Online learning has now become a necessity in this digital age of advanced technology. Several universities, schools, institutes, and organizations have adopted digital learning. So, the competition is increasing in the e-learning industry. Also, many online learners tend to fade away due to a lack of interest and motivation. Therefore, it is now important to focus on online student engagement to retain the best interest of the learners. Let us find out some of the best engagement strategies for online learning.

But, before we find ways to increase online engagement, let us find out answers to some vital questions related to this.

What is Student Engagement in Online Learning?

You become engaged in work when you have 2 things in place, these are – interest and motivation. So, “student engagement” refers to a student’s interest to learn and study effectively to improve his or her academic performance. Besides, it also means that he or she is motivated enough to push himself or herself to perform well.

Online student engagement can be measured by several factors:

• Attention
• Interest
• Interactions
• Enthusiasm
• Will Power

Why Is Student Engagement Important?

Student engagement for online learning has many benefits for the students. These are:

• It helps them to become more confident and motivated.
• It helps them to develop problem-solving and critical thinking skills.
• Students can become more sociable.
• They can develop an interest in subjects they are not fond of.
• They can work hard to improve their performance.
• They can be prepared for more digital challenges.

One important thing we need to understand is that a student can complete classwork or homework without being engaged. But, listening to lectures or completing lessons might come out of a feeling of responsibility. Besides, many a time a student can be shy or timid, or even intimidated irrelevant whether it is a physical or online class.

What Are Some of The Reasons for Lack of Student Engagement in Online Courses?

Student engagement plays a vital role in online learning since remote learning can come with many challenges. The main reasons for the lack of student engagement in remote learning are:

• Boredom
• Lethargy
• Occupations
• Distractions
• Lack of Attention
• Lack of Interest
• Lack of Motivation
• Complex digital tools
• Absence of Instructor
• Complex Study Material

How do you keep online students engaged?

The online learning experience is different from traditional classroom learning. So, it is important to learn effective student engagement strategies for the online learning environment. Find below some of the best engagement strategies for online learning.

7 Engagement Strategies for Online Learning

1) Encourage learners to interact with the other learners and the instructor

It is important for the instructor to create an environment where learners can interact with each other freely without breaking the learning decorum. Online tutors can ask the students for their opinions in discussion forums. Also, they can organize oral debates in the classroom. Besides, creating a friendly learning atmosphere can help introverted learners to come out of their shells.

2) Regular follow-up with the students

Regular follow-up with students is one of the best practices for online student engagement. The online instructors need to check if any student is missing sessions. Also, enquiring students about the problems they are facing in education and personal life can fill the gap between an instructor and his or her learners. Besides, asking about individual goals and career plans can make the students feel good and confident of themselves. This can be done either online in individual sessions or through e-mails.

3) Organized, clear, and simple learning tools and materials

The more complex the digital tools and learning materials are, the more the students tend to lose interest in learning. So, the instructors need to use simple tools and organized study materials. Besides, the assessments, records, and study materials should be easily accessible.

4) Apply different learning styles for online engagement

Online learning sessions can easily turn boring for students if they are made to listen to only lectures and study lessons from books. Instructors can make use of PowerPoint, videos, and audios to make the session more interesting. Besides, engaging students in various online activities can retain their attention for a long time. Also, asking the learners to demonstrate something related to a subject can help them remember the concepts. Likewise, assigning them some homework related to physical activities or research can boost up their interest.

5) Bite-sized and spaced learning

Long hours of lectures or long lessons can make students feel fatigued and disinterested in learning. So, it is important to focus on delivering as much as the learners can digest. Therefore, delivering bite-sized information gives students enough time to recall and review it.

6) Have some fun session

Leaning can be more enjoyable if little fun is added to it. Many instructors focus on the course, materials, and assessments. But, they miss one important thing that can make learning easier for the students. That is having little fun. Adding some brain games, debates, and even a short chit-chat session can make the students feel relaxed. This will eventually increase online student engagement.

7) Regular and constructive feedback

The right kind of feedback and suggestions can help the students improve their academic performance. It matters a lot to most of the learners as they are willing to improve their scores and knowledge. So, useful suggestions can bring a positive outcome. Besides, motivating a student to perform well academically as well as in life can boost up one’s confidence.

No doubt, online learning offers great flexibility. But, one must understand and value individual learning needs and styles when it comes to students. Besides, there might be challenges like academic pressure, family issues, mental health issues, and financial problems, etc. So, it is important to create a positive learning environment to retain the students’ interest. This is where engagement strategies for online learning come into place. Overall, online student engagement is of utmost importance for healthy and effective learning.