By S. Nicole Jones, Ph.D.
Hello! My name is Nicole Jones, and I am a 2022 graduate of the Evaluation, Statistics, and Methodology (ESM) PhD program at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK). I currently work as the Assessment & Accreditation Coordinator in the College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) at the University of Georgia (UGA). I also teach online, asynchronous program evaluation classes for UTK’s Evaluation, Statistics, & Methodology PhD and Evaluation Methodology MS programs. My research interests include the use of artificial intelligence in evaluation and assessment, competency-based assessment, and outcomes assessment.
Prior to teaching part-time for UTK, I served as a graduate teaching assistant in two online, synchronous ESM classes while enrolled in the PhD program: Educational Research and Survey Research. In addition, I taught in-person first-year seminars to undergraduates for many years in my previous academic advising roles. However, it wasn’t until I became involved in a teaching certificate program offered by UGA’s CVM this year that I truly began to reflect more on my own teaching style, and explore ways to better engage students, especially in an online, asynchronous environment. For those who are new to teaching online classes or just need some new ideas, I thought it would be helpful to share what I’ve learned about engaging students online.
Online Learning
While many online courses meet synchronously, meaning they meet virtually at a scheduled time through platforms like Zoom or other Learning Management Software (LMS) tools, there are also online classes that have no scheduled meeting times or live interactions. These classes are considered to be asynchronous. If you have taken an online, asynchronous course, you likely already know that it can be easy to forget about the class, primarily because there is no scheduled class time to keep you on track. When I worked as an academic advisor, I would often encourage my students who registered for these types of courses to go ahead and set aside certain days or times of the week to devote to those classes. Many college students struggle with time management, especially in the first-year, so this was one way to help them stay engaged in the class and up to date with assignments. While it is certainly important for students to show up (or log in) and participate, it’s even more important for instructors to create an online environment that will motivate students to do so. As discussed by Conrad and Donaldson (2012), online engagement is related to student participation and interaction in the classroom, and learning in the classroom (online or in-person) rests upon the instructor’s ability to create a sense of presence and engage students in the learning process. The key to engaging online learners is for students to be engaged and supported so they take responsibility for their own learning (Conrad & Donaldson, 2012). So, how might you create an engaging online environment for students?
Engaging Students in Online Classes
Below are some strategies I currently use to engage students in my online, asynchronous program evaluation classes:
- Reach out to the students prior to the start of class via welcome email
- Post information about myself via an introduction post – also have students introduce themselves via discussion posts
- Develop a communication plan – let students know the best way to get in touch with me
- Host weekly virtual office hours – poll students about their availability to find the best time
- Clearly organize the course content by weekly modules
- Create a weekly checklist and/or introduction to each module
- Use the course announcements feature to send out reminders of assignment due dates
- Connect course content to campus activities, workshops, events, etc.
- Utilize team-based projects
- Provide opportunities for students to reflect on learning (i.e., weekly reflection journals)
- Provide feedback on assignments in a timely manner
- Allow for flexibility and leniency
- Reach out to students who miss assignment due dates – offer to meet one-on-one if needed
In addition to these strategies, the Center for Teaching and Learning at Northern Illinois University has an excellent website with even more recommendations for increasing student engagement in online courses. Their recommendations focus on the following areas: 1) set expectations and model engagement, 2) build engagement and motivation with course content and activities, 3) initiate interaction and create faculty presence, 4) foster interaction between students and create a learning community, and 5) create an inclusive environment. I also recommend checking your current institution’s Center for Teaching and Learning to see if they have tips or suggestions as they may be more specific for the LMS your institution uses. Lastly, you may find the following resources helpful if you wish to learn more about student engagement and online teaching and learning.
Helpful Resources
American Journal of Distance Education: https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/hajd20/current
Fostering Connection in Hybrid & Online Formats:
https://www.ctl.uga.edu/_resources/documents/Fostering-Connection-in-Hybrid-Online-Formats.pdf
Conrad, R. M., & Donaldson, J. A. (2012). Continuing to Engage the online Learner: More Activities and Resources for Creative Instruction. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass.
Groccia, J. E. (2018). What is student engagement? New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 154, 11-20.
How to Make Your Teaching More Engaging: Advice Guide
How to Make Your Teaching More Inclusive:
https://www.chronicle.com/article/how-to-make-your-teaching-more-inclusive/
Iowa State University Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching: https://www.celt.iastate.edu/learning-technologies/engaging-students/
Khan, A., Egbue, O., Palkie, B., & Madden, J. (2017). Active learning: Engaging students to maximize learning in an online course. The Electronic Journal of e-Learning, 15(2), 107-115.
Lumpkin, A. (2021). Online teaching: Pedagogical practices for engaging students synchronously and asynchronously. College Student Journal, 55(2), 195-207.
Northern Illinois University Center for Teaching and Learning. (2024, March 1). Recommendations to Increase Student Engagement in Online Classes. https://www.niu.edu/citl/resources/guides/increase-student-engagement-in-online-courses.shtml.
Online Learning Consortium: https://onlinelearningconsortium.org/read/olc-online-learning-journal/
Watson, S., Sullivan, D. P., & Watson, K. (2023). Teaching presence in asynchronous online classes: It’s not just a façade. Online Learning, 27(2), 288-303.
