Teaching the same course several times a year can get monotonous. That’s not good for your or your students. Although those of us who teach online have a variety of tools and modalities to grab students’ attention, it is always nice to add variety.

Rita-Marie Conrad and J. Ana Donaldson have gathered ideas from online instructors from all over. Their book, Engaging the Online Learner: Activities and Resources for Creative Instruction (Online Teaching and Learning Series (OTL) is full of so many ideas that neither you nor your students will not get bored for a long while.

If you have not taken education courses or read much about learning theory and how they translate into online environments, Part One provides a brief but helpful introduction.

Phases of Engagement

In Chapter 2, Conrad and Donaldson propose that instructors begin by giving assignments that foster community building, allowing students to get to know each other After students relate on a personal level, they can do activities in pairs and then in small groups. Finally, students work up to a point in which they facilitate activities themselves, allowing the instructor to sit back and observe the learning among students.

The course I teach is just six weeks long, so I find it difficult to build this level of community in such a short time. I have tried doing group projects in my class, but I received so many complaints and had so many groups in which one member did not participate that I gave up! Reading Conrad and Donaldson’s rationale for building up to team activities has made me realize that I just threw people together without laying a foundation for trust and cooperation. Maybe I will try again to have students work in groups but have team-building steps incorporated into activities beforehand.

Chapter three provides helpful suggestions on assessing students’ learning and progress. It is great to be reminded that assessment does not need to be limited to tests and papers.

Activities Galore

Part Two of the book is filled with activity examples for students at each phase of engagement. The examples have been gathered from online instructors teaching a variety of subjects from both academic and corporate environments teaching in both synchronous and asynchronous modes. The activities include:

  1. Activities that help students use online tools and perform research online.
  2. Icebreaker activities that help students learn about each other and make connections
  3. Activities that students can do in pairs or small teams.
  4. Activities which assist students in reflecting upon what they are learning.
  5. Authentic learning activities that help students apply their learn to real situations they may face.
  6. Games and simulations, and finally,
  7. Activities that allow students to take on the role of facilitator to lead classmates in learning.

Each activity has a one-paragraph description and many offer notes from the online instructors with details and tips for making them work. Most are general enough to adapt to any content.

So whether you are a seasoned veteran in a rut or a new online instructor in need of guidance, Engaging the Online Learner: Activities and Resources for Creative Instruction (Online Teaching and Learning Series (OTL)) offers much you can use.

How do you engage students? Share an idea below!

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