Katalin Wargo, Director of Online Programs and Academic Partnerships.
Connecting with our students in the digital space can be challenging. It requires competing with myriad distractions while also creating a welcoming sense of community. Many of the ways we may keep the pulse of the in-person audience don’t translate well to the digital. Following are three tips for connecting with online audiences and creating a sense of shared responsibility for learning.
Chunk the Time
Build in a 10-15 minute break for every 75 minutes of presentation time.
Add in short activities that allow participants to move away from the computer (ex. brainstorming, reading an article, writing an opinion). This activity will help to keep participants focused on learning.
Check for Understanding
Take time to gauge whether your audience is with you. Use formative assessments like questioning, polls, surveys, and exit tickets. There are a host of tools that can be used, such as Mentimeter, Poll Everywhere, Google Forms.
Crowdsource Ideas
Use shared documents to conceptualize or synthesize understandings. You can ask participants to verbally or visually map out ideas in relation to one another. Use tools such as Google Docs, Google Jamboard, Padlet, and Perusall.
Katalin Wargo, Ph.D., is the Director of Online Programs and Academic Partnerships for HPU. For more tips like these, check out the Online Learning and Academic Partnerships instructional resources page!
