In recent times, technology has been our most significant friend. Whenever we face a single issue, it is only the technology that comes to our rescues. That was the initial purpose of technology to make our lives easier by automating the processes. With internet and communication technologies taking leaps, it has added another dimension to our lives where we leverage them to reduce our burdens. With the COVID19 pandemic, it became virtually impossible to continue growing as we knew it last year. Social distancing became a norm, and any place where people gather around to achieve something had to close.
Educational institutions were no different as the lives of students are as important as everyone else. However, we always had to find alternatives because society cannot function without the provision of education. Without it, there will be no graduates left to take up the jobs in the next few years, and the economy might just come to a halt.
Once again, it was the technology that came to our rescue as most of the educational institutes moved to online classes with the help of virtual classrooms. Technologies such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom had to leverage to bring us out of the swamp. However, difficulties accompany every opportunity, and virtual classrooms are no exception. Emulating a real classroom learning experience is not easy when students are not physically present in the class.
Many online summer high school classes now focusing on how they can keep engaging their student while studying virtually. The instructors can hardly keep an eye on everybody, which means they cannot determine if the students lost any interest in the course. The instructors also do not have enough training for virtual classrooms, which makes it even more difficult. In this article, we will discuss some of the ways instructors can keep the students engaged in the class, so learning doesn’t stop.
Engage participants frequently
You can never make anyone learn something if they feel left out of the whole process. Participation is a key, even in a physical classroom environment, without which students might not grasp most of the things taught. If the information is too complicated, you should ask the students whether they have understood it completely. Many students might still lie about it, so it is upon the teachers to ensure they get it through periodic questioning from students. When the students know that the instructors would inquire about the concepts, they would be more attentive during the lecture.
Sustain participant’s interest
Engagement with students is not enough as the participants might lose interest irrespective of it, so instructors must do something to sustain it. Encourage the participants to raise their hands if they have any questions as many technologies used for online learning have this option embedded in the system. You can also ask all the participants to give you honest feedback about the lesson to improve. Another way to sustain people’s interest is to allow periodic group interactions during the session. The instructor should be lenient to students who feel distracted during a lesson and want some time off.
Get to know your students well
Without knowing your students, you can never understand their strengths and weaknesses. This lack of knowledge will only make it difficult for the instructor to impart the learning efficiently. The best way to do that is to evaluate your students personally by continually asking those questions. Doing so will let you know about all their weak areas on which you need to work. Many students might be vulnerable in one aspect of the lessons, so next time you could elaborate on those parts slightly more to alleviate their weakness. When you address the faults of the students, it will make them more expressive.
Remember to have fun
Learning is not all about gaining knowledge, but people tend to retain more if they have fun doing it. As they say, if you love what you do, you will not have to work a day. Making the process fun for the students would only encourage them to participate and learn more. Instructors could include various multimedia elements such as videos and images to keep the students interested in the fun process. Many instructors also make jokes but remember all the students’ sensitivities while making a joke and keep it completely apolitical.
Maintain a positive group atmosphere
It would help if you never let the group members get bored while waiting for others to join in. You can prepare some icebreakers for them and easy ungraded tests, which can keep them engaged. You could also ask the group members question regarding the previous lecture to test their knowledge. Sometimes, things might start to heat up during a class discussion, so you should always look out for such indicators and ensure that the analysis remains civil.
Do not overload your students
There is only a specific amount of information that any student can process at a time. When you give them too much information without allowing them to absorb it, they will surely lose interest. A study says that there is a decline of student’s attention 10-15 minutes into the lecture. The best way to keep them attentive is to prepare the speech well and only include essential information. You can also help them in their learning process by giving those reading assignments and then asking them about it in the next class. Doing so will help them learn at their convenience instead of a plethora of information thrown at once.
While COVID19 has drastically changed our lives, it has also enabled us to take advantage of all the opportunities that technology presents. Online classes are one of the systems that this pandemic has revealed to the world, and we are all still learning how to utilize them efficiently. Though we can never replace physical classes’ efficacy, we can always make a conscious effort to improve virtual courses. By engaging the students and sustaining their interest in the level through some fun activities can only ensure that they get the best out of the virtual classes.