Introduction
The impact of high-tech information distribution has drastically altered how teachers teach, and students learn. Learners nowadays have grown up in a digital age. They are accustomed to watching films, conducting internet searches, and digitally sampling information from several sources. In addition, almost every student has a smartphone in their pocket, allowing them to access information on the fly. Technology-enhanced learning benefits both students and instructors in a variety of ways. It facilitates instructor contact and feedback, helping learners to interact and communicate with peers more readily, and allows students to practice newly acquired skills.
Online education is fundamentally different from in-class instruction, therefore faculty must adapt to a position in which they analyze this cutting-edge material and place it in a learning context for students. While technology-enabled online teaching gives students to access at any time and from any location and gives them the freedom to work at their own pace, the lack of in-person interactions with teachers can be alienating. Online educators are urged to actively look for ways to promote conversation, stimulate relationships, and establish virtual learning communities. Today's students learn best when they combine various multimedia and sensory experiences. Interactive learning situations that promote involvement, autonomy, teamwork, and conversation are much more enjoyable. In actuality, interactive learning speeds up learning for learners by a factor of six compared to other techniques.
Innovative Techniques For Facilitating Online Learning
Learn About The Emerging Training Methods
- Webinars: When the speaker and participants are both present in the webinar "room," they are typically 1-2 hour lectures on a particular topic. Participants can be indefinitely many. Participants can schedule their day and select a precise time for online training because the organizers already specify the time. Additionally, the attendees are free to speak out during talks and offer questions right away.
- Online Tutoring Sessions: They are often carried out in real-time by a small group of participants (12–18) under the guidance of an instructor. Typically, this combines theory and practice. The coaching may be broken into many sessions, each lasting up to three hours. A typical session includes many participatory activities, games, and conversations. More importantly, students study theory and put it into practice immediately.
- Video Tutorials: They include lectures or classes recorded together with slides, infographics, and visuals on a screen. The length and timing of the instruction are up to the learner, who may also pause or fast-forward the video at any moment.
- Flipping Courses Online: The usual order of educational activities has shifted in the flipped classroom, where theoretical content is first provided in lectures, and then practical homework assignments are organized. This is a significant paradigm of blended learning. Before beginning their subject-related classroom courses, students individually study the theory and conceptual framework. The instructor generates chances for the application of information and the development of skills and talents by students to improve involvement in the learning process Exercises, individual project discussions, group discussions, brainstorming sessions, and a variety of other activities can all be used to engage and involve learners.
- Online Workshops: This brief, intensive training (one or more sessions) focuses on participant engagement and information sharing. Looking at how these educational processes are carried out, we can observe that they include active cooperation where participants share their real-world experiences and develop and solidify new abilities. Discussions, brainstorming sessions, and case studies are all part of the framework, and all participants are subject-matter experts. Therefore, it is essential to choose a facilitator who helps manage the group process and maintains track of time to improve the efficacy of online learning.
Employ Active Learning
Students should actively participate in the course through problem-solving, group discussions, case studies, and role-playing. Due to the student's active participation in the learning process and other factors, active learning is a quicker and more successful method of instruction. Consider including more manageable, operational learning-based activities, including brief quizzes or group conversations on a particular subject covered in your courses.
To Facilitate Online Learning, Use A Range Of Interactive Technologies
Because applying new knowledge in practice helps students retain it better than merely listening to lectures and taking notes, interaction is designed to promote active learning. Interactive online learning aims to provide engaging information that supports online instruction rather than producing visually stunning stuff. Wise use of interactive technologies will hold students' attention throughout the lesson. It takes more time and works to arrange the route, but the outcome is worthwhile.
- First, it's critical to strike a balance between an assignment's difficulty level and the abilities that students have previously mastered. The simplest way to achieve balance is to establish different course scenario alternatives (beginning, middle, high degree of difficulty), ask students to select the best option, or administer an admission test.
- Second, the effective use of interactive technologies lengthens students' attention spans. The average attention span has decreased in recent years, falling below 8 seconds, according to a study. Third, incorporating interactive features into the course must be done purposefully rather than at random. For example, the video game business employs the idea of an Interest Curve to maintain customers' interest. A graph depicting the game's pivotal phases is called an interest curve. Using the timetable, you can anticipate with great accuracy when the game will get boring and remedy the situation by making it more interesting. Online learning may employ the same strategy.
Make Use Of Images And Video On The Web
Your audience probably spends numerous hours interacting with various digital media, from streaming whole movies on Netflix to seeing a dozen thirty-second videos on YouTube. Understandably, a student or attendee may need to catch up with their prep material in front of all these sparkling and intensely captivating channels. However, this same material, which your audience spends hours watching, may be used to enhance your lesson ideas through online learning. Your digital course materials or conference content can include brief demonstrations, micro-lectures, films, and infographics to boost participation before and during your events. In addition, you may use online picture editing tools that are free and simple to use.
