessions will allow your students to directly interact with you and their peers. This creates a sense of involvement and connection. 

Schedule live Q&A sessions at the end of each module. You can use tools like Zoom or Google Meet to facilitate real-time discussions.

For instance, a photography course could host a weekly Q&A where students ask questions about their projects and get detailed responses from the instructor. The same goes for any other niche, whether it is programming or marketing. 

Create communities around your courses. 

Another strategy to foster student engagement is to create communities and foster a sense of collaboration. 

This will help you encourage peer-to-peer interaction. Thus, it will improve collaboration, reducing feelings of isolation. 

Set up a dedicated forum, Slack group, or Facebook group where students can share ideas, discuss topics, and help each other. 

For instance, if you are hosting a digital marketing course, open a dedicated Slack channel. In this channel, students can share campaign ideas, critique each other’s work, and post relevant materials. You will not only foster a sense of community but also encourage interactions. 

However, if you host your courses on an online course platform with community functionality, you will not need additional groups. With Uteach, for example, you can create paid and free communities around your courses, share updates, let your students post, and foster discussions. 

Use mobile chat on your app. 

Another strategy that will help you improve engagement levels is mobile learning and mobile chats.

Mobile chat allows for real-time communication. Thus, it makes it easy for students to interact with peers and instructors. 

Enable in-app messaging or chat features. Then, encourage students to use them to ask quick questions or collaborate on projects.

For example, if you create courses on Uteach, you can have chats about your course topics. Here, your students brainstorm, connect with each other, and solve problems together. 

Ask students to provide reactions.  

Do not forget to ask the students for their reactions. This will help you in multiple ways. 

Reactions, such as emojis or thumbs-up, are important. These offer a low-pressure way for students to express their opinions. So, if your classes are live, encourage students to react to lecture recordings, discussion posts, or peer projects. 

“I made it a habit to constantly keep checking in with my group in those really small asks for engagement. And that could be give me a thumbs up if you're like, ready to go to the next section. And they could give me a real thumbs up in the camera. They can use the reaction buttons if we're on Zoom. They could write something in the chat”. 

Jan Keck, Learning experience designer

Problem 2: Passive learning materials 

Another problem that results in low engagement levels is passive learning materials. These are essentially static and non-interactive materials. Thus, students are more likely to lose their interest and motivation. 

Strategies for student engagement 

Let’s take a look at a few actionable strategies on how to improve student engagement by addressing the challenge of passive learning materials. 

Use multimedia elements within each lesson.

First, use multimedia elements within each lesson. Multimedia, such as videos and animations, will help to make lessons more dynamic. Besides, these also will elevate the appearance of the course content. 

"If you can and are able to record video content, we're going to start there because video content creates trust." 

Mariana Pena, creator and instructional designer

Make sure to incorporate at least one multimedia element into every lesson. Explain the key concepts within the course dynamically to keep students engaged. 

Include quizzes 

Also, do not forget to incorporate quizzes. Quizzes reinforce learning and help students check their understanding, keeping them engaged. You can add short quizzes at the end of each module. Students can complete a short quiz containing from 3 to 5 questions. These questions will be designed to test student's understanding of the concept. 

Consider adding multiple-choice quizzes so students can get instant feedback on answers. 

“You're going to lose people's attention after that point. And that's another thing that you teach does is involve you in engagement. You can provide those progress quizzes along the way, and that really does go a long way for engagement”.

 

Angel Rodriguez, trainer and course creator

A similar example is illustrated in the book “The Ultimate Marketing & PR book.” After each chapter, the author has a quiz to test retention levels. 

Ask for feedback 

Another strategy is to ask for feedback. Collecting feedback will help students feel involved and valued. This feedback will help you improve the course. You can use surveys and polls to gather student opinions on what they found effective or challenging. 

“So, one of the key things I always use is to ask them for feedback. At the beginning and at the end of each session, I always make sure to ask if they are getting the benefit that they were expecting out of the course. Is there anything I can do differently, and what is their interest? So we always agree together on what the next course is going to be”. 

 

Linda Haddad, Online teacher

Then, based on gathered feedback, you can make improvements. These improvements will help you enhance engagement levels. 

For instance, ask students for feedback after the completion of each module. You can send a Google survey with questions and let students give free-form answers. You can also send them answers with scales or multiple-choice questions for shorter feedback forms. 

Problem 3: Unclear expectations 

Another problem that decreases student engagement is setting unclear expectations. When students are unsure about goals and outcomes, they may struggle to stay focused and motivated. 

Strategies for student engagement  

To enhance student engagement, you need to incorporate necessary strategies. These range from downloadable maps to checkpoints. 

