9 Strategies to Increase Student Retention in Online Courses

Often, students enroll in your courses with high expectations. And when they realize it is different from what they had in mind, they get overwhelmed. As a result, they stop logging in or participating in your courses. And you are left with low student retention rates. 

This article discusses the key reasons behind low retention rates and offers actionable strategies to keep your students engaged from day one. We interviewed pro course creators on their take on increasing student retention. So, this is how you can boost online course retention rates. 

Factors affecting student retention rates

One mistake that often impacts student retention is trying to replicate the offline course experience directly in an online format. Gaytan's research (2013) shows that retention models designed for traditional face-to-face learning environments do not fully translate to online settings. 

This is one of the reasons you can end up with students buying yet never engaging with the course. Here is what Angel Rodriguez shared with us about his experience:

“I'm used to teaching in one-hour blocks. In a classroom, that works just fine. When I first launched my online course, I did it the same way: one-hour blocks. And that was a huge mistake. I had big drop-offs. That's one of the biggest things I learned in the very beginning about creating online courses. You have to structure it into little bite-sized nuggets.” 

Angel Rodriguez, Course Creator

The next factor is how you engage the students. Engagement plays a huge role here. Dry content will not hold anyone's attention. That is why visuals, stories, interactive quizzes, and discussions can make the learning process exciting. And when students feel involved, they are motivated to log in and keep going.

Let’s see how you can create an online learning experience that keeps students engaged, motivated, and committed.

9 Ways to increase student retention 

To increase student retention in your online courses, you need to create a sense of accomplishment, progress, and belonging from the very beginning. Here are nine strategies from other course creators you can implement to do so. 

Communicate learning objectives clearly 

When students feel they are in the right place, they are more likely to stay. 

So, you need to make clear what the students are signing up for and how it benefits them. But how do you communicate this? 

It starts right on your course page or wherever you share the course description. Focus on what students will achieve by the end of the course. 

“We want to be thinking about skills and competencies because the objectives don't have to do with information. It has to do with the level of performance. Everybody is going to buy your course is going to buy it with a desire to improve their level of performance at a certain skill so that they can get something else”. 

Mariana Pena, Instructional Designer 

Even after they enrolled, you still want to remind them what they can achieve and how a specific module will guide them towards that objective. For that purpose, you can use your onboarding emails. This way, you are setting a clear roadmap for what they will learn, which helps manage their expectations and prepares them for what is coming next.

Provide students with quick wins 

Another reason students may not engage with your course material is that they do not feel a sense of accomplishment. 

“In the first week or two, you must prove that your course delivers. So, we create sprints. The sprint is a quick win thareassure the student that the moneyhat they spent on you was well spent. And if we don't do that, we're going to lose the high motivation that they had when they signed up.” 

Mariana Pena, Instructional Designer 

Let’s say you offer a course about social media marketing. 

In this case, a quick win can be getting students to set up their business accounts in the first module. This helps students see immediate, tangible results. They will feel that sense of accomplishment and reassurance that they are already on their way to building their brand, which keeps them motivated to engage with your course materials. 

Reflect on your lesson delivery 

As students proceed with the modules, your course content can become increasingly overwhelming. If they feel they cannot keep up, they can easily give up. So, once you motivate the students with quick wins, you also need to keep them progressing. 

That is why Mariana Pena suggests creating the result’s roadmap. 

“The roadmap is going to be structured in a way where they can take that as a checking point. And you, as a course creator, have to remember this when you are creating your modules, when you're closing each section”. 

Mariana Pena, Instructional Designer 

By breaking down the learning journey and constantly reminding students of their progress, you make the course manageable. For example, you can say, "You’ve already learned how to do this, and now we’re going to work towards this." Communicating what they have already achieved and what is coming next helps students feel that they are progressing toward a meaningful goal. This is how you keep them sticking with you. 

Have lesson format variety 

It is not always about what you present in your course. It is also about how you present and deliver it. And if you aim to keep your students focused on the material, consider adding a variety of formats. Especially if you offer pre-recorded courses, there is little opportunity to connect with the students. 

In this case, you can break down your content into shorter, bite-sized modules that are easy to follow and digest. Incorporate interactive quizzes and short challenges that allow students to test their understanding as they go along. Also, provide downloadable resources like templates or worksheets that students can use immediately to apply what they have learned. This breaks the monotony and gives students practical tools that reinforce the material. 

With live courses, connecting with students and fostering retention is much easier. You can make the students involved with discussions and exercises. 

“What I love the most is the discussions between the participants. I believe that if I create a course, I may be an expert in what I'm sharing. But that doesn't mean that there aren't other experts who may also be in the students. And the conversations that they have with each other sometimes deepen the learning”. 

Jan Keck, Learning Experience Designer

Send reminders to bring students back on track 

Have you noticed how Duolingo does a great job with notifications? They send reminders when you have not logged in for a long time. 