This can imply to teachers and professors that The likelihood of students actively participating in class is higher, doing better on exams, and improving the learning environment. In addition, this would mean that the audience is more immersed in the sessions, enhancing member acquisition and retention for event professionals. Therefore, using the power of various visual media may be quite advantageous for the engagement goals of your organization.
Facilitates Group Collaboration
Students who enter cutting-edge businesses must be able to cooperate successfully, and this requires them to demonstrate this ability. Employers look for candidates with a strong sense of collaboration and will evaluate their ability to work cooperatively and remotely on projects with coworkers. As a result, group activities offer excellent opportunities for students to sharpen these abilities and enhance their academic achievement. Teachers might attempt to put students in small groups and assign them challenges from real-world scenarios to solve to encourage outstanding teamwork by having the students act as facilitators. These cooperative learning exercises allow students to share their experiences with others and show off their knowledge and abilities.
Live Chats And Question-Answer Sessions Asking For Feedback
Instead of lecturing to your pupils, engage them. Although pre-recorded lectures are excellent, they deprive students of essential chances to receive immediate feedback on their queries. You may include this aspect of classroom instruction where students can ask questions as the presenter lectures in your online courses. Because students attending your course are genuinely interested in your expertise and want to ask as many questions as possible, some professors have observed a 4x increase in engagement and interactions by incorporating interactive features. If they feel as though their tasks are being submitted to a brick wall, even the most motivated students will lose interest.
Take the time to provide assignments with timely responses and feedback that goes beyond a letter or number grade. Comment on reactions to lengthy essays. Talk about the details of complex observations. Examine the details of the questions students missed to ensure they know why. Giving students detailed, meaningful criticism can help them improve and keep them interested in the material.
Optimizing Mobile-Friendly Course Materials
Mobile usage increases year over year. Now, more individuals use their phones as their primary internet access. According to studies, by 2021, more than 85% of adults will own a smartphone. And 15% of people rely on these mobile devices instead of broadband for online access at home. Therefore, it would be best to assume that some of your audience might need access through their phones even though you may have designed your online learning for desktop. In addition, some associations and educational website builders offer specific features for mobile optimization if you intend to organize your course materials and host them on your institution's website.
However, consider spending money on a specific online learning platform. So that your students won't be sent to external content or resource links, this would hold all of your course resources in one convenient area. And for a fully optimized mobile experience, some online learning systems even feature companion applications.
'Bite-Sized' Training Modules, Microlearning, And Cohort-Based Learning
A bite-sized strategy can assist you in offering online training when your course needs help understanding. Short chunks of knowledge are provided in micro-training so that students may study at their own speed. Micro training is a skill-based method that helps learners find rapid solutions to their issues. Because it satisfies a modern learner's desire for flexibility, quick feedback, and just-in-time responses, microlearning techniques are becoming more and more popular. Here are the distinctive characteristics of microlearning that set it apart from other strategies.
- Length: The average runtime for each module is 5 minutes.
- Focus: Each lesson addresses a particular question with a specific response.
- Variety: There is a vast array of information included in microlearning, including audio podcasts, presentations, games, and quizzes.
- Mobile-friendly content is intended to be responsive and user-friendly across all platforms.
- Overall, microlearning is available on demand, customizable, and satisfies all of the learner's demands.
Cohort-based learning involves students completing the same curriculum as a group and graduating simultaneously. Instead of individual content consumption, a focus is placed on teamwork and collaboration. As a result, students can often communicate with one another and share ideas. In addition to helping teachings feel much more current and genuine, Additionally, it encourages students to discuss their work critically with teachers outside of class. Have your students frequently meet in Google Hangouts or a community within your course to benefit from cohort-based learning fully.
Conclusion
The way conferences, seminars, and classes are run significantly shifted in the past year. Perhaps you were affected by these developments, or you have been overseeing online education and running virtual meetings for years before they became the standard. In either case, these instinctive techniques will assist you in engaging, instructing, and keeping your audience longer than is practically possible with a physical medium. To make learning more interactive, there are several strategies, techniques, and instruments available. By reading this blog, you've already taken the first step toward improving your online courses and creating a more engaging learning environment for your students. Online learning is not impersonal just because it takes place remotely. Talk to your pupils through text or voice chats, and urge them to talk to one another as well. When you work online, you can use a variety of media, including
images, video, animations, graphics, audio, and games, to deliver content, improve students' understanding, and spice up your lessons. Just be careful to pick media that support the lesson rather than the other way around.
While conventional classroom instruction is still standard, many educational institutions are moving forward with technology use. For instance, they substitute Chromebooks for textbooks and employ digital whiteboards and flipped classes. Understanding the fundamental tenets of online facilitation and its distinguishing characteristics is crucial for achieving this goal. As a result, educators who have a thorough grasp of the mechanics of facilitation can better accommodate different personalities, make the environment inviting and participatory, and provide better experiences for all parties.
References
- thinkific.com/blog/how-to-make-online-classes-more-interactive-thinglink/
- https://www1.d2l.com/en-apac/blog/top-10-tips-for-online-facilitators/