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    Home»DISTANCE LEARNING»Chapter 25: Keeping online students engaged

    Chapter 25: Keeping online students engaged

      Distant Learning - Chapter 25

       

      Keeping online students engaged

      ■  How do we get students into class after they have registered? 

      You can have an orientation. 

      An orientation should encourage students that the class will be a valuable use of their time and help to overcome the challenges they may have in this medium of instruction.  The orientation can include:  
       
      • Class times, start and end dates, and a bit about the content of the classes.  
      • Basic directions on how to use the remote platform. It may be how to download the app if needed, how to log on, and a couple basic features. Videos are available for all of these, often in different languages, both on the sites for the platform and YouTube. 
      • Videos of students talking about what they like about the remote classes and what they needed to do to be successful.  They can also discuss what was easy, as well as challenges that they overcame with remote classes. Videos of instructors talking about what is important in your classes and what they like about having classes held this way.   
      • Expectations for students and classroom rules. Remote learning etiquette is something that has been evolving after everyone went online during the pandemic.  You may find it helpful to find rules that create a balance between an orderly class and ones that are flexible enough to allow students to keep coming.  Many of these may be different from the ones that you have in a physical classroom.   
       

      ► Cameras on or off:  There are a lot of reasons students may not want to have it on all the time – for example, not being comfortable with others watching them or even just seeing themselves.  Having their camera off can use less bandwidth, which can help if they don’t have high enough speed for their internet.  However, asking learners to have their cameras on can be a good idea, particularly for participatory activities and creating a sense of community.  

      ► Using mute: it is often best to ask students to mute themselves unless they are talking since there are lots of unexpected noises. In some cases, teachers may want to take on the role of muting students instead of continuously reminding students to do so themselves.  For example, if there's a baby crying in the background, it's better for the teacher to mute the student then to draw attention to the noise by directing the request to the student who could then feel self conscious.  

      ► Food in class:  Some programs have found it beneficial to be flexible with eating since students can do it with their cameras off. 

      ► Kids in the class: One of the challenges with having remote classes is that the kids are often there.  If the children are not causing disruptions to the class (and they can usually be muted), it may be better to allow them to be there.  

      ► Dress code: Students should be fully dressed, but beyond that many programs are flexible.   

      • You can get information from students about their expectations and what barriers they may need help overcoming.  

       

      You can craft emails and texts that will help students log on for the first time.   

      These emails can have the basic information for how to get into the class, the time and dates the class meets. You might also have some screen shots that walk students through the steps on different devices.  See the Worksheets tab for sample Zoom information for students from Montgomery College.
       
      There are a lot of videos available for students.  You may be able to find them in different languages.   
       
       

      ■  What are some ways to track attendance remotely?  

      Taking attendance can be done in a variety of ways.  
       
      • Students can put their name in the chat as they come in or just say their name. 
      • It will be helpful for students and teachers to know how to change their name in the meeting since some names will come us as just “iPhone” or possibly the name of their child or whoever used the meeting software last. 
      • Online platforms like Zoom may have reports that can show who was in class and when, or at least how long, they attended. 
       
      Tracking attendance can also be done in various ways.  
       
      The solution many schools have adopted has been to create attendance sheets using Google Sheets.  You can create one for each class with students’ names and dates of the class and share it with the instructor(s), who can record attendance daily. This will allow you, as the program administrator, to track attendance of each class.  
       
      There are other options with more features you can try.  This site lists some choices that are free: 
       

      ■  What are some ways we can retain students in class?   

      Be flexible with students taking breaks and having children together with them in the classes. Being flexible with ways to reduce bandwidth use, like having cameras off, can also keep students from giving up because of the freezes that happen when their bandwidth is too low.
       
      Flexible scheduling is important here too since students may not know the barriers they will need to overcome when they initially join the class. Some programs have found having shorter terms work better. Have the instructors or someone they know contact them to get them to come back to classes.  
       
      As with in-person classes, the program can incentivize participation through recognitions such as certificates of participation or announcing the names of students who have persisted at an end-of-session celebration.
       
       

      ■   What are the best ways to ensure clear communication with students? 

      Set up email lists and phone number lists in the mass texting platforms such as Remind so that you can contact students to remind them to come to class and provide other important information such as when the next registration is taking place. Many email servers can be translated by the receiver of the email.  Consider also including a message that tells them they can copy and paste your communication to translate the message.  Information about different options are included here:  
       
       

      Keeping online students engaged

      ♦ Practice Example

      "What are some of the ways you have successfully overcome challenges with retention in remote classes?" 

      See what Cindy Newland of Sheppard Pratt's Linkages to Learning Adult ESOL Program says about retention:

      This online mid-session survey developed by CASA is a way to engage their learners and show that the program cares about their opinions, and also enables the program to make mid-course improvements where needed.   

      (Click on the document to view in its entirety.)