You can implement a similar strategy for your online course as well. So, every time you notice a lack of interaction, you can share a reminder. Actually, you can automate this process so the system automatically sends reminders at strategic points. 

“One of the ways you can encourage them to get to the finish line is through mobile applications. Ensure to utilize mobile notifications and gamification to help them progress and finally get to the finish line”. 

Eli Natoli

Course Creator, Coach, and a Marketing Strategist

So, you can use app alerts or emails that remind students of their progress, highlight upcoming lessons, or even suggest content they may have missed.

How Uteach can help

If you are running your course with Uteach, you can automate this process in many ways. For example, you can schedule when the next episode or material is available. Later, send them automatic notifications about it so that the student can get back to learning. There is also an opportunity to activate the ready-made notifications and emails. So, anytime a specific action happens, they get an automated email. 

You can send your notification not only via email but through their mobile apps and platforms as well. 

Create learning communities 

Learning communities foster an incredible sense of belonging, accountability, and collaboration. All these are key factors in improving student retention. When students connect with others in the course, they are more likely to stay engaged. They can share their progress and ask questions. Besides, it is another touchpoint to stay connected with your students. 

The communities make your course to be about more than pure content. They become part of the experience. To create this connection, you can encourage discussions by posting thought-provoking questions or challenges related to the course.

For example, if you discussed social media trends for the course, you can ask what is the one they want to try that week. Then, the students can share their results and, at the same time, practice what they learned. 

How Uteach can help 

With Uteach, you can create communities around your courses and run discussions around different topics. You can make your communities free so that everyone can access. Or you can set a price and monetize the community. 

Provide live interactions 

You probably noticed how much more engaging it is to have real-time interactions compared to just watching a pre-recorded video. 

Live lessons are another way to bring that energy and connection into your course. They create a space where students can ask questions, share insights, and feel part of an active learning experience. And this fosters retention. 

So, when students know there is a live session coming up, they are more likely to show up and stay engaged. They do not want to miss the opportunity to connect with you. It also gives them a chance to clarify doubts instantly and feel like they are achieving something. 

“With a self-guided course, you sign up with the best intentions, and then you never actually finish it. You're really motivated in the beginning, but because there's no real accountability to watch a video every day or continue to go through lessons. I feel like the drop-off is much higher, and with a court-based course, I know for myself, I'm putting the dates in my calendar, and I'm going to show up”. 

Jan Keck, Learning Experience Designer

Even if you run your course with pre-recorded videos and materials, you can still make live sessions a part of it. 

For example, you can host regular Q&A sessions. Let’s suppose you teach photography. In this case, you can have a live session where students submit photos and get personalized feedback. This kind of value keeps them coming back.

How Uteach can help

With Uteach, you can automate the way you run live sessions. After you plan the sessions ahead, the timetable will be generated automatically. You can also choose your preferred video conferencing app and send automatic notifications before the session.  

Collect feedback from your students 

Feedback shows your students that you care about their experience and are willing to adapt to meet their needs. This way, you not only identify the potential ways to improve your course but also let your learners know that their voice matters. 

Besides, when you collect feedback, you can identify areas where students struggle or lose interest. Maybe they find a module too challenging or feel that some parts lack clarity. 

So, how do you collect this feedback? One simple way is to include quick surveys at the end of each module. Ask questions like, “Was this lesson helpful?” or “What would you like to see improved?”. Another way is asking during your live sessions or sending follow-up emails asking for their thoughts. 

Perhaps, you would even need a relaunch before you can create an experience your students will truly enjoy. 

“You should always do is check in with your students and see how they are enjoying the course. As a result of that, I relaunched, I did another relaunch and I got some feedback from that relaunch”. 

Angel Rodriguez, Course Creator 

How Uteach can help 

If you run your courses on Uteach, you have the opportunity to manage feedback and collect the necessary data with the help of forms. Besides collecting feedback, you can enable reviews and questions for the course. So, the students will be able to leave their opinion publicly and rate the course unless you decide otherwise. 

Offer certificates of completion 

When students know they will receive a certificate, it keeps them motivated to complete all the lessons. 

It adds a sense of purpose and a clear goal, especially for learners who want to add the certificate to their resumes, LinkedIn profiles, or portfolios. Would that not make them more likely to stay on track?

How Uteach can help

With platforms like Uteach you can automate the certification process as well. All you need to do is choose a suitable template, add your logo and signature. The system will automatically inserts the students’ names. You can add the certificate to your course later. So, once a student successfully passes the quiz, they automatically receive the certificate. 

Track your students' progress with Uteach 

The first indicator on low student retention rates is your current students’ progress and your online school reports. To be able to implement the necessary retention measures you first need to identify where your online school falls short. 

Uteach provides you with detailed analytics and reports on every student’s performance, and your online school as well. You can keep track of the average study time, certified students, course completion rates, your sales and so much more. 

Discover more about Uteach features and start growing your online school today.