Share a downloadable result roadmap

A clear roadmap helps students visualize their progress. Thus, it will contribute to their understanding of the steps needed to achieve their goals. 

Provide a downloadable PDF or infographic. Make sure it clearly outlines milestones and key achievements throughout the course.

For instance, let’s say you are a coach and you offer a career course. The career development course provides a roadmap for students. It outlines when they will complete their resume, LinkedIn profile, and mock interview. 

“So, what we first do is we create a results roadmap. And once they have this first taste of oh I like this, this is working, I can make this work for myself. Then they stay engaged, and they eventually develop the level of performance that we want them to develop”

 

Mariana Pena, creator and instructional designer

Highlight module objectives every time. 

Make sure to state the objectives of the course clearly. Clear goals help students understand what they will learn. Thus, they will be able to focus their efforts and minds in the right direction. 

Mariana Pena, an instructional designer, emphasizes the importance of defining clear outcomes: "Think about the three specific actions that your students are going to be able to take once they have finished your course." 

Furthermore, she advises aligning course content with these outcomes to maintain focus and engagement. 

There are a few ways to go around this. First, make sure to highlight the objectives of the course in the description. Then, you can also create a list of objectives for each lesson and showcase that list at the beginning of each lesson with a slide. 

Include checkpoints

Checkpoints will allow students to reflect. Incorporate brief self-assessment activities and reflection prompts. These can be added after major top; cs/ E.g., a coding course’s checkpoint can be a request to build a small feature. 

Problem 4: Time management and heavy workload for students 

Balancing time and heavy workload is not easy. Besides your courses, students have life going on, maybe at university, at work, or something else. All of these responsibilities can overwhelm students. This will decrease motivation and the likelihood of their engagement in the course. 

Strategies for student engagement 

There are a few ways to go around this and get engagement levels up once again. 

Keep your lessons bite-sized 

Keeping lessons bite-sized and incorporating microlearning will immensely help you. 

“Keep video lessons under ten minutes. People have very busy lives. If we help them create just small capsules of learning, it’s going to increase their motivation, like, 'Oh, I already finished another one, let’s go for another one.' Think about how we binge content on TV." 

 

Mariana Pena, instructional designer 

But there are concepts you need more time to explain, right? Well, not quite. Mariana recommends breaking down every concept by defining them more precisely. By doing this, you will be able to explain everything in less than 10 minutes. 

For instance, a photography course could offer bite-sized lessons. One can be on "Understanding ISO.” The other one is "Choosing the Right Lens."

Include a variety of formats. 

Make sure to have multiple formats to create a truly engaging course. One form is whether a video or text can get boring. But, a variety of formats will keep the motivation levels up. 

"If you can and are able to record video content, start there because video content creates trust. Then, extract the audio and turn it into a private podcast to create intimacy. Use the written part for tracking milestones. This combination has been working best for most of my clients." 

Mariana Pena, instructional designer

So, combine text, video, audio, and interactive activities in your course design. This will help to keep students engaged and motivated. Besides, it will also add flexibility to the learning experience. For instance, if a student doesn't have time to sit and watch a video, they can simply listen to the audio lesson on the go. 

Related: 9 eLearning Content Types for Better Engagement +Examples

Send reminder emails or notifications. 

Do not underestimate the power of reminders. 

"I often ask students, ‘What are your takeaways or open questions from the last session?’ This keeps the pieces connected and allows me to address any gaps. Sometimes I’ll record a quick video or send a note between sessions to bridge the content." 

 

Jan Keck, cohort course creator

By sending students regular reminders, they will feel responsible for learning, show up, and participate. It will enhance a sense of accountability and professionalism from your side. 

When motivation drops, regular reminders come to help. How does this work? Well, a simple reminder of students’ progress (personalized one) can boost motivation once again. 

Your reminder can be as simple as a few sentences. For instance: 

For example, a cohort-based course creator like Jan Keck might send out a reminder email mid-week to re-engage students. For instance:

"Hey, team, just a quick check-in! In the last session, we explored techniques for effective virtual facilitation. Before our next meeting, take five minutes to reflect: What was your biggest takeaway? If you have lingering questions, drop them in our group chat so we can address them in the next session. See you Thursday at 6 PM!"

Make your courses engaging with Uteach

It is your time to turn your courses into engaging and fascinating courses with the right tools. Uteach is a robust all-in-one platform for coaches and course creators. It comes in handy with all the necessary features to optimize student engagement. 

The platform offers features such as a website builder, course builder, quizzes, certification builder, and sales tools. Contact us to learn more about how we can help you grow, and our team will be more than happy to assist you.